Recovery & Return to Activity
Whether you are a week out of surgery or months into an injury that never quite resolved, recovery goes better with a plan. We measure where you are, map where you are going, and progress you on evidence rather than guesswork.
Your care, at a glance
The questions worth asking any clinic — answered up front.
Who you'll see
Jonty holds a Graduate Certificate in High Performance Sport and is a qualified strength-and-conditioning coach; Oliver's background spans personal training and elite-athlete conditioning. Complicated post-surgical recoveries and elite return-to-sport decisions can be booked with Dr Steve Saunders.
How we assess it
A baseline built from your surgery or injury details, any specialist restrictions, and objective testing — strength, symmetry, movement quality and force production — so every later re-test has something honest to compare against.
How we treat it
Progressive loading dosed at the right level for each healing stage, milestones agreed with you (and your surgeon where relevant) up front, and re-testing at every gate before load steps up.
When you progress
- Strength and symmetry targets met on objective re-testing
- Task-specific test battery for your sport, job or goal
- Graded exposure to full training or work load completed
- Surgeon or specialist restrictions cleared where they apply
The evidence behind this approach
Criteria-based (rather than calendar-based) return decisions are associated with dramatically fewer re-injuries — an 84% lower reinjury rate after ACL reconstruction in the Delaware–Oslo cohort (Grindem et al., BJSM 2016). We apply the same gate-by-testing logic across recoveries — see how we measure outcomes.
Recovery is a process, not a waiting game
Tissue healing happens on its own schedule, but strength, control and confidence do not return automatically - they have to be rebuilt. That is the gap where many recoveries stall: the wound heals and the pain fades, but capacity never fully comes back, leaving people hesitant, or hurt again when they return to normal life.
Structured rehabilitation closes that gap. It is the difference between recovered enough to get by and genuinely ready for the activities you care about.
How we plan your recovery
Every recovery starts with a baseline: what your injury or operation involved, any restrictions from your surgeon, and objective measures of your strength, movement and control - including isolated muscle testing on KangaTech where relevant. From there we map the milestones between where you are and where you are going, whether that is a return to netball or simply walking the dog without thinking about it.
If you have had surgery, we work in with your surgeon's protocol and keep them informed of your progress.
Rebuilding strength and capacity
Progressive loading is the engine of recovery: exercise dosed at the right level and advanced as your body adapts. Early on, when pain or post-operative restrictions limit heavy loading, techniques like blood flow restriction (BFR) training let us build muscle with light loads. Hands-on treatment and massage support the process where they are useful.
Because we re-measure as we go, progressions are based on demonstrated capacity - and seeing your own numbers improve does wonders for confidence too.
Testing before you return
The riskiest moment in any recovery is the return - to sport, to physical work, to the gym. We use objective criteria to guide it: strength and left-to-right symmetry, movement quality, and tolerance of the specific demands you are going back to. It is the same standard applied in elite sport, applied just as readily to a return to lawn bowls or a physical job.
Getting back to what you love
Since 1990 we have guided recoveries for elite athletes and everyday Adelaideans alike: knee reconstructions, tendon repairs, joint replacements, and the long tail of injuries that never got proper rehab the first time.
Book online through HotDoc at our Adelaide CBD or Edwardstown clinic - no referral needed, with HICAPS for on-the-spot private health claims.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start physio after surgery?
Usually early, within your surgeon's guidelines. Early guided movement and appropriately dosed exercise support a better recovery than waiting until everything has healed. We align your program with your surgical protocol.
How do I know when I am ready to return to sport or work?
By meeting objective criteria: strength and symmetry targets, movement quality, and tolerance of the specific demands you are returning to. We test these rather than relying on how much time has passed.
I am not an athlete - is this level of rehab for me?
Yes. The same measurement-based approach scales to any goal, whether that is returning to the gym, a physical job, gardening or travel. Only the targets change.
Do you work with my surgeon?
Yes. We follow your surgeon's post-operative protocol where one exists and can report back on your progress. No referral is needed to book with us.