The Walking Clinic owner Ricky Lee and The Walking Clinic/Canberra Physio Clinic director Andrew Thompson in front of the shiny new Manuka branch. Photo: Ash St George.
Ricky Lee won’t soon forget the day he woke to the news that the beautiful new Kingston branch of his podiatry business The Walking Clinic had burned to the ground. The clinic that rose from the ashes, however, more than makes up for it.
Though the Kingston clinic was scarcely two years old when a fire in the next-door dry cleaners claimed it in November last year, Ricky says it paved the way for something better in the neighbouring suburb of Manuka.
“Kingston was really beautiful, and we based the aesthetic of Manuka on that clinic – open, bright and modern,” he says.
“But we’ve taken the opportunity to up the ante and doubled the size of the gym.”
It’s not the gym’s footprint, however, but what’s happening inside that has The Walking Clinic’s existing client base and newcomers coming through the shiny new doors.
The Walking Clinic’s exercise physiologist Thea now has space to offer a number of cutting-edge services and classes to help bullet-proof bodies of all ages, such as one-on-one pilates coaching using a reformer.
She also runs classes for evidence-based high-intensity resistance and impact exercise program Onero, developed to prevent osteoporotic fractures by stimulating bone development and preventing falls.
“Unfortunately as people age, especially women, bone density reduces, so if you have a fall, which is also a risk that increases with age, you’re more likely to have a fracture,” Ricky says.
“Not everyone knows the impact strengths-based exercise can have on bone density. The Onero program works to strengthen the bones to prevent fractures but ‘loading’ them. Participants actually lift weights, gradually building up strength to prevent falls and shore up that bone density.”
Among other programs on offer is Good Life with osteoArthritis in Denmark or GLA:D, a class to help address osteoarthritis and, ultimately, prevent knee and hip replacements.
There’s also cutting-edge extra cortical shock wave therapy, which can be used as a treatment for afflictions including plantar fasciitis (heel pain) and Achilles tendinopathy.
“It uses shockwaves to help break down scar tissues to promote natural healing,” Ricky says. “It’s been shown to be quite effective.”
The Walking Clinic Kingston branch was scarcely two years old when it went up in flames. Photo: Ash St George.
Though the clinic has evolved in this new location, some things will never change. The podiatry services are still offered in combination with physiotherapy through the Canberra Physio Clinic.
Ricky says there are major benefits to a multi-disciplinary approach.
“In healthcare, sometimes communication is lost between your GP, physiotherapist or podiatrist. If your practitioner doesn’t have the full picture, it can lead to inefficiency and less than optimal care,” he says.
“We prefer a holistic approach. We find when your physiotherapist, podiatrist and exercise physiologist are working in connection, they can provide better and faster care and that means better outcomes.”
The Manuka clinic joins other The Walking Clinic outlets in Lyneham, Woden, Belconnen, Kippax and Garran.
“In a sense, we were lucky that when Kingston burned down, it was just a week after our new clinic had opened up in Garran – a lot of our patients and podiatrists could simply move across to that clinic while we rebuilt,” Ricky says.
“Now that we’ve reopened in that Manuka-Kingston area, they’re coming back for that convenience, and I think it’s safe to say they’re as stoked as we are with the results.”
The Walking Clinic Manuka is now open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, and Saturday, 8 am to 1 pm, at Suite 16, 18 Flinders Way, Manuka Terrace.
