NDIS - How does Exercise Physiology Fit In?
You may be wondering, “what actually is exercise physiology? How is it different from physiotherapy? How can it help me with my disability?”
There are so many benefits to being regularly physically active! But for some, exercise can be a sticky subject, and if they aren’t sure what exercise can help or harm them, they may want someone to help pave the way towards physical health, safely.
Exercise Physiology or Physiotherapy: What’s the Difference?
Exercise Physiology is a health science specialty dedicated to understanding all the processes of the body that work together during exercise and movement. Within this, exercise physiologists are educated on how different health conditions or disabilities change how our bodies respond to exercise, including the benefits and risks of certain activities. This education provides physiologists with a deep understanding on how exercise can help NDIS participants build their health, independence, and quality of life. Essentially, exercise physiology views movement as medicine!
While both physiotherapists and exercise physiologists are extremely beneficial within the disability sector, they have different (but similar) scopes of practice and provide different services to help their participants reach their goals. Physiotherapists work with NDIS participants to reduce pain, improve mobility and wellbeing through a combination of exercise and manual therapy, whereas exercise physiologists specialise in prescribing and administering individualised programs to improve participants’ strength, fitness, and health-related quality of life. This form of therapy is vital for helping NDIS participants manage the limitations or complications of their disabilities all whilst improving their independence long term. Exercise physiologists are also trained in working with people who experience cognitive, developmental or psychiatric disabilities, to foster mental wellbeing and emotional regulation.
How can Exercise Physiologists Help People with Disabilities?
Often, the hardest part of exercise are the barriers that prevent us from participating, rather than the exercise itself. For those with disabilities, it is so much more than the health conditions they experience that act as barriers - it is also how these impairments interact with other factors of their life to make these barriers much harder to break down. If someone doesn’t have the social, emotional, financial or physical support to access opportunities for physical activity, they are more likely to avoid it altogether (). But that’s the problem - avoiding activity reduces disabled people’s opportunities for social connection, and increases their risks of other health conditions! Physical activity is arguably just as (if not more) important in the disability space than in healthy populations to benefit their health (), wellbeing () and life expectancy ().
This is where exercise physiologists can come into the picture.
At Integral Performance Exercise Physiology, we understand that every individual's journey to health and well-being is unique, particularly for those living with disabilities. Our experienced exercise physiologists are dedicated to designing personalised exercise programs that cater specifically to your needs, abilities, and goals.
Australia’s governing body, Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA), emphasises the importance of exercise for people with disabilities who “have similar needs when it comes to improving their health and preventing unnecessary chronic conditions… your disability should not be seen as a barrier for movement and physical activity.” It can help manage or treat chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease, improve stamina, and help those living with disability to connect with the community.
Our exercise physiologists are experienced in working with a large variety of people with different barriers to exercise and with differing needs and goals. We can provide gym-based, home-based, hydrotherapy and in-clinic services, taking into account not only the person’s disability, but the person as a whole. After all, no one is their disability, and everyone has their own personal goals and preferences. We want to help our clients feel empowered and inspired by what their bodies can do and the potential they have to achieve their goals, unlocking a more active and healthy self along the way.
If you would like to enquire more about how exercise therapies can help you or your NDIS participant, please do not hesitate to contact the clinic via phone (3062 4226) or email, at enquiries@integralperformance.com.au. Alternatively, you can contact us here.
We are a NDIS Registered Service Provider.
