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Sports Injury Treatment

Assessment, rehabilitation and return-to-play planning for sporting injuries, at our Roxburgh Park clinic.

Most sports injuries recover. The ones that cause lasting trouble are usually the ones where someone returned to sport before the tissue was ready, and then did it again.

Select Your Funding to Book an Appointment:

Need help now? Speak with our team on 1300 765 456.

Return to Play Is a Test, Not a Date

The question people ask is "how many weeks?" It is the wrong question, and answering it is how reinjury happens.

Tissue heals on a rough timeline, but readiness to return depends on capacity — strength compared with the other side, power, change of direction, landing control, and the ability to do the actual demands of the sport under fatigue. Two people with the same injury and the same number of weeks can be in completely different places.

So we work to criteria instead. Specific, measured milestones that have to be met before progressing, and objective testing before return to full training and then to competition. It is slower to explain and considerably faster than a second injury.

The strongest predictor of a hamstring, ankle or shoulder injury is a previous one — largely because rehabilitation stopped at the point pain stopped, which is well before capacity returns.

What We Treat

Ankle and foot — lateral ankle sprains, syndesmosis injuries, Achilles tendinopathy, plantar heel pain, and the chronic instability that follows an ankle that was never properly rehabilitated.

Knee — ACL and other ligament injuries including post-surgical rehabilitation, meniscal injury, patellofemoral pain, and tendinopathy.

Hamstring, quadriceps and calf — acute strains and the running progression that follows.

Hip and groin — adductor-related and hip-related groin pain, common in football codes.

Shoulder — rotator cuff, instability and dislocation, and the throwing and overhead athlete.

Back and neck — including sport-specific loading and contact-related injury.

Bone stress injuries — shin pain and stress fractures, where load management and often nutrition are central.

Concussion — physiotherapy input for balance, neck symptoms and graded exertion, always within current return-to-sport concussion protocols and alongside medical clearance.

When to Seek Help

Get an assessment for any injury that stops you playing or training, any injury that keeps recurring, and any joint that gives way or locks.

Seek urgent medical assessment for:

  • Any suspected concussion — head knock with confusion, memory loss, headache, dizziness, nausea or loss of consciousness. Stop playing immediately and do not return that day. Concussion requires medical clearance before return to sport, and a second impact before recovery is dangerous
  • Obvious deformity, inability to bear weight, or a joint that will not move — possible fracture or dislocation
  • A sudden pop or snap with immediate loss of function, particularly at the back of the ankle or the back of the thigh
  • Numbness, pins and needles or weakness in a limb
  • Severe swelling that develops within minutes of the injury
  • Neck pain after a collision, particularly with arm symptoms — do not move the person; call 000
  • Chest pain, breathlessness or collapse during exercise — call 000

See your GP if an injury is not improving after two to three weeks, if pain wakes you at night, or if there is unexplained weight loss, fever or a general feeling of being unwell alongside the injury.

What to Expect

Assessment takes around 45 to 60 minutes at the clinic. Wear or bring clothing that lets us look at the area, and bring the footwear you play in.

Your physiotherapist will take a detailed history of how the injury happened — the mechanism usually narrows the diagnosis more than any test does — and then assess movement, strength, joint stability and function, including watching you do the movement that hurts.

You will get a diagnosis in plain language, an explanation of what is actually injured, a treatment and loading plan, and the criteria you need to meet before each stage of return. Where imaging or a sports physician opinion is warranted, we arrange it rather than treating around uncertainty.

On hands-on treatment: manual therapy, taping and soft tissue work have a place for symptom relief and to allow loading to progress. They are not the treatment. Progressive loading is what changes tissue capacity, and any program built mainly around passive treatment is unlikely to get you back reliably.

Melbourne Northern Suburbs We Service

Our clinic is at Roxburgh Park, serving Craigieburn, Greenvale, Meadow Heights, Broadmeadows, Westmeadows, Attwood, Gladstone Park, Campbellfield, Mickleham, Kalkallo, Donnybrook, Epping, Wollert, Sunbury, Glenroy, Pascoe Vale, Fawkner, Coburg and the surrounding corridor.

Home visits are available across Melbourne where travel is difficult, though clinic appointments suit sports rehabilitation better — the equipment and space are part of the treatment.

We welcome enquiries from local clubs and schools about player screening, injury management and rehabilitation pathways.

Funding We Accept

  • Private health insurance — extras cover commonly applies to physiotherapy. No referral required.
  • Medicare — a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan may apply where a chronic condition is involved. Most acute sports injuries do not qualify, and we will tell you honestly rather than send you to your GP for nothing.
  • TAC — where the injury resulted from a transport accident.
  • Workers compensation — where the injury occurred at work.
  • NDIS — where sport and exercise participation relates to a funded disability.
  • DVA — for eligible veterans with a valid referral.
  • Private — no referral required.

Simple Process

Getting Started

1

Book an appointment

Call 1300 765 456 or book online. Bring your playing footwear and, if you have had imaging, the report.

2

We call you for an initial discussion

Our team asks how and when the injury happened, what sport you play and at what level, whether you are currently able to train, whether there has been imaging, and when your next important fixture is — because that shapes the plan.

3

Assessment and diagnosis

Detailed assessment with a clear diagnosis and explanation.

4

Treatment and loading program

An active loading program with a home component, plus hands-on treatment where it helps you load sooner.

5

Progression against criteria

Staged progression, with specific measured criteria before advancing rather than a fixed calendar.

6

Return to play and prevention

Objective testing before return to training and competition, then a maintenance program — because the highest injury risk is in the period straight after returning.

Got Questions?

Frequently Asked Questions

How long until I can play again?
It depends on the injury and on how you progress against the criteria, not on a fixed number of weeks. We will give you an expected range at assessment and then measure rather than guess.
Should I use ice?
Ice can help short-term pain and comfort in the first day or two. It is not a treatment in itself, and prolonged icing is not recommended. Early protected movement and loading matter far more.
Do I need a scan?
Usually not. Most sports injuries are diagnosed clinically, and imaging frequently shows changes that are not causing symptoms. Where a scan will change management, we arrange one.
Can I keep training on it?
Often yes, in a modified form. Complete rest reduces tissue capacity further and delays return. We will tell you what you can safely keep doing.
Why does my ankle keep rolling?
Most commonly because the first sprain was never fully rehabilitated. Strength, balance and control need retraining specifically, and it responds well even years later.
Do you work with local clubs?
Yes — get in touch about screening, injury management and rehabilitation pathways for your club or school.
I had surgery. Can you do the rehab?
Yes, working within your surgeon's protocol and reporting back to them.

Ready to Book?

Book Sports Physiotherapy

Contact inOne Healthcare on 1300 765 456, email info@inonehealthcare.com.au, or submit a referral online.

Monday to Saturday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Closed Sunday.

Related: Achilles Tendon Pain · Knee Pain · Shoulder Pain · TAC Rehabilitation · Heel Pain and Plantar Fasciitis

Ready to get started?

Make a referral or contact our team today.

Make A Referral 1300 765 456 info@inonehealthcare.com.au

Reviewed by Aaya Hakeem, Physiotherapist, PHY0002237920. Last reviewed 13/09/2026.

This page provides general information only and is not a substitute for individual clinical advice. Any suspected concussion requires immediate removal from play and medical assessment.