Allied Health

Allied health includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy, audiology and hearing care, dietetics, myotherapy, hand therapy, exercise physiology, play therapy and podiatry. These support recovery from injury, management of chronic conditions, rehabilitation after surgery and everyday wellbeing.

No, you do not always need a GP referral, because many clinics accept self-referrals. A referral may be required for Medicare Chronic Disease Management plans, Department of Veterans' Affairs, workers compensation or government hearing programs, so check with the provider and your GP.

Expect a discussion of your health history and goals, an assessment relevant to your concern, and a plan that may include hands-on treatment, exercise or activity programs, education, and follow-up options such as classes, splinting or device fitting.

Yes, some providers offer in-home assessments, therapy and functional capacity evaluations, as well as outreach to workplaces, schools and multiple regional towns. Ask providers about their service area and any travel fees.

WesternVIC has 237 Allied Health listings in Western Victoria. They are spread across 48 towns. Bendigo has the most with 40, then Ballarat Central with 32.

10 of the 170 that list their opening hours are open on Sunday, including Ballarat Myotherapy Clinic, Caroline Welsh Bellarine Cranio and Country Therapy.

111 of the 131 with a Google rating are rated 4.5 out of 5 or higher. Use the “4.0 and up” filter at the top of this page to see the higher rated ones first.