ConnectTherapy
A treatment approach that looks at how different parts of your body connect and affect each other, not just the spot that hurts.
What is ConnectTherapy?
ConnectTherapy™ is a way of assessing and treating the body that looks at the connections between different parts of the body, and between the body and mind. It was developed by Dr Linda-Joy (LJ) Lee, a Canadian physiotherapist and researcher whose work is published in peer-reviewed journals.
We all notice symptoms like a stiff neck, a sore shoulder or a painful knee. Easing those symptoms matters, but pain often comes back unless we also find what is driving it. Over time the body can fall into habits with everyday movements and postures, often to protect an old injury or because of the way we work, play sport or carry things. Those habits change how we move, and that can lead to pain somewhere else.
That is why we assess your whole body, not just the area that hurts.
Two everyday examples
Carrying a toddler. A parent who always carries their child on the left hip loads that side many times a day. Over months, the body can become slightly rotated. You might come to us with a sore left knee, but treating the knee alone only helps for a while unless we also address the way your body is loading.
Steel cap boots. A tradie in rigid boots for 12 hours a day may develop stiff feet. The foot can no longer absorb shock well, and the body adapts with small rotations that can show up as lower back pain. Easing the back helps, but looking after the feet (and sometimes the footwear) helps keep the pain from coming back.
What happens at your appointment
Your story
We ask about your symptoms, your history and what you want to get back to.
Whole-body assessment
We watch how all parts of your body work together during the activities that bother you.
Making sense of it
We explain how one area may be affecting another, for example why your hip pain may relate to your ankle.
Your program
Hands-on treatment and exercises tailored to you, to do at home between visits.
All our physiotherapists use the ConnectTherapy approach, and many have done postgraduate training with Dr LJ Lee. Our director, Jaquie, completed LJ's year-long ConnectTherapy series and now trains the team in it.
Book online or call 07 4724 0768. Health fund rebates are available on the spot.
Common questions
Is ConnectTherapy different from normal physiotherapy?
It is physiotherapy. The difference is in how we assess: we look at how your whole body moves, not only the painful area, so treatment can target what is driving the problem.
Will I still get hands-on treatment?
Yes. ConnectTherapy combines hands-on treatment with exercises and movement retraining.
Do I need to ask for it?
No. All our physiotherapists use this approach as part of every appointment.