Orange Family Physiotherapy’s Dave Stelling is effusive about the benefits of exercise physiology. Not that he sees it as an instant fix or cure-all, but what excites him is being able to educate and empower people to make life-long changes for better movement and better health.

Dave, an accredited exercise physiologist, joined Orange Family Physiotherapy in June and has since been using his skills to help clients make changes for improved health and wellbeing.

Exercise physiology is a long-established allied health profession that is accredited through Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA), but Dave said he still finds that some people are unsure about just what it is that he does.

“The main role of an EP, or exercise physiologist, is… we're trying to create movement or exercise to promote health or rehabilitation for a broad range of different conditions,” Dave said.

“It can go from lifestyle coaching for chronic conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension or cardiovascular disease, to acute conditions such as, say, someone who's had an ACL Injury. They've had surgery and now they want to get back into sport, or just help with rehabilitation in general — we can give them tailored exercises to help them along their way.”

As an exercise physiologist, Dave has run group sessions for diabetes patients, educating them on exercises that will fit into their lifestyle, improve blood flow, balance, and reduce the risk of falls or injuries.

He also works with patients with neurological conditions such as Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis, helping them with exercises to maintain or improve their physical conditioning. 

But as an exercise physiologist, Dave’s training enables him to assess and then tailor exercises to suit a client’s particular condition.

“It's not just a one-size-fits-all. It's trying to find what suits from person to person,” Dave said.

“For example, if I have someone with a shoulder injury, I'll assess their shoulder’s range of motion, what causes pain, is there a way we can avoid that pain and reduce that pain, how can we resolve this issue and progress you forward to see improvement and get you back to doing what you enjoy.”

Or in the case of chronic back pain, Dave said an assessment may find a muscular imbalance and by targeting particular muscle groups through specific exercises it could reduce the stress on the problem area.

Prehabilitation is another large part of his workload, Dave said. Starting people on an exercise program before they undergo surgery so that they are better placed for a quicker recovery.

But for Dave, health education and lifestyle coaching, helping people make those long-term changes, is what he sees as his most important role.

“We’re not only about helping with recovery and giving exercises but also trying to give useful information, educate people so they can take that into their life,” Dave explained.

“A lot of people get treatment, think that’s done and then they get another injury 12 months later and are back to square one, but if we educate people and put a plan in place – it might take a bit longer, but it's going to help you in the long run.

“So that’s what really drew me to exercise physiology; it's about that education, it’s about giving people the tools to help themselves instead of me just going here is a solution.”

David Stelling is now providing exercise physiology services for Work Cover, Medicare, NDIS, DVA and private clients.

Call Orange Family Physiotherapy today on 5318 1771 or visit orangefamily.physio