Our services

We do it differently

At Summit Sports Physiotherapy we take our time to listen to you.

Rolled your ankle at netball?

Hurt your back at work?

Knee niggling on your run?

The Team at Summit Sports Physio Palm Beach can get you moving and back on track doing what you love.

We take the time

At your initial appointment our extended consultation time means we will spend 1 hour with you, and subsequent appointments at 45 minutes.

During your consultation:

We will talk with you about your symptoms and your past medical and injury history.
We will do a thorough examination looking for signs of injury and/or movement problems.
We will explain our diagnosis in way you can understand. And should your injury need further investigation we have a network of highly skilled and experienced specialists including Orthopaedic Surgeons and Sports Physicians, who can assist us to get an accurate diagnosis and course of management for your problem.
We will give you some manual therapy to improve your movement and help minimise your pain.
We will give you exercises that you can do at home to help you speed up your recovery and learn to self-manage your pain.

We treat all of the below, and more

SHOULDER PAIN + summit shoulder centre

At Summit Sports Physiotherapy, we are fortunate to have the experience of Tim Brown, who founded the Summit Shoulder Centre. Tim has decades of experience in managing complex shoulder presentations in an array of sports including surfing, swimming, tennis, surf lifesaving and kayaking to create a comprehensive plan for shoulder management at the clinic.

We have developed a network of highly skilled and experienced shoulder specialists including Orthopaedic Surgeons and Sports Physicians within the Summit Shoulder Centre. This allows us, if necessary, to quickly get an accurate diagnosis and course of management for your problem.

Tim is also currently involved in a PhD at Bond University that incorporates the latest research in tendon management and its application to treating shoulder pain, and in particular long-standing shoulder pain.

If you’re looking for a trusted physio Palm Beach team then contact us today on (07) 5534 4071. Our friendly Gold Coast physio team will take great care of you.

HEADACHES & MIGRAINES

Headaches are one of the most common health conditions in Australia and many people resort to pain killers for relief. There is now building evidence that some headaches and migraines may be caused by problems in the joints of your upper cervical spine (the neck).

The cause of headaches are often poorly understood, and often traditional diagnostic techniques, such as scans, fail to identify any cause for your headaches or migraines. This often leads to the prescription of medication, which is often ineffective.

Here at Summit, our experienced Gold Coast physio Dave Cross is trained in the Watson Headache Approach, an internationally recognised approach to determine if the neck is contributing to your headaches. Using this approach, Dave will systematically apply a sequence of manual therapy techniques (no ‘cracking’) that together with innovative clinical reasoning can identify and manage relevant neck disorders.

If there are signs that your headache is not caused by your neck, we will refer you to your GP for further investigation

If you have been struggling with ongoing headaches or migraines call us on 07 5534 4071 or book an appointment on-line with Dave Cross Palm Beach Headache Physio.

DRY NEEDLING

Dry needling is an extremely quick and effective way to treat neuromuscular dysfunction and greatly reduce pain and discomfort. The technique uses fine filament needles to release trigger points in overactive or tight muscles and normalise tone in the muscle. With this we are able specifically target deeper muscles that traditional manual therapy techniques cannot effectively reach.

The needle is briefly inserted into the muscle to elicit a localised twitch response (LTR). This response releases the trigger point and dramatically reduces the irritating chemicals within the muscle, improving pain and function. Patients often feel an ache or cramping sensation from the twitch response but then feel an immediate improvement of their symptoms and movement.

Dry needling can be used for many musculoskeletal conditions including:

Headaches
Spinal disc & facet joint injuries
Rotator cuff injuries
Tendinopathies
Muscle strains/tears
Post-surgical rehab
Ligament injuries
Arthritic joints

Here at our Summit in our Palm Beach Physio clinic our trained physiotherapists can help ease your pain with dry needling. Call us now on 07 5534 4071 or book online and let our Palm Beach physio team help you.

LOW BACK PAIN

Low back pain is the leading cause of disability in the world affecting both the general population and athletes alike. Although most episodes (70-80%) resolve within a few weeks, for up to 30% of people pain can become persistent and disabling.

Here at Summit we use our extended initial appointments to take a detailed history, perform a thorough physical assessment, refer for scanning if required and create a plan on how to resolve the current episode and prevent future occurrences.

For some people this may involve hands on manual therapy, for others management will be focused on an active approach with exercises to help build confidence and strength in your spine.

Other common factors that may be contributing to low back pain include over-bracing through the core and low back muscles, and thus learning to relax these muscles and move more naturally is what’s required to eliminate pain.

If you have low back pain call our Palm Beach Physios on 07 5534 4071 or book an appointment on-line.

HIPS, KNEES, FEET & ANKLE PAIN

HIPS

The hip joint is the largest joint of the human body. It can be affected by a wide range of disorders including arthritis, irritable hip syndrome and many other conditions. Pain around the hip may be due to soft tissue pain syndromes or referred pain from a back problem.

Hip pain can also often be related to your whole lower limb biomechanics and function. Your knee, foot and ankle joints, plus your thigh and calf muscles all contribute to your hip function.

If you have pain in your hip, call us on 07 5534 4071 or book online and our trained physiotherapists can determine the causes and triggers of your hip pain. Through techniques such as hands on therapy, mobilisation, dry needling, and exercise they can help alleviate your pain now and help prevent pain in the future.

KNEES

The knee joint is a crucial component of the lower limb as it forms the connection of the hip and thigh to the shin and ankle. It is has a vital role in our ability to both weight bear and generate normal movement through the lower limb.

Knee pain is very common and can be caused by a specific injury, such as twisting of the joint while playing sport, or can develop over time due to poor movement patterns, repeated loading, or congenital conditions.

Some of the common knee injuries we treat include:

ACL Injuries & Reconstructions
ITB Friction Syndrome (pain on outside of the knee)
Patella tendon pain
Knee Osteoarthritis
Knee Cap Pain
Osgood-Schlatter disease

Our physiotherapists have extensive experience with assessing and treating knee pain and post-surgery rehabilitation. Call us on 07 5534 4071 or book on-line and we’ll help you get moving again.

If the cause of your pain is not obvious, our physiotherapists can refer you for scans or refer you to an experienced and trusted Orthopaedic Surgeon for further assessment.

FEET & ANKLES

The feet and ankles contain many bones, ligaments, muscles and tendons that make this area particularly vulnerable to acute injuries such as ankle ligament sprain (rolled ankle) or injuries from overuse such as from long distance running or jumping.

Our Physiotherapists commonly assess and treat the following conditions:

Achilles tendon pain (tendinopathy)
Tendon Rupture & Repair
Ankle ligament sprains (rolled ankle)
Calf muscle tears/strains
Stress Fractures
Shin Splints
Severs Disease
Plantar Fasciitis

We also have a very experienced Podiatrist, Ben Harcourt, onsite on Wednesday afternoons who we can liaise with or refer you to for further assessment and treatment, if needed.

Call us on 07 5534 4071 or book online.

PAIN MANAGEMENT

“We help patients think differently about their pain, that it’s not something to be feared, but something that can be controlled.”

Pain is the most common reason that people seek medical help, yet it’s the most misunderstood areas of health care.

There are 2 types of pain – Acute Pain and Persistent Chronic Pain

Acute pain is an acute onset of pain, normally caused by an injury.

Chronic pain is persisting pain that has lasted over three months. It is thought that one in five Australians live with chronic pain (Source: painaustralia.org)

Chronic Pain is different to acute pain as it is not usually related to damaged tissue. In fact, current research suggests chronic pain is actually “brain pain”, controlled by the central nervous system.

Our physiotherapist Tim Brown has actively been researching this new way of thinking about pain and has developed programs to help empower patients to have control over their pain. The treatment includes teaching patients how to use weight bearing exercise to help desensitise the nervous system.

Evidence now shows that patients who embrace self-management strategies, such as exercise, are more likely to achieve better outcomes than those who rely on medication to manage their chronic pain symptoms.

If you want to take control of your chronic pain call us now on 07 5534 4071 or book an appointment on-line to see our Palm Beach Physio team.

POST SURGERY RECOVERY/rehabilitation

Physiotherapy forms a crucial part of your recovery after orthopaedic surgery.

At Summit Physiotherapy we are experienced in providing the detailed care you require after surgery. We will liaise with your Orthopaedic Surgeon regarding any specific needs and then will tailor a treatment program to help you regain your strength, your flexibility and your function. This will usually include some hands on massage and some exercises you can do at home to help speed up your recovery.

Call us on 07 5534 4071 or book online and let our trained physiotherapists get you back moving.

PODIATRY

Our Palm Beach physio team works closely with our consulting podiatrist, Ben Harcourt from Gold Coast Foot Centres, to create a complete approach to managing foot injuries and problems.

Conditions we treat include:

Plantar Fasciitis
Achilles Tendinopathy/ Tendonitis
Stress Fractures
Morton’s Neuroma

DVA (DEPT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS)

The team at Summit Physiotherapy welcome our ex-service men and women who have a referral for physiotherapy treatment from their Doctor.

If you have a GOLD CARD please bring your DVA Card and your referral to your first appointment.

If you have a GOLD CARD, but it does not have TPI on it, your referral will last 12 months and entitles you to up to 12 visits. After your 12 visits, if you still feel you need treatment you will need to revisit your doctor to arrange a new referral.

If you have a WHITE CARD, you are covered for specific conditions only, so you will need to contact DVA on 1800 555 254 to check your cover. Please ask them if you are covered for physiotherapy and what specific condition it is for (eg Osteoarthritis, Lumbar Spondylosis etc). If they confirm you are covered then please call us with your DVA Number and the exact condition and we will handle the rest. If you are not covered you will need to get your doctor to complete the necessary form and submit it to DVA.

If you need any help or would like to book an appointment please call us on 5534 4071 and our Palm Beach Physio team will do our best to help you.

CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT PLAN (MEDICARE REBATE)

If you have long-term chronic pain your Doctor can decide if you are eligible for a CDM Plan (Chronic Disease Management Plan), also known as an EPC. Under this plan your doctor can refer you for up to 5 sessions of physiotherapy per year and Medicare will contribute to the cost of your appointment.

At Summit we believe our EPC/CDM clients benefit most by putting this rebate towards our full extended consultations, ensuring a comprehensive assessment and treatment tailored to your condition. For this reason, we do charge an out of pocket amount of $44.90* for your initial 1-hour appointment and $39.40* for subsequent 45 minute appointments.

Please bring your referral and Medicare card to your first appointment.
You will need to pay upfront for your appointment via cash, EFTPOS or credit card.
If Medicare has your current bank details we can process your rebate online.

If Medicare does not have your details, that is not a problem, we can process your rebate manually. Please just bring your ATM card that links to your cheque or savings account and we will organise this for you.

If you have any questions about how this works or would like to book an appointment with one of our Palm Beach Physio team please call us on 07 5534 4071

*Current as at 01 July 2021

NDIS

At Summit physiotherapy, our trained physiotherapists understand the needs of our self-managed NDIS clients and we are here to help you. Whilst we are not a registered provider, we are happy to work with your selected Plan Management Company so you have no upfront payments.

If you are an NDIS Client and would like to talk to us about how we can help, please phone Summit Physiotherapy on (07) 5534 4071

PRIVATE HEALTH

If you have private health cover for Physiotherapy please bring your health fund card with you for easy claiming through our terminal.

The amount reimbursed from your fund will depend upon your level of cover. You can then just pay the gap by EFTPOS, credit card or cash (including AMEX).

If you are a HCF customer covered by their ‘More For Muscles’ program your initial consultation may be paid in full by HCF.

If you have any questions or would like to book an appointment please phone 07 5534 4071.

Neck and upper back pain

Neck and upper-back (Thoracic spine) pain is very common particularly among students and office workers as well as in physical jobs such as laborers and nurses. Pain may be slow to develop and be related to repetitive movements or even lack of movement. Pain may also be due to an injury such as whiplash or sporting incident. Causes and treatments for this type of pain are varied.

Here at Summit, our experienced Gold Coast Physios take the time to perform a thorough assessment to determine all the possible contributing factors and address each accordingly

Treatment may involve:

Modifying work position or environment
Joint mobilizations and massage
Strengthening exercises for surrounding muscles
Addressing sleep position and pillow type
Dry Needling
Relaxation based exercises and stretches
Advice on preventing future episodes

workcover and insurance claims

At Summit Sports Physio we are delighted to help you with your Workers Compensation or Insurance Injury Claim.

If your claim for Physiotherapy treatment has been approved please call us on 07 5534 4071 to book an appointment. Just tell us your Case Number and your Case Managers Name and Contact Number as we will arrange the rest.

If you are still waiting for approval we are happy to help you start your treatment, but you may need to pay upfront and then claim back from your company later.