Ten-year milestone just the start for Darwin’s Elite Physio

A Darwin physio’s diverse caseload has helped it mark an important anniversary. Read who it is.

A Northern Territory physiotherapist, whose business just celebrated its 10th anniversary, said Darwin’s outdoor culture and sporting mindset is like nothing else in Australia.

Elite Physio’s co-owner Josh Tidswell said since launching the practice with his wife Suzie in 2015, it had expanded to now include eight physiotherapists, clinical pilates and administrative support staff.

Originally attached to a CBD gym, Elite Physio now has its own stand-alone premises at 44 Woods Street and an established practice Josh believes will continue to grow in along with the country’s most active city.

The team at Elite Physio celebrating 10 years in Darwin. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Raised and trained in Adelaide and with a stint at North Melbourne Football Club on his resume, Josh moved here with his Darwin-raised wife and opened a business.

“We’re not trying to be the biggest, but we wanted a reputation for providing the best quality physiotherapy in Darwin,” Josh said.

“Darwin’s the kind of place where word spreads if you are offering a good service.

“Darwin’s very active. The weather and the ease of access to facilities allows for that. Most of the people we treat actually aren’t sportspeople. A lot of people sit 40-hours a week at their desk and then take part in Park Run or play a bit of social sport.

“Tradies come to us. Their injuries aren’t too dissimilar to an elite sportsperson, except its about their bread and butter and their livelihoods. A rewarding part of the job of a physio is helping people every day and finding ways to make their lives better.”

Josh Tidswell treats a patient. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Shoulders, lower back and knee injuries make up the bulk of Elite Physio’s caseload.

“That‘s across the board in Darwin and whether it be tradies, overhead athletes, footballers, netballers, soccer players or runners, a satisfying part of the job is helping people recover from their injuries so they can get back to work or on the sporting field.”

Josh said Elite Physio offered a more hands-on approach to injury management than other local practices.

“We do a lot of manual therapy here and my physios very much specialise in massage, manual therapy and massage mobilisation,” he said.

“The profession has shifted towards being less hands on, which is a pathway that I don’t believe in. After nearly 20 years as a physio I see how well people respond to hands on therapy, and while they need the exercise to go with it, manual therapy is definitely part of the recovery.”

Fitness is a priority for Josh and his family. Picture GLENN CAMPBELL

Concussion management and treatment is also increasingly falling to physios, as athletes and sports associations deal with emerging protocols around brain acquired injuries.

“It’s not like testing a muscle or a ligament that you know is torn,” Josh said.

“It’s not that black and white with concussion but physios have a growing role in terms of early assessment and identification and managing through to return to work or play.

“Recovery is less physical in terms of gym work but it incorporates that gradual return to play, not too dissimilar to what you would do for a musculoskeletal injury, but with a focus on cognitive testing.

“Concussions require cognitive or vestibular testing around the inner-ear and vision as well as the association with the neck. Most people that suffer concussions have some sort of whiplash type injury with that.

“A physio can offer increased assessment and guide the patient back to work, study or play and hopefully we’ll see more involvement in future from physios in that space.”

Originally published as Ten-year milestone just the start for Darwin’s Elite Physio