Services
Physiotherapy, ONERO®, rehab and strength-focused care in Merewether
Fitness Physio provides physiotherapy, injury rehabilitation, ONERO® bone health classes and strength-focused care from our Merewether clinic, helping people across Newcastle reduce pain, move better and return to the activities that matter.
We help with back pain, neck pain, sports injuries, gym injuries, work-related pain, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, post-injury rehabilitation and ongoing problems that keep coming back.
Our approach is practical and personalised. We take the time to understand your symptoms, goals and lifestyle, then create a plan that may include hands-on physiotherapy, education, exercise rehabilitation, strength training and return-to-activity planning.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy can help you understand what is contributing to pain, stiffness, injury or reduced movement.
We assess your symptoms, movement, strength and function, then create a practical plan to help you move forward. Treatment may include hands-on therapy, exercise rehabilitation, education, load management and return-to-activity planning.
Physiotherapy may help with:
✓ Pain and stiffness
✓ Muscle and joint injuries
✓ Recurring flare-ups
✓ Recovery after injury
✓ Return to work, sport, gym or daily activity
Check out our Conditions pages for more information on what we treat →
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ONERO® – Osteoporosis and Bone Health
ONERO® is a supervised exercise program designed for people with osteoporosis, osteopenia, low bone density or concerns about bone health.
At Fitness Physio, our ONERO®-trained physiotherapists guide patients through strength and impact-based exercise in a safe, structured environment. Programs are tailored to your ability, confidence and medical history.
Common reasons people choose ONERO®:
✓ Osteoporosis or osteopenia
✓ Low bone density
✓ Strength and balance
✓ Falls confidence
✓ Supervised resistance training
Spinal physiotherapy
We help people manage lower back pain, neck pain, disc-related pain, sciatica, neck-related headaches, stiffness and recurring spinal flare-ups.
Our approach focuses on helping settle symptoms where possible, rebuilding movement and strength, and improving confidence for daily life, work, gym and sport.
Spinal physiotherapy may help with:
✓ Lower back pain
✓ Neck pain
✓ Disc-related pain
✓ Sciatica
✓ Neck-related headaches
✓ Recurring spinal flare-ups
Find out more about Lower Back Pain, Disc Bulges and Sciatica →
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Sports injury physiotherapy
We help active people recover from injury and return to sport with confidence.
A sports injury plan should consider your injury, sport, training load, strength, recovery and the steps needed to return safely.
Sports physiotherapy may help with:
✓ Running injuries
✓ Sporting injuries
✓ Gym-related injuries
✓ Tendon pain
✓ Return-to-sport planning
✓ Strength and conditioning for sport
Find out more about Sports Physio →
Find out more about Hamstring Injuries →
Find out more about Knee Pain and Osteoarthritis →
Find out more about ACL and knee ligament injuries →
Book an assessment →
Onsite gym
Our onsite rehabilitation gym allows us to take treatment beyond the treatment room and into real movement.
This can be useful if you need to rebuild strength, return to gym training, prepare for sport, recover from injury, or progress beyond basic home exercises.
Our rehab gym may help with:
✓ Strength rehabilitation
✓ Gym-related injury recovery
✓ Return to lifting
✓ Sport preparation
✓ Balance and confidence
Post and pre-operative rehab
The right rehabilitation plan can help you prepare for surgery and support your recovery afterwards.
At Fitness Physio, we help people improve movement, strength and confidence before surgery where appropriate, then guide their post-operative rehabilitation based on their procedure, surgeon’s protocol, stage of healing and personal goals.
Pre and post-operative rehabilitation may be suitable for:
✓ Total knee, hip or shoulder replacement
✓ Rotator cuff repair
✓ ACL reconstruction and knee ligament surgery
✓ Meniscus surgery
✓ Shoulder stabilisation surgery
✓ Return to work, sport, gym or daily activity after surgery
Find out more about ACL Physio →
Find out more about Cross Bracing →
Find out more about Knee Pain and Osteoarthritis →
Book an assessment →
ACL Rehab including the Cross Bracing Protocol
We are experienced in helping people recover from all acute knee injuries, in particular ACL injuries. We have experience across conservative, surgical and the emerging cross bracing protocol.
The Cross Bracing Protocol is an emerging non-surgical management option for some acute ACL injuries, using a brace to hold the knee in a specific position during the early healing phase. We work closely with Dr Tom Cross who developed the protocol throughout your care.
Cross Bracing is not suitable for every ACL injury, but it may be an option for some people who want to explore non-surgical ACL management.
Cross Bracing may be suitable for:
✓ Some acute ACL injuries
✓ People exploring non-surgical ACL options
Find out more about ACL Physio →
Find out more about Cross Bracing →
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GLA:D® Osteoarthritis Care
GLA:D® is an education and exercise approach for people with hip and knee osteoarthritis.
At Fitness Physio, Po is our GLA:D® physiotherapist. While we do not currently run formal classes, Po offers a structured program for people managing hip or knee osteoarthritis.
GLA:D® may help with:
✓ Hip osteoarthritis
✓ Knee osteoarthritis
✓ Joint pain and stiffness
✓ Reduced strength
✓ Difficulty with walking, stairs or daily activity
✓ Confidence with movement
Find out more about GLA:D® →
Find out more about Knee Pain and Osteoarthritis →
Book an assessment →
Running Assessments
A running assessment can help identify factors that may be contributing to pain, injury, reduced performance or recurring training issues.
At Fitness Physio, we assess your running history, training load, strength, movement and running mechanics. Where appropriate, this may include gait analysis, force plate testing and strength testing to help guide your rehab or training plan.
We can also help with program development, including return-to-running plans, load management, strength programming and progression toward events or training goals.
Running assessments may be suitable for:
✓ Running injuries or recurring niggles
✓ Shin pain, Achilles pain, calf strains or knee pain
✓ Return to running after injury
✓ Gait analysis and running technique review
✓ Force plate and strength testing
✓ Training load and program development
Find out more about Running Assessments →
Book an assessment →
Strength and Performance Testing
Objective testing can help guide rehabilitation, track progress and support a safer return to sport, running, gym training or physical work.
At Fitness Physio, we use tools such as AxIT force plates and strength testing to measure performance, compare side-to-side differences and identify areas that may need more targeted rehabilitation.
Testing may be useful after injury or surgery, during ACL or lower-limb rehab, for runners, or for athletes preparing to return to sport.
Strength and performance testing may be suitable for:
✓ ACL and knee rehabilitation
✓ Running and lower-limb injuries
✓ Return-to-sport planning
✓ Jump, landing and power testing
✓ Strength and symmetry testing
✓ Tracking rehab progress over time
Work injury physiotherapy
Pain and injury can make work difficult, whether your role involves sitting, driving, lifting, standing, repetitive tasks or physical labour.
We help people understand what may be contributing to their symptoms and create a plan for recovery, work modification and return to normal duties where appropriate.
Work injury physiotherapy may help with:
✓ Work-related back or neck pain
✓ Lifting-related injuries
✓ Desk-related pain
✓ Repetitive strain symptoms
✓ Recovery after workplace injury
✓ Return-to-work planning
Dry Needling
Dry needling may be used as part of a broader physiotherapy plan for some muscle and pain-related conditions.
Where appropriate, it may be combined with hands-on treatment, exercise rehabilitation, education and a plan to address the factors contributing to your symptoms.
Our physios Tommy and Jed are trained and experienced in dry needling treatment.
Dry needling may help with:
✓ Muscle tightness
✓ Trigger points
✓ Pain-related muscle guarding
✓ Neck or shoulder muscle pain
✓ Back or hip muscle pain
Strength and conditioning
Strength and conditioning can help you recover from injury, reduce repeated flare-ups and improve your physical capacity.
This may be useful if you are returning to sport, rebuilding after injury, managing recurring pain, or wanting a more structured approach to strength and movement.
Strength and conditioning may help with:
✓ Building strength safely
✓ Returning to sport
✓ Returning to gym training
✓ Managing recurring pain
✓ Improving movement confidence
✓ Long-term injury prevention
Specialist Referrals and MRI Pathways
Some injuries need imaging or specialist input to guide the right treatment plan.
Where clinically appropriate, Fitness Physio can prepare a detailed physiotherapy report and help organise referral pathways through Refr for specialist review and Medicare-funded imaging options, including bulk-billed MRI where eligibility criteria are met.
This may be useful for acute sporting injuries, suspected ACL injuries, significant knee or shoulder injuries, or injuries that are not improving as expected.
This pathway may be helpful for:
✓ Suspected ACL or major knee injuries
✓ Acute sporting injuries
✓ Shoulder injuries that may need imaging
✓ Injuries that may need specialist review
✓ Faster decision-making where appropriate
Conditions
Conditions we commonly help with
We regularly help people with:
If you are not sure whether physiotherapy is right for your condition, you can book an initial assessment or request a callback.
Your first visit
What happens at your first appointment?
Your first appointment is about getting clarity. We will listen to your story, understand your goals, assess your movement, strength and function, explain what may be contributing to your symptoms, and create a plan for what happens next.
You do not need a referral to book an appointment.
If we think you need imaging, medical review or another pathway, we will explain why and guide you through the next step.
Not sure where to start?
If you are unsure what to book, start with an initial physiotherapy assessment. We will help you understand what is going on, what you can keep doing, what may need to change, and what treatment or rehab plan makes sense for your goals.