About Zack.

I’m a physiotherapist. I’m also a working plumber. Both are real jobs — neither is on the side.

I’ve been a physio for nine years, combining clinical practice with research. I’ve been on the tools for three. I do both because I can, and because I want to.

Why physio

The honest answer is that I wanted to help people. To take care of them. Physiotherapy is one of the few jobs where someone walks in worse than they walked out. That’s hard to beat.

What kept me in it — and what shapes how I treat — came later, on a different job site.

What I noticed on the tools

Almost every tradie I worked alongside was in pain. Backs, knees, shoulders, hands. Most of them had seen a physio at some point. And most of them said the same thing:

The physio didn’t really do anything. They gave me some exercises.

That stuck with me. Because here’s the thing: a tradie’s body has already done a full day of physical work before they ever get to the clinic. Sending them home with more exercises isn’t treatment. Exercise is homework. It’s not what should happen in the room with you.

So in my clinic, I treat hands-on first. Manual therapy. Dry needling. Soft tissue work. Actually getting to the structures that are causing the pain.

Exercise still matters — but it’s the homework. Not the appointment.

What I treat

• Tradies & occupational pain — back, knee, shoulder, hand pain from physical work
• Chronic pain — pain that’s been around for months or years
• Sports physiotherapy — acute injuries, overuse, return to sport
• Hand therapy — wrist, hand, post-op rehab
• Neurological rehab — stroke, Parkinson’s, spinal cord injury

Credentials

• Doctor of Physiotherapy — The University of Melbourne
• Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) — bridges rehab and sports performance, rare for a physio
• Trained as an Olympic weightlifter — snatch, clean & jerk, and the heavy compound work behind them
• Dry Needling certification
• Nine years across clinical practice and research, including specialist work in chronic pain and neurological rehabilitation

Where to find me

I practise at Lifestyle Physio, 430 Huntingdale Road, Mount Waverley. Free parking on site.

Hours:Saturday 9am–6pm · Sunday 9am–12pm. Built around people who can’t take time off work mid-week.

No GP referral needed. Most private health funds rebate on the spot.