Our philosophy

 We advocate the use of exercise as an integral component of the rehabilitation process as soon as possible after injury. Keeping as active as is possible while injured will assist in the healing process in terms of your physical and mental recovery.

Athletes always follow this active rehab model because it works! And we believe everyone else should as well.

Maintaining strength, fitness and flexibility in the whole body is essential. There is no reason why you can’t be having other treatment such as physiotherapy while continuing with an exercise program. We liaise with your GP and physiotherapist to work out the best possible program.

Our history

Oceana’s Managing Director Dean Ewington,  is a pioneer in the delivery of exercise therapy and active rehabilitation programs in Hobart and has been doing so since 1993. Dean was the first person in Tasmania and one of the first in Australia to offer fully-supervised exercise therapy programs for those injured at work or in motor vehicle accidents. Dean has worked with thousands of clients over the years and has a strong working relationship with insurance companies, employers, MAIB and most importantly, with allied health professionals including many of Hobart’s leading surgeons, physicians, GPs and physiotherapists.

Dean’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Education with a major in Health Physical Education and Recreation, Certificate 4 in Fitness as well as 16 years’ experience in working with rehabilitation clients.

Oceana Gym Supervisor Heath Barwick also works with many rehabilitation clients in consultation with Dean. Heath is also Certificate 4 in Fitness Qualified.

Our facility

Dean’s background in rehabilitation ensured that our facilities at Oceana were developed with rehabilitation in mind. The Hydrotherapy pool (heated to 33.5 degrees) is the first step for acute injury to assist with pain management and mobility. Our 25-metre pool is 0.9 metres to 1.4 metres deep so you can walk the whole distance. This allows easy progression from hydrotherapy. When combined with the gym, with a focus on functional training rather than machine-based training, we design a program to help with the rehabilitation from any injury. 

Workers compensation or MAIB claims

We receive direct referrals from insurance companies and medical professionals. Once a referral has been made, and an initial assessment undertaken, we will make recommendations to all parties. Once a program is approved we supervise the clients until they are able to exercise on their own. The level of supervision needed depends on a range of factors such as:

• Severity of the injury or incapacity.
• Stability of symptoms.
• Individual experience with exercise.
• Level of compliance.

Unsupervised programs

We have a duty of care to all users of our centre. We do not allow anyone to use the facilities without an initial consultation including pre exercise screening with one of our trainers. This means that we do not allow individuals to undergo a rehabilitation program without input from Oceana trainers. We work with all involved in the rehabilitation process to develop a suitable program with an appropriate level of supervision. However, we need to be aware of the status of all users for safety reasons.

How to start - Contact us

Please contact us using the above form or just phone us!  We will contact you to set up an individual consultation where we find out about your current status and the background on the injury. If you are covered by workers compensation or MAIB we then liaise with the claims department to gain approval for the program that we recommend. If you are not covered by workers compensation or MAIB, we talk to you about the costs involved.

The fees cover access to the club as well as some supervision of your session and regular program updates. Once again, the level of supervision needed is determined by the range of factors listed above, but please remember that due to the nature of rehabilitation, we can’t simply give you a program as there must be regular contact with a trainer to ensure that you follow the best possible program. Safety is our number one priority and all users must be screened before beginning any program. A referral from your treating doctor is also essential.