SCI can occur as a result of trauma or from non-traumatic causes such as a spinal cord infarct or infection.

SCIs are categorised into both level of injury and their completeness using the AIS scale. Level of injury is determined by the lowest intact spinal level (normal strength and sensation), which can be in the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine. Injury completeness is quantified by the amount of sensorimotor function remaining below the level of injury, and can be AIS A, B, C or D. There are many types of SCI syndromes, including anterior cord syndrome, central cord syndrome and less commonly brown sequard syndrome.

Common SCI symptoms include loss of motor function, sensation, joint position sense, temperature sense, pain sense (elevated or reduced), reduced bladder and/or bowel control and multisystem autonomic dysfunction.

People living with SCI are at risk of complications such as immobility, pneumonia, pressure injury, poor posture and pain. At Active Edge Physio, we have completed postgraduate training in SCI management and use a comprehensive, holistic approach assess your struggles and set goals with you to maximise your independence, improve your physical function, reduce your risk of skin breakdown, heal pressure injuries and minimise respiratory insufficiency to avoid pneumonia. We are also able to help with carer training, tracheostomies and advanced respiratory techniques to maximise cough effectiveness.

Brain injury can occur as a result of trauma or from non-traumatic causes.

Brain injuries can be categorised as mild, moderate or severe. Symptoms range greatly from concussion or headaches to being in a state of minimal consciousness. Brain injuries can impact greatly on the way we think, feel, say and get around in everyday life. Common brain injury symptoms include difficulties with weakness, concentrating, remembering, speaking, planning movement, vision, perception of midline, joint position sense, sensation, pain, coordination and muscle tone.

Fortunately, the brain has great potential for recovery in terms of its capacity to remodel and rewire if exposed to the right therapy and environment. At Active Edge Physio, we use a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to optimise your independence with everyday activities in alignment with your own personal goals. We are experts in retraining transfers (rolling, lying to sitting, sitting to standing), stepping, walking and balance as well as preventing complications such as minimising respiratory insufficiency, healing pressure injuries and prescribing a wheelchair or other seating.

Brain surgery is performed by a neurosurgeon and is commonly utilised to treat conditions such as traumatic injuries, tumours, aneurysms, cavernomas, infections and hydrocephalus. Routine surgical approaches are craniotomy, craniectomy, or less invasively via transsphenoidal, translabyrinthine or femoral approaches.

Common symptoms following brain surgery are weakness, difficulty concentrating, remembering, speaking, planning movement, impaired vision, perception of midline, joint position sense, sensation, pain, coordination and muscle tone.

Fortunately, the brain has great potential for recovery in terms of its capacity to remodel and rewire if exposed to the right therapy and environment. At Active Edge Physio, we are highly qualified in rehabilitation following brain surgery and we use an evidence-based, holistic, multidisciplinary approach to optimise your independence with everyday activities in alignment with your own personal goals. We are experts in retraining transfers (rolling, lying to sitting, sitting to standing), stepping, walking and balance as well as preventing complications such as muscle tightness and falls.

Spinal surgery is performed by an orthopaedic or neurosurgeon, and is commonly utilised to treat conditions such as fractures, infections, degenerative changes from ageing, spinal instability, tumours or discoligamentous problems in either the neck, mid back or lower back. Routine surgical approaches are posterior (from the back), anterior (from the front) or posterolateral from the side).

Common symptoms following spinal surgery include reduced mobility and independence resulting from altered motor function, sensation, joint position sense, temperature sense, pain sense (elevated or reduced), reduced bladder and/or bowel control and multisystem autonomic dysfunction.

After surgery, people commonly experience reduced mobility, deconditioning, pressure injury, poor posture, altered balance and pain. At Active Edge Physio, we specialise in all spinal conditions and use a comprehensive, holistic approach to assist with maximising your independence, improving your physical function and returning to your everyday activities.

Functional neurological disorder is a condition in which people experience neurological symptoms such as weakness, difficulty moving, sensory problems and blackouts. Importantly, the brain and spine are structurally normal in FND, however due to a problem with communication between the brain and body, people experience significant problems with their mobility and independence.

Fortunately, due to the structure of the brain being normal, the prognosis for this condition is excellent. With the assistance from a specialised Melbourne neurological physiotherapist, rehabilitation involves frequent bursts of therapy with the goal to quickly regain your independence and return to your everyday activities.

Problems with the vestibular system can occur spontaneously, following head trauma or a tumour such as a vestibular schwannoma or acoustic neuroma. Common peripheral vestibular conditions are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), vestibular neuritis (VN), meniere’s disease and vestibular hypofunction.

Common symptoms include falls and balance problems, a spinning sensation, dizziness, feeling unstable, nausea and vomiting. Assessment of vestibular disorders requires an advanced skillset, gained through postgraduate training and specialisation. These conditions are often missed altogether or misdiagnosed because of their similarity in presentation to stroke. At Active Edge Physio, we are highly trained in vestibular assessment and diagnosis. We aim to implement an effective treatment regime for our clients immediately based on the evidence-based concepts of vestibular rehabilitation to achieve your short and long term goals.

There are two main types of stroke.

Haemorrhagic

Haemorrhagic strokes are less common and occur when a blood vessel bursts and bleeds into and around the brain, commonly due to uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Ischaemic

Ischaemic strokes are the most common and occur when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Commonly, clots lodge in a chronically narrowed blood vessel, due to fatty plaques otherwise known as atherosclerosis. Risk factors that predispose people to ischaemic stroke include smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, excess alcohol intake and an irregular heart rate (atrial fibrillation).

Acute stroke is confirmed using a CT or MRI scan of the brain. If people present early enough to hospital, they may be offered treatment options such as tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) or endovascular clot retrieval, which have been shown to significantly reduce disability.

Fortunately, the brain has great potential for recovery in terms of its capacity to remodel and rewire if exposed to the right therapy and environment. At Active Edge Physio, we are highly qualified in stroke rehabilitation and well networked with neurologists with our director working part time as a senior clinician in stroke at the Alfred Hospital. We use a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to optimise your independence with everyday activities in alignment with your own personal goals. We are experts in retraining transfers (rolling, lying to sitting, sitting to standing), stepping, walking and balance as well as preventing complications such as contractures and falls.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that occurs due to reduced production of the dopamine transmitter in the brain. There is currently no established cause of Parkinson’s, however it is thought that genetic changes, environmental factors and oxidative stress may play a role.

Common physical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include muscle rigidity, tremor, postural instability and bradykinesia (slowness of movement). Importantly, other non-motor symptoms are also common such as pain, sensory changes, gastrointestinal problems, difficulty remembering things, thinking and sleeping.

People living with Parkinson’s are at risk of complications such as reduced mobility and independence, deconditioning, poor posture, falls and depression. At Active Edge Physio, we use a comprehensive, holistic approach to assist with maximising your independence, improving your physical function, empowering you with knowledge and understanding of your condition as well as reducing your risk of falls particularly if you experience problems with on and off periods between doses of medication.

MS is a condition of the central nervous system characterised by ‘scars’ or plaques occurring in the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. MS can be categorised into four types: relapsing-remitting, secondary progressive, primary progressive and clinically isolated syndrome.

Symptoms are varied and unpredictable in MS, and depend on where the plaques are located. However, some common symptoms include weakness, heat-sensitive fatigue, difficulty concentrating, remembering, speaking, planning movement, impaired vision, perception of midline, joint position sense, sensation, pain, coordination, muscle tone and incontinence.

People living with MS are at risk of complications such as reduced mobility, independence, deconditioning, falls and depression. At Active Edge Physio, we use a comprehensive, holistic approach to assist with maximising your independence, improving your physical function with a focus on self-management and empowering you with both knowledge and understanding of your condition.

PSP is a rare neurological condition that is caused by an overproduction of ‘tau’ in certain areas of the brain.

Common symptoms include difficultly walking due to stiffness, balance problems or falling backwards, dizziness, slow movements, vision problems, problems with thinking or personality changes, slurred speech and tremor.

People living with PSP are at risk of complications such as pneumonia, reduced mobility, independence and falls. At Active Edge Physio, we use a comprehensive, holistic approach to assist with maximising your independence, improving your physical function with a focus on self-management and empowering you with both knowledge and understanding of your condition as your body changes over time.

Freidreich’s ataxia is a genetic disease caused by degeneration of nerve tissue, particularly of the sensory neurons that connect with the cerebellum. Common symptoms include difficulty transferring, standing and walking due to problems with limb coordination and vision.

People living with Freidreich’s ataxia are at risk of complications such as pneumonia, immobility, pressure injury, poor posture, falls and pain. At Active Edge Physio, we use a comprehensive, holistic approach to assist with maximising your independence, improving your physical function with a focus on self-management and empowering you with both knowledge and understanding of your condition as your body changes over time. We are also able to assist with carer training if required.

Dystonia is disorder that makes it difficult for people to control their muscles. It can cause abnormal slow, repetitive movements and abnormal postures. In some people, pain can be the main symptom whereas in others, the postures may be fixed or locked. Dystonia can be genetic or acquired following a brain injury, stroke or trauma, and can affect people physically, emotionally, socially at work and in daily living activities.

At Active Edge Physio, we use a comprehensive, holistic approach to assist with maximising your independence, improving your physical function with a focus on self-management and empowering you with both knowledge and understanding of your condition as your body changes over time. We are specifically trained in the management of dystonia, decision-making around the suitability or potential benefit of medications, optimising the effect of your medication using specific evidence-based adjunct physiotherapy treatments and preventing long term complications.

This is a broad term describing a range of conditions affecting the peripheral nerves and muscles. These may include, but are not limited to guillain barre syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, motor neuron disease, myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophy, myositis, multisystem atrophy and spinal muscular atrophy.

Please contact us if you would like more information with regard to neurological physiotherapy management of these conditions, and we will discuss with you how we can work with you to achieve your goals.

Cerebral palsy is caused by brain injury or malformation that occurs before, during or immediately after birth. Every case of cerebral palsy is different.

Cerebral palsy can impact greatly on the way we think, feel, say and get around in everyday life. Common cerebral palsy symptoms include difficulties with weakness, concentrating, remembering, speaking, planning movement, pain, coordination, posture, balance and muscle tone.

At Active Edge Physio, we use a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to optimise your independence with everyday activities in alignment with your own personal goals. We are experts in retraining transfers (rolling, lying to sitting, sitting to standing), stepping, walking and balance as well as preventing complications such as minimising respiratory insufficiency, healing pressure injuries and prescribing a wheelchair or other seating.

We are highly experienced in managing all neurological disorders, some of which may not be described or mentioned on our website. Please contact us if you would like information with regard to neurological physiotherapy management of your individual condition, and we will discuss with you how we can work with you to achieve your goals.