Evolutio Guides · Updated July 2026

How to choose a
sports physio
in Melbourne

A practical guide to choosing a sports physiotherapist in Melbourne

We are a physio clinic in Richmond, so take this with whatever salt you like. But we have spent thirteen years watching people arrive having already spent six weeks and four hundred dollars somewhere that was never going to help them, and that is a waste. Here is what we would tell a mate who asked.

What to look for What it costs

Three clinics, one building, all ours. We have not ranked anybody, including us.

What Matters

Six things we would check before booking anywhere.

Roughly in the order we think they matter.

1. Registration and qualifications

Everyone practising in Australia has to be registered with AHPRA, and the register is public. Type the name in, thirty seconds, done. It will also show any conditions on their registration, which is the part people forget to look at.

One thing that trips people up: Titled Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist means something specific and requires further study through the Australian Physiotherapy Association. Some of the best sports physios we know do not have it. But the word “specialist” is legally protected, so if a clinic is throwing it around, go and check.

2. How long is the first appointment

Nobody asks this and it changes everything. Initial appointments around Melbourne run anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour. You cannot take a proper history, examine someone, test them and explain the plan in fifteen minutes. Something gets dropped, and it is almost always the history, which is where the answer usually is.

So ask when you ring. If they say twenty minutes and you have had this thing since March, that is a mismatch, and it is nobody’s fault. Some appointments are the wrong shape for some problems.

3. Do you see the same person each visit

Some clinics put you with whoever has a gap. It keeps the diary full, and it means you spend the first ten minutes of every appointment explaining yourself again to somebody reading your notes for the first time. Nobody is progressing a plan in that arrangement. They are catching up.

Just ask straight out. Will it be the same person every time? If the answer wanders, you have learned something.

4. Can they load you properly

Rehab is a loading problem, and at some point you have to get off the table. You need to lift heavy, hop, land, sprint and change direction, ideally with somebody watching who can tell you when it looks wrong. That is difficult in a room with a plinth and a theraband.

For a fresh niggle it barely comes up. For anything you want to return to sport from, it is the whole thing.

Rehabilitation gym with squat racks and free weights at Evolutio Sports Physio Richmond — At some point rehab means lifting something heavy with somebody watching. That needs floor space, not a plinth.

5. How they measure progress

“How is it feeling?” is a fine question and a terrible measurement. Feelings on a Tuesday after a good sleep are not the same as feelings on a Friday. Numbers do not care what sort of week you have had. Strength on a dynamometer, hop distance, how long you can hold a position, range of movement, anything you can write down and compare in six weeks.

It counts double when somebody is deciding whether you can play again. There is a reasonable body of work in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggesting people cleared on test results do better than people cleared because nine months had gone by. A calendar does not know how your knee is.

6. What you will actually pay

The number on the website is not the number you pay. A $250 appointment with a $90 rebate leaves you lighter than a $180 one with a $30 rebate, and nobody advertises it that way. Ring your fund, ask what you get back on item 500, then do the subtraction yourself.

The other question, and it is the one people are shy about: roughly how many times am I coming back? A clinic that will give you a straight answer before you have paid anything is worth more than a cheap first appointment.

The bit that gets squeezed first in a short appointment is the history. Most of the answer is in there.

Before You Book

Seven things to ask when you ring.

None of these are rude. If a clinic gets funny about any of them, that is your answer.

How long is the first appointment? Under thirty minutes is quick for anything complicated.
Same person every visit? Listen for whether they hesitate.
How often do you see this? A clinic doing ten ACLs a year is a different proposition from one doing one.
What will I actually pay on the day? Have your fund and cover level handy when you ring.
How will we know if this is working? You want a number back, not a vibe.
And if it turns out not to be a physio problem? The good ones send you on quickly and know who to send you to.
Do I have to buy a package? No is the right answer.

Warning Signs

Things that would make us pause.

None of these mean run. All of them mean ask one more question.

A ten pack, paid today, before anyone has looked at you. Nobody knows how many you need yet. That is what the assessment is for.
Four visits in and still no exercises. Hands on work and needling have their place. On their own they are a holiday, not a plan.
Anyone promising to cure you. They are not allowed to say it, and the ones worth seeing would not want to.
A scan for everything. Imaging answers specific questions well and general ones badly. Most sore backs do not need one, and a scan showing wear and tear on a forty year old spine is about as revealing as grey hair.
A new face every time, unless that is what you asked for.
Being sold orthotics, supplements or a foam roller in the first twenty minutes.
Anyone calling themselves the best in Melbourne. Every list like that was written by somebody. Scroll to the bottom and see who, then check where they put themselves.

If something goes wrong, you can raise a concern with AHPRA or, in Victoria, the Health Complaints Commissioner.

By Injury

What we would listen for, injury by injury.

Different problems reward different things in a clinic. Here is what we would be listening for on the phone, whoever you end up seeing.

Running injuries

If the first thing they look at is your foot, be a little wary. If the first thing they ask is what your weekly mileage did in the four weeks before it started, you are in better hands. Most running injuries are somebody doing too much too soon, not a wonky arch. Treadmill video is a nice extra. A physio who runs is a better one, because they know what a build week is without you explaining it.

How we approach running injuries

Cycling injuries

Knee, back and neck pain on the bike is often the bike, not you. Treat the tissue, send the rider home to the same position, watch it come back in a month. Find someone who can see you on the bike, or who works with somebody who can.

How we approach cycling injuries

ACL and knee reconstruction

This is the one where the numbers really count. Find out what has to be true before they will let you play again, and whether those things get measured or eyeballed. Find out whether they talk to your surgeon. And settle in, because it is nine to twelve months, and anyone shortening that for you is doing you no favours.

How we approach ACL rehabilitation

Shoulder pain

A swimmer’s shoulder and a shoulder that hurts from twelve years at a desk are not the same problem, though they can look similar for the first ten minutes. Find out which one the clinic sees more of. Either way most cuff pain wants months of gradually heavier loading, so somebody needs to be watching you do it.

How we approach shoulder pain

Lower back and neck pain

Be careful with anyone who books a scan on day one, or who explains the whole thing as your posture, or a rib being out, or one leg being longer. Most backs get better with movement, time and gradually doing more. Find out what the plan looks like past the third visit.

How we approach back pain

Hip and gluteal pain

Pain on the outside of the hip gets called bursitis constantly. Usually it is gluteal tendinopathy, and the two want different things. Find out how they tell them apart. It matters, because the stretching and the sleeping position everybody recommends for one will make the other worse.

How we approach hip pain

Jaw and TMJ pain

Most people do not know a physio treats jaws at all, and not many do. So the first hurdle is just finding somebody. Once you have, find out whether they work inside the mouth as well as outside, whether they talk to your dentist, and what they do about the clenching, which is usually the thing driving it.

How we approach TMJ and jaw pain

CrossFit and gym injuries

You want somebody who lifts, or who at least knows what a snatch looks like. The wrong question is whether to stop training. The right one is what you can still do, because the answer is almost always more than you think. Easier to sort out somewhere with a barbell than somewhere without one.

How we approach CrossFit injuries

Whoever you see, you want somebody watching you move under load rather than guessing from a table.

Timing

When to get help, and when to go elsewhere.

See a doctor, not a physio

None of this is a physio job. Ring your GP, or go to emergency:

Obvious deformity, or you cannot bear weight
Numbness or weakness that is spreading or worsening
Severe pain that wakes you every night and does not vary
Any head knock with confusion, vomiting or loss of consciousness
Fever alongside joint pain and swelling

Worth booking sooner

Getting seen early usually shortens the whole thing, mostly because it stops you spending six weeks doing the exact thing that is aggravating it. If it has not settled in a week, if you are limping or guarding, or if it has stopped you training, get it looked at.

The exception is the niggle that is already better than it was yesterday. Leave that one alone, it is doing fine without us.

Do not wait it out for months

Tendons especially. The longer one has been sore, the longer it takes to settle, because the tissue gets used to doing nothing and the whole system gets touchier. Six weeks of hoping costs more than six weeks.

Costs and Rebates

What sports physio costs in Melbourne in 2026.

Rough ranges from around town. Check them yourself, because they move, and remember the number that counts is what leaves your account after the rebate.

Typical fees

Initial assessment$110 to $250

Standard follow up$85 to $150

Extended appointment$150 to $300

Exercise physiology$100 to $180

Longer appointments cost more each and often need fewer of them. Compare what the whole thing costs, not what one visit costs.

Private health extras

Most extras policies rebate physiotherapy either as a fixed benefit, commonly $30 to $60 per visit on mid tier cover and up to about $100 on top tier, or as a percentage of the fee with a per visit cap.

Two minutes on the phone to your fund sorts this out. Ask what you get back on item 500 for an initial and 505 for a follow up, and how much of your yearly limit is still there. Most clinics run it through HICAPS at the desk so you only pay the difference.

Medicare and third party

A Chronic Disease Management plan from your GP covers up to five subsidised allied health sessions per calendar year, shared across all providers. It is intended for chronic conditions, not acute sports injuries.

TAC and WorkSafe Victoria cover treatment for accepted claims, usually with a small gap. DVA Gold Card holders are generally fully covered. NDIS participants can use physiotherapy under capacity building.

Ours are all on our pricing page, down to the item codes. We have never understood why so few clinics do this.

By Area

Finding a sports physio near you.

Melbourne is not short of sports physios in any direction. And distance counts for more than people expect, because the clinic you can get to on a Wednesday after work is the one you will still be attending in week eight.

Inner east

Richmond, Hawthorn, Kew, Camberwell, Abbotsford, Collingwood. Dense with clinics, well served by the Belgrave and Lilydale lines and the 48, 75 and 109 trams.

Inner south

South Yarra, Prahran, Toorak, St Kilda, Brighton. Strong for running and triathlon, given proximity to the Bay and the Tan.

Inner north

Fitzroy, Carlton, Brunswick, Clifton Hill, Preston. Good cycling and running culture, particularly around the Merri Creek and Capital City trails.

West

Footscray, Yarraville, Williamstown, Sunshine. Historically fewer sports specific clinics, though this has changed considerably in recent years.

Outer east and south east

Box Hill, Glen Waverley, Cheltenham, Mordialloc. Strong club football and cricket presence, so many clinics have real experience with those injuries.

CBD

Convenient if you work in town, and often better for appointment times before and after work than for weekend availability.

Full Disclosure

Who wrote this, and what we have got going on.

We are Evolutio, on Bromham Place in Richmond, since 2013. Two other clinics run out of the same building and they are both ours as well, which is the sort of thing that should be said out loud on a page like this. Run the six questions at us the same as anyone else. If we come up short for what you need, one of the others in your suburb will not.

Ciclo, our cycling studio, on a community ride. Same building as the clinic, same physios.

Evolutio Sports Physio

General sports physiotherapy

45 minute first appointments, the same physio each time, and an 80 sqm gym upstairs with force plates we actually use. ACL work, backs and necks, shoulders, knees, hips, jaws.

evolutio.com.au

HomeRun Physiotherapy

Runners

The running one. Gait work, sorting out training load, and getting people back to running without repeating whatever broke them the first time.

homerunphysio.com.au

Ciclo Melbourne

Cyclists

The bike one. Fits done by physios rather than by a jig, road through to time trial, plus the knees, backs and necks that riding tends to produce.

ciclomelbourne.com.au

Common Questions

The things people ring up and ask.

What should I look for in a sports physio in Melbourne?

Start with the AHPRA register, which takes thirty seconds. Then find out how long the first appointment is, whether you see the same person each visit, whether they have somewhere you can actually load up when the time comes, and whether they measure anything or just ask how it feels.

How much does sports physiotherapy cost in Melbourne in 2026?

First appointments run somewhere between $110 and $250 depending on the clinic and how long they give you, and follow ups from about $85 to $150. Extras cover usually gives you $30 to $100 back per visit. The number that matters is what you pay after that, not what is on the website.

Do I need a referral to see a sports physio in Melbourne?

No. You can ring up and book. A GP referral only comes into it for a Medicare Chronic Disease Management plan, or sometimes for DVA White Card holders.

How long does rehab actually take?

Depends entirely what you have done. A mild muscle strain, two to four weeks. A tendon, usually three to six months of consistent loading. ACL reconstruction, nine to twelve months. Anyone giving you a timeline before they have examined you is guessing.

What is the difference between a sports physio and a normal physio?

In Australia there is one registration, so the difference is what they see all day, what they are interested in and what equipment they have. A clinic full of athletes will be more comfortable making return to sport calls. Titled Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist is a protected title requiring further study through the Australian Physiotherapy Association.

Can I keep training while I rehab something?

Usually, with changes. Stopping completely deconditions you and often makes coming back harder. A good physio will spend more time telling you what you can still do than what you cannot.

What are the warning signs of a clinic to avoid?

A big package paid upfront before anyone has assessed you. Four visits in with no exercises. Anyone promising a cure. A different practitioner every time. Being sold something in the first twenty minutes.

When should I see a doctor instead?

Obvious deformity or you cannot put weight on it. Numbness or weakness that is spreading. Severe pain that wakes you every night and never changes. Any head knock with confusion, vomiting or blacking out. Fever with a hot swollen joint. Physios are trained to spot these and will send you on.

If We Are A Fit

Richmond’s sports physio clinic, since 2013.

If all that sounded like what you were after, come and see us. If somewhere closer to home makes more sense, take the questions with you and use them there. That is what they are for.

Book an appointment Call 03 9100 3798