Day Rehabilitation Programs

Physiotherapy is a critical part of your rehabilitation and will help you recover more quickly from your injury or assist you to better manage your long-term illness. Our physiotherapists will work with you on exercises, muscle training and physical strategies to assist you in your recovery and rehabilitation. They will help you re-learn movements so that you can be physically as functional and effective as possible.

Using our onsite facilities, including the gym and hydrotherapy pool, our physiotherapists may begin with goals such as sitting, walking and balance. Ultimately, they will aim to improve your musculoskeletal wellbeing, reduce your risk of future injuries, give you greater mobility and flexibility, and help you manage and prevent ongoing pain.

We believe exercise physiology is an important component of the rehabilitation process. Based around the global benefits of exercise, exercise physiology aims to improve your general health and well-being.

The lack of movement that can follow major trauma, illness or surgery can lead to a poor fitness, strength, endurance and general health. This is called ‘deconditioning’ and can increase the incidence of falls, reduce mobility and increase your dependence on others. Our exercise physiologists will create a personalised exercise program for you to keep you as fit, strong and healthy as possible as you pursue your other rehabilitation goals.

The unique properties of water, including the decreased effects of gravity and the effects of buoyancy, can improve recovery and rehabilitation for many conditions. Hydrotherapy, or aquatic physiotherapy, primarily helps to build strength and improve your range of movement and function.

Other beneficial effects of water may include inducing relaxation, decreasing pain and swelling, improving mood, sleep, fitness and weight loss. You may begin with simple movements in the water, building up to water exercise classes, deep water running or fitness and even aquatic massage.

Royal Rehab Private Hospital is proud to run the internationally renowned exercise program PD Warrior, which has been shown to slow the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

PD Warrior was developed by specialist neurological physiotherapists and is designed specifically for people newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The program encourages participants to focus on challenging the mind and body to improve movement and delay the onset of the severe symptoms of the disease. It works by tapping into the brain’s ability to retrain itself by driving neuroplastic change. Our specially trained Royal Rehab physiotherapists deliver this group-based program in a fun and social way.

Royal Rehab Private Hospital is the first provider in the northwest region of Sydney to be approved to offer PD Warrior. For more information on the PD Warrior program, please contact (02) 9808 0522. For more information on PD Warrior watch this video.

Your injury or illness may affect your ability to communicate or swallow. Our skilled speech pathologists can help with issues such as: difficulty understanding or expressing thoughts using language or difficulty with reading and writing (aphasia), difficulty with pronunciation, pitch, volume, speed and coordination of speech (dysarthria), difficulty coordinating the voice, lips and tongue (apraxia), cognitive-communication difficulties and dysphagia (difficulty swallowing food or liquids).

Our speech pathologists can assess your individual situation and deliver personalised, practical treatments, programs, exercises and groups to help you maximise your ability to communicate or swallow.  Our speech pathologists work with you alongside your family, friends or work colleagues.

LSVT programs are evidence-based treatment protocols designed to improve the speech and movement of people with Parkinson’s disease. These programs are based on the principles of neuro plasticity – the brain’s ability to change. Our therapists are certified to deliver these specially designed one-on-one programs that will help you apply what you learn during treatment to your everyday life.

LSVT stands for Lee Silverman Voice Treatment. Lee Silverman was a woman living with Parkinson’s disease in 1980s, and the first person to benefit from specialised voice treatment. LSVT programs have been scientifically studied and developed for around 30 years, and over the past 10 years have expanded to include a physical and occupational therapy program called LSVT BIG. Today, LSVT LOUD is a speech treatment that involves a series of exercises and activities to improve voice quality and volume, articulation, inflection and intelligibility of speech. It may also assist with diminished facial expression and swallowing difficulties.

LSVT BIG is a physical exercise treatment that takes a holistic approach to improve mobility, as well as non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease such as emotional and cognitive changes.  It is tailored to your individualised goals and abilities.

Occupational therapy aims to help you maximise your functional independence in everyday tasks, such as personal care, getting out of the house and transportation, preparing food, sleep and rest, cognition, memory and planning, fine motor skills, leisure, productivity and returning to work.

Once we have helped you to optimise your function, we can also recommend any equipment, modifications to your environment or memory strategies that could make everyday tasks easier and improve your independence.

Your diet, nutritional intake and liquid intake can all be affected by your condition in a number of ways. If you have difficulty swallowing food or liquid safely for example, this can present problems maintaining adequate nutritional intake and hydration, leading to weight loss, fatigue, dehydration and muscle wasting. The extent of your physical activity will affect how much energy your body needs to maintain optimum health and ongoing lack of movement can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

Our dietician can assist you with any dietary or nutritional issues you may have, and work closely with you and the other therapists to modify your diet, optimise your nutritional intake and help ensure your weight remains at a healthy level.