Is my Injury ACC covered?

ACC usually covers injuries caused by an accident, such as a fall, impact, sudden strain or work-related incident. It generally won’t cover gradual wear and tear or non-injury-related pain (although there are some exceptions).

If you’re unsure, don’t worry, send us an email (hi@limberphysio.com) or just book a private appointment and we can assess your situation during your appointment then guide you through lodging a claim if it looks eligible.

Can I see a physio without being referred by a GP?

Yes. In New Zealand physiotherapist are primary healthcare providers and you can come directly to a physiotherapist for diagnosis and treatment. If a condition requires medical or specialist care the physiotherapist will refer you to the correct medical specialist.

Physiotherapists can lodge your ACC claim for you.

Can my physio refer for X-ray and Ultrasound scans.

Yes, your physio can refer directly for X-ray and Ultrasound scans, even steroid injections. MRI’s will need a specialist referral, which the physio can provide.

What is Bart’s background?

Bart graduated with a Bachelors in Physiotherapy in 2008 from the University of Otago, then started practicing in central Wellington. He became the Saints Basket Ball Physio, worked with dancers at the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Capital Hockey NHL Mens and U21 teams (winning nationals), Central Hockey NHL Mens, and supporting Vijay Vallabh with the Firebirds Cricket team. Bart has worked with professional Boxer Asher Derbyshire and New Zealand representatives in Ultimate, 7’s rugby, football, and olympic athletes in various codes.

Outside of sport and later in his career Bart has focussed on supporting people back to work after injury, people with chronic pain, and amateur runners and endurance and strength athletes.

From a young age Bart also experienced back pain which sparked his initial curiosity in Physiotherapy. Throughout his time he has had a special interest in Low Back pain, developing Limber Desks as a tool to increase movement at work and reduce back pain, and now working on projects to improve back pain diagnosis and treatment accessibility.

How does a physiotherapy session work?

Physiotherapy is an evidence based approach to the diagnosis and recovery of musculoskeletal pain (pain in the muscles, tendons, joints, bones) in a way that educates and empowers you.

We follow a simple process of discussing your pain and injury with you to build our understanding of what you are experiencing. From there we go through a number of movement tests which together help us come to a diagnosis or a number of possible diagnosis. We then get some baseline measures of your pain and movement, complete treatment and then assess against the baselines to confirm we are making progress.

Treatments can be a varied mixture of helping you understand what is happening to you and why you are in pain, helping understand the timeframes of recovery, developing a plan to get back to the things you love as quickly as possible. Treatment techniques will vary depending on the the diagnosis but can be hands on massage, mobilisation, or manipulation (vary rarely needed), strengthening, dry needling, exercises you can do at home, or specific technique related adjustments and training adaptation. Bart will work collaboratively with your personal trainer, coach, GP, surgeon or other medical specialist as required to help you get back to what you love as quick as possible.

Our goals is to keep you as active as possible, give you the tools and knowledge to looks after your body independently of us going forward, not to become dependent on us.

What do physiotherapy appointments cost?

ACC Covered Physiotherapy:

• $60 surcharge for initial and follow-up appointments.

Private Physiotherapy:

• $120 for initial appointment

• $90 for follow up appointments

PBGC members get $20 off ACC surcharges and Private appointments.