Opening September 2026
Return to Activity Program on the Gold Coast
01The program
Graded Return After Injury or Surgery
Coming back from surgery, injury or an extended period out of action is a staged process, and the staging is where it commonly goes wrong in both directions. Our return to activity program on the Gold Coast runs at Nuevo Medical with exercise physiologists and physiotherapists working within the restrictions set by your surgeon or referring practitioner. Sessions are supervised in our Bundall rehabilitation facility. Where hands-on treatment is also required, physiotherapy runs alongside within the same centre. Progression follows clinical criteria rather than elapsed time. Call 0417 426 825 to enquire.
02Progression
How Progression Is Managed
The program moves through stages, each with criteria that determine when the next begins.
- 01
Restriction review
The limits set by your surgeon or referring practitioner are reviewed and built in. These take precedence over anything the assessment might otherwise suggest.
- 02
Baseline testing
Current range, strength and function are measured within those restrictions. Testing establishes where the program actually starts.
- 03
Staged loading
Load and complexity increase as criteria are met. Progression is determined by testing rather than by how long has passed.
- 04
Reassessment
Measurements are repeated at set points and reported to your referring practitioner. Restrictions are only altered by the practitioner who set them.
03Documentation
Why Surgical Documentation Matters to the Prescription
Where surgery is involved, what was actually done determines what's safe to load and when, so your practitioner needs the operation report rather than a general description. Bringing the operation note, any post-operative protocol the surgeon supplied, imaging and the referral means the program is built on specific instructions rather than assumptions about a procedure type. Your practitioner reviews all of it, then tests what you can currently do within the stated limits. They'll explain the stages, what criteria move you between them and roughly how long each typically takes, while noting that this varies. If your surgeon changes a restriction, that information needs to reach your practitioner, since the program works within whatever the current instruction is.
04Questions
FAQs
It describes increasing physical load in defined stages, with progression determined by meeting specific criteria rather than by elapsed time alone. Each stage is assessed before the next begins.
The operating surgeon knows exactly what was done and what tissue needs protecting, and their restrictions are set on that basis. Allied health practitioners work within those limits rather than around them.
The duration depends on the procedure or injury, the restrictions in place and how testing progresses, so it's estimated at assessment and revised at review. Fixed timeframes are generally not given in advance.
05Enquiries
Speak with the team
Opening September 2026
- Phone
- 0417 426 825