Connect Therapy
Experience The Best Connect Therapy Sessions in Sydney
At Intrinsic Motion Physiotherapy in Sydney, we proudly offer Connect therapy - an innovative approach to treating pain, dysfunction and disability. Developed by Canadian physiotherapist Dr Linda-Joy Lee, Connect Therapy provides a whole-person framework to identify and treat the root causes of patients' problems.
Our team is specially trained in Connect Therapy principles and techniques to provide patients with personalised, effective, and lasting solutions to pain and function loss. Learn more about how Connect therapy can help you achieve optimal physical health.
About Connect Therapy
Connect therapy was created by Dr Linda-Joy Lee, a Canadian physiotherapist, researcher and lecturer with over 30 years of experience. It evolved from the Integrated Systems Model for pain and disability that she co-developed.
Connect therapy emphasises the body's interconnectedness and integrates physical, psychological, and social factors into diagnosis and treatment. It moves beyond treating area-specific symptoms to find the primary contributing factors, or "drivers," of a person's issues.
Some key features that make Connect Therapy unique:
- Comprehensive assessment - Looks at the whole body and person
- Task analysis - Observes how patients perform meaningful tasks
- Drivers Diagnostics Chart - Identifies primary to quaternary drivers
- Consideration of psychosocial factors - Beliefs, emotions, environment
- Multimodal treatment - Exercise, manual therapy, pain science education
- The goal of pain-free function - Not just pain relief
Assessment and Diagnosis
The Connect therapy assessment process is extensive. Your physiotherapist will take your full history, screen your entire body system by system, assess cognitive, psychological and social factors, and analyse how you perform meaningful tasks.
This allows the identification of primary drivers—the critical pain generators or movement impairments contributing to your problems. Secondary, tertiary, and even quaternary drivers are also determined.
Drivers are diagnosed using the Drivers Diagnostics Chart - a clinical reasoning tool unique to Connect Therapy. Your physiotherapist maps your specific assessment findings onto this chart to establish a working hypothesis for your condition's underlying mechanisms.
Developing the Treatment Plan
With the drivers identified, your Connect Therapy physiotherapist will collaborate with you to develop a tailored treatment plan that targets the root causes of your issues.
Treatment modalities may include:
- Hands-on techniques - Massage, joint mobilisation, muscle releases
- Dry needling - To release trigger points and tight muscles
- Targeted exercises - Moving and activating relevant muscles
- Postural retraining - Improving alignment and movement patterns
- Pain science education - Understanding chronic pain
- Relaxation techniques - Reducing stress and anxiety
- Lifestyle modification - Improving diet, sleep hygiene, reducing strain
Your physiotherapist will continually assess your response to treatment and adjust the plan as needed. The goal is for you to acquire the skills and capacities to self-manage your condition and maintain results long-term.
Multimodal Treatment
Connect therapy does not rely on any single treatment technique. Your physiotherapist has a diverse toolbox of evidence-based therapies from which to draw. Treatment is tailored to most efficiently and effectively target your specific drivers.
Hands-on techniques like massage, clinical pilates, and dry needling relieve muscle tension, restore joint mobility, decrease nerve sensitisation and encourage tissue healing.
Targeted exercises strengthen weak muscles, improve motor control, enhance movement patterns, and build physical capacity, allowing regular body use again.
Pain science education helps you understand the biological processes behind your pain. This knowledge reduces fear, catastrophising and avoidance behaviours.
Lifestyle modifications, relaxation strategies, and postural retraining help resolve drivers related to beliefs, behaviours, alignment and everyday habits.
Your Connect Therapy treatment will likely involve multiple modalities integrated for optimal results.
The Benefits of Connect Therapy
There are many advantages to having your condition assessed and treated through the Connect Therapy framework:
- Treats root causes, not just symptoms - More effective pain relief
- Multimodal treatment approach - Combining best evidence-based techniques
- The goal of long-term pain-free function - Results last beyond the treatment
- Enhanced understanding of pain - Reduces fear and catastrophising
- Improved self-efficacy - Empowered to manage the condition
- Personalised treatment - Tailored to your specific drivers
- Considers the whole person - Mind, body and environment
- Specialised for complex conditions - Screens all body systems
- Provides objective diagnostic framework - Drivers Diagnostics Chart
Connect therapy gives clinicians like us at Intrinsic Motion Physiotherapy the tools to truly understand your pain or disability. We can then deliver comprehensive treatment to target the factors perpetuating your problems at their root.
Our goal is not just short-term pain relief but lasting restoration of function, quality of life and your ability to self-manage. Connect Therapy provides the structure to achieve this.
Conditions Treated with Connect Therapy
Connect therapy is suitable for all forms of pain and disability. It is particularly advantageous for those suffering from complex, chronic and multifactorial conditions.
Common symptoms and conditions we successfully treat with Connect Therapy include:
- Back pain - Acute or chronic
- Neck pain - Including whiplash-associated disorders
- Joint pain - Shoulder, hip, knee etc
- Muscle pain - Fibromyalgia, myofascial pain
- Neural pain - Sciatica, peripheral neuropathy
- Sports injuries - Strains, sprains, fractures
- Post-surgery rehabilitation
- Movement disorders - Parkinson's, hypermobility
Connect Therapy provides a systems review to identify all drivers contributing to your presentation - physical, psychosocial and environmental. This is key to resolving complex conditions.
The Drivers Diagnostics Chart maps out the interrelationships between these drivers. Treatment can then be tailored to target primary and secondary factors for optimal outcomes.
Our Connect Therapy Team
Our physiotherapists at Intrinsic Motion have all undergone intensive training directly with Connect therapy founder Dr Linda-Joy Lee. We are certified to deliver Connect Therapy and follow strict practice standards.
We participate in ongoing professional development to remain at the forefront of assessment, diagnosis and management practices. You are in highly capable hands with our experienced Connect Therapy physiotherapists.
Getting Started
If you are suffering from acute or chronic pain, movement impairment or loss of function, Connect Therapy may help you achieve lasting relief and restoration.
Contact Intrinsic Motion Physiotherapy today to learn more or book an initial Connect therapy assessment. Call 0478 377 538 or email info@intrinsicmotionphysio.com.au.
We look forward to helping you regain total health and function through Connect Therapy!
