Physiotherapist at UC Recreation Centre, Christchurch

Your first appointment is 45 minutes. Your physiotherapist will assess your injury, explain what’s happening, and work with you on a treatment plan. You don’t need a referral and you don’t need to have seen a doctor first.

Treatment may include hands-on manual therapy, movement retraining, exercise prescription, taping, and education. What makes the Recreation Centre clinic unique is that when your rehabilitation calls for gym-based exercise, your physiotherapist has direct access to the gym facilities in the same building — meaning we can supervise and coach your exercises in a real gym setting as part of your treatment session.

This seamless transition from clinic-based treatment to functional training is particularly valuable for athletes returning to sport, people recovering from surgery, or anyone whose rehabilitation requires strength training, running mechanics work, or sport-specific movements.

Gym access during treatment

Every UC Recreation Centre physio patient has access to the gym facilities during their appointment, supervised by their physiotherapist. This is included as part of your treatment — there is no extra cost.

Your physiotherapist can work with you in the gym to:

• Coach correct movement patterns in real-time using gym equipment
• Progress your rehabilitation exercises in a functional training environment
• Assess and adjust running mechanics, jumping, or sport-specific movements
• Build confidence in returning to activity under expert supervision

This makes the Recreation Centre clinic ideal for people in the later stages of rehabilitation who are ready to transition from basic exercises to more demanding functional training.