The best physiotherapists in Singapore, according to top athletes

Recommended by John Cheah, National Weightlifter and Personal Trainer at Level

A national athlete, John has competed extensively throughout Asia and Australia in weightlifting and functional fitness, representing Singapore in various competitions. Over the course of his competitive career, he has sustained injuries due to overuse and credits his physiotherapist from Edge Healthcare for helping him stay on his feet and keeping him pain-free through multiple injuries. 

“The traditional advice that we tend to get after sustaining an injury may be to rest completely, which has its benefits. But as an athlete, that can prove challenging as reducing training sessions would have an impact on performance during a competition. This is one of the main reasons why I recommend Olivia Xu from Edge Healthcare – she is an athlete herself, so she understands what athletes go through and is able to relate to the mindset of working alongside injury and managing pain.” 

Olivia’s focus is functional movement, treating sports injuries, lower and upper limb injuries, and back pain. She incorporates soft tissue techniques, joint mobilisations, dry needling and exercise rehabilitation as some components of treatment.

Recommended by Viviyan Philip, Head Coach of Saints Rugby Football Club

A competitive rugby player and the current head coach for the u15/16s at St Andrew’s Rugby Football Club (SRFC), Viviyan Philip has been playing rugby competitively for over a decade and is hugely passionate about the sport. He recently underwent a knee surgery for an injury sustained on the pitch and credits his physiotherapist Balaji Prem Chand from Heartland Rehab for getting him back on his feet. 

“Due to the rough nature of the sport, injuries like dislocation of the shoulder and torn ligaments are fairly common among rugby players. I recently suffered my first major injury and had to undergo a knee surgery. While the recovery process hasn’t been easy, I am grateful to have learned many valuable lessons from Bala, who formerly served as the head physiotherapist for the Singapore 15s Rugby Team and National Rugby Academy for the Singapore Rugby Union (SRU). One of the biggest takeaways is understanding the importance of strengthening the commonly neglected muscle groups such as hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors and core to help prevent injuries. This applies to anyone who wishes to become a better athlete, regardless whether they engage in contact or non-contact sport.”

Balaji’s area of specialisations include post-operative and non-operative ACL rehabilitation, nerve injuries as well as rugby and hockey injuries. 

Recommended by Natalie Dau, Ultra Runner

If you are into fitness and running, chances are you would have heard of Natalie Dau, affectionately known on social media as @rockstararms. A passionate and accomplished athlete, Natalie has won multiple 100km Ultra Races, represented Asia at Spartan Race World Championships and is a regular podium-placed athlete in other sporting events. Clocking 100 to 150km weekly, she is familiar with injuries commonly associated with long distance running due to overuse. This includes runner’s knee, plantar fasciitis (pain in the heel), shin splints, iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome, achilles tendonitis and more.

“I’ve been going to HelloPhysio for quite some time now and I highly recommend them for their well rounded approach to rehabilitation – they combine evidence-based practices with innovative adjunctive technologies to speed healing. My physiotherapist Jenny Huang is amazing – she does not believe athletes should just sit out of trainings for a period of time when they are injured, but she shares rehab exercises that her clients can work on to aid recovery. She is a long distance runner herself, hence she understands the injuries and pains that runners face. I visit HelloPhysio at least once a month for maintenance, and they don’t just offer massages. I like that they have a handful of state-of-the-art equipment like Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (radial and focal), used to enhance tissue healing and regeneration to help clients return to pain-free movement.” 

The founder of HelloPhysio, Jenny’s vision is to build a physiotherapy clinic that raises the bar of patient care, patient experience, and patient empowerment. She focuses on injury prevention, orthopedic rehabilitation, musculoskeletal physiotherapy, medicine, and sports physio.

Recommended by Sarah Pang, Professional Tennis Player

A professional tennis player, Sarah Pang is the eighth Singaporean to achieve a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking in history. Having played tennis competitively for a large part of her life, Sarah is aware of the strain the sport can have on the body. When it comes to injuries and taking care of herself, she recommends a two-pronged approach: physiotherapy and osteopathy for maximum results. 

“Tennis is a physically intensive sport and injuries that are most common reside in the shoulders, knees, hips, elbows and back. I personally recommend Michael Bushell from A Plus Physio – he has many decades of experience working with high-level athletes and has a great understanding of the psychosocial aspects of injuries. When I suffered a back injury, Michael played an integral role in my recovery. His rehabilitation programme was simple but effective, and that to me is a mark of a true master in his field.

I would also recommend athletes to see an osteopath alongside a physiotherapist. An osteopath is essentially a facilitator who helps open up blockages in the body through manipulation to increase blood flow, which is very helpful when you are trying to recover fast from an injury. For those who are keen to give osteopathy a shot, I would recommend Bryan Lane from Edge Healthcare – his extensive experience working with NASA gives him valuable insights into why injuries occur and how to manage recurrent injuries.”

Michael’s main focus is on the management of clients’ sports and general musculoskeletal injuries, and the rehabilitation of clientele following sports-related orthopaedic surgery.