We provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment for people to gain as much movement and physical independence as possible, to promote optimal health and wellbeing.
About us
Barwon Health Physiotherapists work in a wide range of areas, including in hospital, rehabilitation centres, community health centres, specialist clinics, the emergency department, urgent care centres and at home.
Our staff work with people of all ages and abilities, from newborns to the elderly.
Physiotherapists use the most up-to-date scientific evidence and research to provide practical and easy to understand information and advice about movement, exercise and function. We focus on assessment, diagnosis and treatment to recover and restore movement and physical function. Physiotherapists may also focus on preventative strategies to reduce the risk of illness, injury or disability in the future.
Treatment techniques utilised by our physiotherapists may include:
- Exercise programs targeting strength, co-ordination, balance and movement control to improve function in daily activities
- Airway clearance techniques and breathing exercises
- Assistance with use of splints and mobility aids
- Education for patients and carers.
Our services
Barwon Health Physiotherapy provides specialist services to people with a range of problems and conditions.
Further information, including referral criteria, is available on the Physiotherapy Clinic page.
Our orthopaedic/musculoskeletal physiotherapists provide care for people who have experienced an orthopaedic injury or who are recovering from orthopaedic surgery.
We work with people to deliver goal-focused and time-limited rehabilitation. This can include:
- Back or neck pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Post-operative rehabilitation for total hip arthroplasty, total knee arthroplasty, ligament reconstructions and arthroscopic procedures
- Fracture management
- Return to work and sport post injury.
Orthopaedic/musculoskeletal physiotherapy is available at University Hospital Geelong, McKellar Centre and Barwon Community Health Centres, depending on the patient’s needs.
We offer a choice of phone, telehealth and in-person appointments.
Our women’s and pelvic health physiotherapists have extensive experience and knowledge of women’s health through all stages of life, from newborns and adolescents through to child-bearing years and beyond.
Common conditions managed by our team include:
- Pelvic floor disorders such as prolapse and incontinence
- Antenatal conditions such as pelvic pain, lower back pain, carpal tunnel and other musculoskeletal conditions related to pregnancy
- Postnatal conditions such as abdominal muscle separation, pelvic floor concerns and musculoskeletal pain
- Diabetes during pregnancy
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Sexual dysfunction
- Women’s cancer including breast and gynaecological.
Our women’s and pelvic physiotherapists work out of the University Hospital Geelong.
We offer a choice of phone, telehealth and in-person appointments.
Our paediatric physiotherapists are specially trained and experienced in the management of:
- Plagiocephaly
- Torticollis
- Gross motor delays
- Neurodevelopmental assessment
- Postural variations
- Developmental hip dysplasia
Our team will work with you to identify, treat and manage your child’s condition including creating an individualised program to work towards you and your child’s goals.
Our paediatric physiotherapists work out of the University Hospital Geelong and Barwon Health North.
We offer a choice of phone, telehealth and in-person appointments.
To read some helpful fact sheets from the Victorian Paediatric Orthopaedic Network (VPON), please click here.
Pain Management Unit (PMU) physiotherapists look at how pain has affected movement, more specifically a person’s activity, function, social activities, relationships, community involvement, and exercise.
Treatment may include:
- Goal setting and making a plan to integrate physical activity into life
- Developing problem solving skills to reduce the impacts of flare ups
- Identify avoided activities and encourage the gradual return of these activities through strategies such as pacing
- Education about persisting pain and how to learn to move confidently again
- Specific graded exercises where needed.
Physiotherapy at the PMU does not involve:
- Regular sessions focused on delivering passive modalities such as massage, manual therapy, dry needling and electrotherapy.
Groups
The PMU offers a range of groups for our patients depending on their needs.
PACERS: Physiotherapy led program over five weeks, incorporating individually prescribed exercise and pain education.
Pain Neuroscience Education: This group explains the neuroscience of chronic pain conditions and how people can harness strategies to help them learn to cope better with pain.
Sleep Management Group: The Sleep Management Group uses a CBT approach, which is the most effective treatment currently available to improve sleep. The majority of people completing this program substantially improve their sleep and many people no longer need sleeping tablets.
iRest Yoga Nidra: Integrative Restoration (iRest) or iRest Yoga Nidra is a modern, trauma-informed, secular adaptation of the ancient meditative practice of Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra is often referred to as “yogic sleep” or a structured rest practice; it is a practical way of training the mind and body to rest.
For further information about the Pain Management Clinic, referral and exclusion criteria, please refer to the Pain Management Clinic page.
Advanced practice physiotherapists (APPs) are experienced senior physiotherapists with extensive experience and additional training and/or qualifications. They are specifically credentialed to work in areas of advanced practice.
In specialist clinics (outpatients), our APPs offer patients with musculoskeletal conditions timely access to expert assessment and management. This can help patients get faster access to investigations and care appropriate to their needs.
Our APPs work across the following services and clinics:
- University Hospital Geelong Emergency Department
- Barwon Health North Urgent Care Centre
- Orthopaedic Access Service
- Osteoarthritis Hip and Knee Service
- Neurosurgery Access Service
- Paediatric Fracture Clinic
- Paediatric Orthopaedic Service
- Vestibular Service
- Pelvic Floor Service
Research
Allied Health represents a diverse interprofessional group of clinicians who work across all settings at Barwon Health, within numerous programs, services and speciality clinics. Some of the allied health professions include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, dietetics, social work, podiatry, psychology, audiology, exercise physiology and spiritual care. Across-the-board involvement facilitates allied health to undertake and implement research to improve service delivery and patient-centred care. To achieve this we are developing the capability and capacity of allied health clinicians to undertake research and enhance our potential for transformative projects, aligning with the Barwon Health Research Strategic Plan.
Click here to explore more of our Allied Health research achievements and current projects.
Page last updated: January 21, 2026