The Urban Physio offers the expertise of world-leading physiotherapy right in the heart of Ponsonby.
The home of The Urban Physio on Jervois Road is a beautiful character villa. Its pristine white weatherboards are offset by a pop of light courtesy of a stylish Urban Physio sign letting you know you’re at the right place. Indoors, the feeling isn’t much different. In place of a sterile, clinical setting, a warm and homely feel is created by fresh, modern décor and the green of ubiquitous potted plants. It’s an unexpected and pleasant surprise, and also instantly relaxing.
And that’s the point, says Catherine Royce, The Urban Physio’s founder: “We like to be fresh and innovative so we created a contemporary rehabilitation and wellness clinic for the local community. We’re thrilled with the result. We can offer cutting edge treatment with a holistic bent in a calming space. Our aim is to banish the outside world while you’re with us.”
Catherine, who holds a Masters of Physiotherapy, has looked after everyone from elite sportspeople and CEOs of big business to young children, and she’s handpicked The Urban Physio team to deliver world-class excellence. We sat down with her to find out more.
Tell us about The Urban Physio
We work with athletes, mothers, keen gardeners, those who work in sedentary jobs – anyone who’s interested in maintaining and improving their health and wellness and living pain-free. Our speciality is treating musculoskeletal conditions, including acute and chronic injuries, post-surgical needs, and workplace injuries, and we also provide acupuncture, dry needling (which goes a bit deeper than traditional acupuncture to release tight muscles), cupping, massage, exercise prescriptions, and education.
We realise everyone is busy so we try and incorporate our exercises and recommendations into the things people are doing during the day.
Our strength is we don’t just treat symptoms – we focus on finding the roots of discomfort. We’re also ACC registered so people don’t need to be referred by their GP.
What can I expect at a visit?
We don’t like to rush our clients so we offer long appointments. This way we ensure we give people an accurate assessment and the best treatment. We also have plenty of off-street parking and an easy to use online booking system for our busy clients.
Have you noticed any specific conditions occurring in the people you see?
Yes! The corporate back is becoming quite a big issue – it affects the lower back and what we call ‘text neck’ – and it’s being driven by the emerging technology lifestyle.
The seasons make a difference too. At the moment we treat a lot of people who ski, snowboarders and rugby players; during summer we tend to see runners or touch rugby players.
How many are on the team?
We’re fortunate to have a really great crew. There are four physios who have a wealth of local and international experience and Di, our office manager who is essential to this business. We try to hire people who have a sporty side to them as well as those who resonate with our values of taking a genuine interest in our clients and ensuring they are well cared for.
And there’s our mascot too. My son Xavier is eight weeks old.
Where did you train?
I trained locally at AUT, 14 years ago. I gained my Masters with Honours in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and went on to complete postgraduate studies in acupuncture and dry needling.
My background includes working as the lead physio for the New Zealand U20 Women’s Football Ferns team and the 2017 New Zealand Youth Commonwealth Games team.
I take a holistic approach to my own life and I transfer that to my business. I’m a firm believer in addressing overall health and wellness when it comes to my clients’ needs. My goal? To get people back to doing what they love as quickly as I can.
Top Tips from Catherine
- Keep fit and active
- Stretch
- Mobilise those joints
- Strengthen
- Keep doing what you love for as long as you can
76 Jervois Rd, Ponsonby
09 216 7799 | theurbanphysio.co.nz
