Physiotherapy for workplace injuries, rehabilitation and return to work. Injured at work? Forge West End helps injured workers recover movement, rebuild strength and physical capacity, and work towards a safe and sustainable return to work.
Our physiotherapists combine hands-on treatment with progressive exercise rehabilitation, strength training and objective assessment. With private treatment rooms, a fully equipped rehabilitation gym and exercise physiology available in the same clinic, we can support your rehabilitation from the early stages of an injury through to higher-level strengthening and return-to-work conditioning.
For an accepted WorkCover claim, eligible physiotherapy treatment can be billed directly to WorkCover Queensland, subject to approval and applicable WorkCover requirements. Once your claim and treatment are approved, there is no out-of-pocket payment.
A workplace injury can affect much more than the area that hurts.
It may reduce your strength, movement, walking tolerance, endurance or ability to lift, carry, bend, reach, stand or perform repetitive tasks. That is why our WorkCover rehabilitation focuses on both your injury and the physical capacity you need to return to everyday life and work.
Your physiotherapist will assess your injury, current symptoms, movement, strength and function before developing an individual rehabilitation plan. Depending on your injury and stage of recovery, treatment may include:
Your treatment plan is progressed according to your individual recovery, measurable improvement and remaining functional limitations.
Our West End physiotherapists treat a wide range of musculoskeletal workplace injuries.
Back and neck injuries can occur following lifting, bending, twisting, repetitive movements, prolonged sitting or standing, manual handling or a specific workplace incident. Physiotherapy may focus on reducing symptoms, restoring movement, rebuilding strength and gradually increasing tolerance for the activities required at work.
Work-related shoulder injuries are common in jobs involving lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, repetitive movements and overhead work. Rehabilitation may focus on restoring shoulder movement, strength, control and tolerance for work-specific tasks.
We treat lower-limb injuries resulting from slips, trips, falls, awkward movements, manual work and other workplace incidents. Rehabilitation may address walking tolerance, range of motion, lower-limb strength, balance and stability, stairs, squatting and kneeling, lifting and carrying, prolonged standing and work-specific physical capacity.
Repetitive work, gripping, lifting, tool use and manual tasks can contribute to wrist, elbow and forearm conditions. Treatment is based on the individual condition and may include symptom management, progressive loading, strengthening and modification of aggravating activities.
We provide rehabilitation for work-related sprains, strains, tendon injuries and other musculoskeletal conditions.
Some workplace injuries develop gradually rather than following one particular accident. We assess the movements and physical demands contributing to your symptoms and develop a rehabilitation plan aimed at improving your capacity for those activities.
We provide structured physiotherapy following work-related orthopaedic surgery and significant injuries. Where appropriate, rehabilitation is coordinated with your surgeon’s recommendations and may include pain and swelling management, scar management, restoring range of motion, progressive strengthening, walking and mobility rehabilitation, balance and proprioception, functional rehabilitation, progressive loading and return-to-work conditioning.
Recovery can take longer following significant trauma, multiple surgeries, prolonged immobilisation or extended periods away from normal activity. These cases may require a progressive rehabilitation program addressing movement, strength, endurance, walking tolerance, confidence and overall physical capacity.
Call us and we will book your first WorkCover appointment and check you have the right paperwork before you come in.
Your first appointment begins with a comprehensive physiotherapy assessment.
How your workplace injury occurred, your symptoms and current limitations, previous treatment and investigations, relevant surgery or specialist recommendations, your current Work Capacity Certificate, the physical requirements of your job, your current work status and suitable duties, and your rehabilitation goals.
Depending on your injury, this may include measurements of range of motion, strength, mobility, balance, walking tolerance, functional movements, lifting or exercise tolerance, and your ability to perform activities relevant to your work.
Your physiotherapist will explain what the assessment showed and develop a rehabilitation plan based on what you need to improve.
Where clinically appropriate, treatment will generally begin during your first appointment rather than at a later one.
If you already have a WorkCover claim, please bring or provide:
If you are unsure what documentation you need, call our reception team on 07 3844 0686 before your appointment.
Reducing pain can be important, but pain is not the only measure of recovery. For many workplace injuries, restoring physical function is essential for returning safely to normal activities and work.
Depending on your injury, your physiotherapist may monitor changes in range of motion, muscle strength, walking tolerance, balance, mobility, exercise tolerance, lifting capacity, endurance, your ability to perform daily activities, and your ability to complete work-related movements and tasks.
Using measurable outcomes helps us track your rehabilitation, identify remaining limitations and progress your treatment appropriately. It can also provide useful clinical information when communicating with your GP, specialist or WorkCover team.
At Forge West End, WorkCover physiotherapy is not limited to treatment on a bed. Where clinically appropriate, we combine hands-on physiotherapy with progressive rehabilitation to help restore movement, strength and physical capacity.
One of the advantages of completing your WorkCover rehabilitation at Forge is access to a dedicated rehabilitation and strength-training space within the clinic.
Your rehabilitation can progress from early-stage physiotherapy into more advanced exercise without needing to change facilities. As your symptoms improve, treatment may progress to resistance training, functional strengthening, lifting and carrying, pushing and pulling, balance training, endurance, work-specific movement patterns and progressive physical conditioning.
The aim is not simply to feel better during treatment. The aim is to progressively rebuild the physical capacity you need outside the clinic.
Forge West End has a range of treatment and assessment technology available within the clinic. Where clinically appropriate, your physiotherapist may incorporate these technologies as part of a broader rehabilitation program.
TECAR therapy may be incorporated into physiotherapy treatment where your clinician considers it appropriate for your condition and stage of rehabilitation.
Shockwave therapy may be considered for selected musculoskeletal and tendon conditions where clinically indicated.
Neubie neuromuscular electrical stimulation may be incorporated into selected rehabilitation programs where clinically appropriate.
Objective assessment technology may be used to measure aspects of strength, movement and physical performance. Where appropriate, this can help establish a baseline, identify deficits and monitor changes throughout rehabilitation.
Technology is used as an adjunct to clinical assessment, physiotherapy and progressive rehabilitation — not as a replacement for them.
Call us and we will book your first WorkCover appointment and check you have the right paperwork before you come in.
Every job places different demands on the body. A construction worker, nurse, office worker, warehouse employee, tradesperson and hospitality worker may all require very different levels of physical capacity before returning to their usual duties.
We consider the actual physical requirements of your job when planning rehabilitation. Depending on your occupation, this may include preparing for:
As your recovery progresses, rehabilitation can become increasingly specific to the activities you need to perform.
Returning to work is an important part of recovery for many injured workers.
Depending on your injury and medical certification, your return may involve suitable duties, reduced hours or temporary restrictions before gradually progressing towards your usual work. Your physiotherapist can structure rehabilitation around the physical demands you are working towards.
Where appropriate and with the required consent, we can also communicate relevant clinical information with members of your rehabilitation team, including your GP, specialist or surgeon, WorkCover claims manager, employer or return-to-work coordinator, and other treating health professionals. This may include information about your rehabilitation progress, functional limitations, treatment goals and ongoing rehabilitation requirements.
Your treating doctor or other appropriately authorised practitioner remains responsible for formal certification of your work capacity.
Some injured workers reach a stage where their main limitation is no longer pain or restricted movement, but strength, endurance and physical capacity. Where clinically appropriate and approved as part of your claim, exercise physiology may assist with the next stage of rehabilitation — rebuilding whole-body strength, cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance, functional conditioning, exercise tolerance, work-specific physical capacity and confidence with physical activity.
Forge West End provides physiotherapy and exercise physiology in the same clinic, which makes it easier to coordinate rehabilitation as your needs change. Your treating team can determine whether exercise physiology is appropriate for you — read more about WorkCover exercise physiology.
Returning to normal function following surgery can require progressive rehabilitation over time. We provide physiotherapy following a range of work-related orthopaedic procedures and injuries.
Your rehabilitation is based on your surgery, your surgeon’s recommendations, current restrictions, clinical presentation and stage of recovery. Depending on your needs, treatment may focus on:
Managing symptoms, swelling, mobility and movement.
Progressively improving active range of motion and joint mobility where appropriate.
Addressing weakness following surgery, injury or immobilisation.
Progressing walking, balance and everyday movements.
Increasing strength, endurance and tolerance for progressively more demanding activities.
Preparing for the physical requirements of your occupation.
WorkCover rehabilitation should have clear goals.
Your physiotherapist will review how you are progressing and may repeat relevant measurements throughout your rehabilitation. This helps us determine what has improved, what limitations remain, whether treatment needs to change, when exercises should be progressed, and what rehabilitation goals should come next.
The amount and frequency of physiotherapy required varies between patients. It depends on the type and severity of injury, surgery or other medical treatment, current functional limitations, stage of recovery, response to rehabilitation, the physical demands of your work and your rehabilitation goals.
Where additional treatment requires WorkCover approval, your physiotherapist can complete the relevant Provider Management Plan (PMP) outlining your clinical presentation, progress, treatment recommendations, proposed treatment frequency and rehabilitation goals. Approval for additional treatment remains with the insurer.
Call us and we will book your first WorkCover appointment and check you have the right paperwork before you come in.
WorkCover-funded physiotherapy generally requires the appropriate medical referral or current Work Capacity Certificate. If you are unsure whether you have the correct documentation, contact our reception team before your appointment and we can help clarify what information is required.
WorkCover Queensland may fund reasonable and necessary physiotherapy related to an accepted workplace injury. Where your claim and treatment are approved and covered under the applicable WorkCover arrangements, Forge West End can invoice WorkCover directly. Funding and approval can depend on your individual claim, so please provide your claim details when booking.
Where your claim has been accepted and your physiotherapy treatment is approved and covered by WorkCover, we bill the insurer directly and there is no out-of-pocket payment for you. If treatment has not been approved or is not covered by the claim, different payment arrangements may apply. Please speak with our reception team if you are unsure about your claim status.
Please tell our reception team when booking. Funding arrangements may be different while your claim is being assessed, and we can discuss the available options with you before your appointment.
There is no single treatment schedule that is appropriate for every workplace injury. The amount and frequency of treatment required depends on your injury, current impairments, recovery progress and rehabilitation goals. Where further treatment requires insurer approval, your physiotherapist can provide a Provider Management Plan with the relevant clinical information and recommendations.
Your physiotherapist will recommend treatment frequency based on your injury, stage of recovery, current functional limitations and rehabilitation needs. Frequency may change as your recovery progresses.
Yes. We provide post-operative physiotherapy and progressive rehabilitation following work-related orthopaedic injuries and surgery. Please bring any specialist correspondence, surgical reports or rehabilitation protocols you have available.
Yes. Complex injuries may require longer-term, progressive rehabilitation addressing movement, strength, walking tolerance, endurance and functional capacity. Your physiotherapist will assess your current presentation and develop a treatment plan based on your individual rehabilitation needs.
Where appropriate and with the necessary consent, your physiotherapist can communicate relevant clinical information about your treatment and rehabilitation with your WorkCover claims manager and other members of your treating team.
Yes. Where appropriate and with your consent, we can provide relevant information regarding your progress, functional limitations and rehabilitation to your GP, specialist or surgeon.
Your physiotherapist can assess your physical function and provide relevant clinical information to your treating team. Formal certification of work capacity must be completed by an appropriately authorised health practitioner.
Exercise physiology can form part of rehabilitation for some WorkCover patients where clinically appropriate and approved by the insurer. Forge West End provides both physiotherapy and exercise physiology within the same clinic.
Yes. Forge West End has a dedicated rehabilitation and strength-training area that allows your physiotherapy to progress from early treatment into strengthening, conditioning and functional rehabilitation.
Physiotherapy home visits may be available where attending the clinic is not appropriate. For WorkCover-funded home visits, treatment and travel must meet applicable WorkCover requirements and approvals. Please contact our team to discuss your circumstances.
If a workplace injury is affecting your movement, strength or ability to work, our team can help you understand what needs to improve and develop a rehabilitation plan around your individual goals.
Our approach combines physiotherapy, progressive exercise rehabilitation and objective assessment, with the aim of restoring function and helping you work towards a safe and sustainable return to work. With private treatment rooms, a rehabilitation gym, and physiotherapy and exercise physiology in one location, Forge West End provides a comprehensive environment for workplace injury rehabilitation.
Unit 4, 249 Montague Road — a short run from South Brisbane, Highgate Hill, Dutton Park, Woolloongabba and South Bank, and from the CBD across the river.
Can’t get to the clinic? We also offer physiotherapy home visits across the same area, with travel included in the fee.
Book your assessment at Forge West End and start a plan built around your goals — not a generic exercise sheet.
4.9 from 179 Google reviews — read themUnit 4, 249 Montague Road, West End QLD 4101 · No referral needed for a private appointment · HICAPS on site
