- Epworth Rehabilitation Richmond 03 9426 8727 or 03 9426 8722
The Physiotherapy Department at Epworth Rehabilitation Richmond conducts a Running Group for patients with high-level mobility problems. It is the only program of its type in Australia.
Running skills are taught to enable clients to move freely at faster speeds. The importance of these skills includes:
- Ability to safely cross the road before the lights change
- To keep up with peers when walking
- Facilitate return to sport or leisure activities
- Promote fitness and weight loss
Any person who is able to walk without a gait aid is suitable for assessment to participate in the program. An assessment is conducted to investigate the cause of the client’s mobility restriction including spasticity, range of movement, strength, flexibility, control, coordination and balance.
The Running Group program accepts patients who have sustained:
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Stroke
- Spinal Injuries
- Hypoxic Brain Damage
- Cerebral Palsy
- Other neurological conditions
The program is tailored to the individual needs of the client and is conducted in a group setting. The group is conducted every Tuesday and Thursday from 2-4pm.
The goals of the program are to:
- Teach patients who are unable to run how to run
- Teach improved running skills to those patients who are able to run but still experience some difficulty
- Facilitate return to sporting and leisure activities
An individual program is developed to treat the client’s mobility restrictions in order to provide the client with the biomechanical, strength, co-ordinational and balance requirements for running.
When running is achieved, the skills for return to sport are then retrained in order to facilitate a smooth transitional back to the client’s pre-morbid activities.
The Running Group is one of several programs Epworth Rehabilitation offers to enable patients to return to the community in which they previously participated. Other programs include swimming, bike education and gym programs.
A referral is not necessary as any patient from a hospital is able to attend for assessment. If you have any queries regarding this program please contact:
Epworth Rehabilitation Richmond Physiotherapy Department
Phone 03 9426 8727 or 03 9426 8722