NDIS physiotherapy helps people with disability move more safely, manage pain and fatigue, reduce falls risk, and build strength and confidence for everyday life. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a government program that provides funding and support for individuals with a permanent and significant disability, enabling access to therapeutic supports such as physiotherapy. The NDIS provides funding for physiotherapy services to support individuals with disabilities. NDIS physiotherapy services are designed to help individuals achieve their specific goals and improve their physical abilities and quality of life.
This guide is for NDIS participants, families, carers, and support coordinators seeking to understand and access physiotherapy services. Understanding how NDIS physiotherapy works can help you make the most of your plan and achieve your personal goals.
NDIS physiotherapy is for participants (and families or carers) who want practical progress toward goals like walking further, transferring more safely, returning to community activities, or keeping mobility from declining. To access these services, participants must be eligible NDIS participants, typically under 65 years old with a permanent and significant disability that affects daily activities and their functional capacity.
NDIS physiotherapy services are tailored to individual needs and conditions, and are delivered by experienced physiotherapists who are registered with relevant professional bodies. A multidisciplinary team of health professionals may collaborate to support as many of your needs as possible, ensuring comprehensive care. The NDIS is designed to give individuals greater choice and control over when, where and how their funded supports are provided. In this guide, you will learn what NDIS Physiotherapy is, the most common goals and outcomes, and exactly what sessions usually look like so you can start with clarity and get value from your plan.
What is NDIS Physiotherapy?
NDIS Physiotherapy refers to physiotherapy support funded through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), a government program that provides funding for therapeutic supports, including physiotherapy, for eligible participants. The NDIS provides funding for physiotherapy services to support individuals with disabilities that are life long. NDIS physiotherapy services are designed to help individuals achieve their specific goals and improve their physical abilities, functional capacity and quality of life. The NDIS can only fund therapy supports that are provided by qualified allied health professionals who are registered with the relevant professional body. NDIS registered providers must meet government standards for quality and safety, ensuring effective and compliant care. Funding is only approved if it directly addresses the functional impact of the participant’s disability, following the NDIS “reasonable and necessary” criteria. The NDIA’s focus is on supports that improve, maintain, or reduce decline in functional capacity and help you take part in daily life, work, study, and community activities.
Now that you understand what NDIS Physiotherapy is, let’s look at how it fits into your NDIS plan.
NDIS vs Medicare: who funds what?
A simple rule of thumb used by the NDIA is purpose. If physiotherapy is for recovery from something like surgery, that is often a mainstream health responsibility (commonly Medicare). If it is needed due to the ongoing impact of a permanent disability and meets NDIS criteria, it may be funded by the NDIS.
Understanding the funding source helps you determine which supports are available to you. Next, let’s see where physiotherapy usually sits in your NDIS plan.
Where does Physiotherapy usually sit in an NDIS plan?
Physiotherapy is primarily funded under the Capacity Building support budget, specifically within the “Improved Daily Living” category. Capacity Building is a support budget in your NDIS plan that helps you build your independence and skills to participate in daily life, work, and the community. Improved Daily Living is a category within Capacity Building that covers assessment, training, or therapy to increase skills, independence, and community participation.
Your plan can also include other related budgets (depending on goals), and the NDIS has different budget rules across Core, Capacity Building, and Capital.
Practical note: plan-managed and NDIA-managed participants must follow the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits rules (including how travel and non-face-to-face work can be claimed).
Now that you know where physiotherapy fits in your plan, let’s explore what NDIS Physiotherapy can help with.
What can NDIS Physiotherapy help with?
NDIS physiotherapy is usually focused on movement, function, safety, and participation. Here are the main areas where physiotherapy can support you:
Mobility and Walking
- Mobility and walking: indoors and outdoors
Balance and Falls Prevention
- Balance, stability, and falls prevention: reduce falls risk and improve stability
Transfers and Movement Patterns
- Transfers: bed, chair, shower, car, and safer movement patterns
Strength and Conditioning
- Strength and conditioning: to support daily activities
Pain and Fatigue Management
- Pain management strategies: that support function
- Fatigue management and pacing: to help you manage energy levels
Posture and Joint Protection
- Posture, positioning, and joint protection: for comfort and safety
Recovery and Rehabilitation
- Recovery and rehabilitation: when disability impacts movement long-term
Assistive Technology Support
- Support with mobility aids and safe use: as part of a broader plan, including assistive technology such as wheelchairs, walkers, or modified trikes. Assistive technology allows people of all abilities to participate in activities.
NDIS physiotherapists assist clients in achieving their treatment goals and provide support for mobility issues, offering in-home visits and Telehealth options. Services are accessible for individuals with mobility issues, including those in rural or remote areas.
Many providers describe sessions as assessment, treatment, and follow-up care, with a strong emphasis on progress over time rather than a one-off appointment.
With an understanding of what physiotherapy can help with, let’s look at the most common NDIS physiotherapy goals.
Common NDIS Physiotherapy goals (the ones that actually work)
Goals are strongest when they describe function in real life, not only symptoms. Goal-based care ensures therapy is linked to specific NDIS goals, such as walking independently or reducing pain to return to work. Skill building teaches self-management strategies for conditions, fostering resilience and confidence. Therapy supports are evidence-based supports to help build or maintain your skills and independence. Personalised care involves developing customised treatment plans to meet each patient’s unique goals and challenges. Here are common goal themes that tend to align well with NDIS language and planning, including participation in activities and daily routines—therapy and assistive technology can enable individuals to participate more fully in these aspects of life.
Daily Mobility and Independence Goals
- Walk from the car to the appointment with fewer rests
- Move safely around the home without near-falls
- Transfer in and out of bed with less assistance
- Climb steps or manage uneven surfaces more confidently
Safety and Falls Prevention Goals
- Reduce falls risk through balance training and home routines
- Improve confidence with walking aids
- Build safer movement habits for showering and toileting transfers
Pain, Stiffness, and Comfort Goals (Linked to Function)
- Reduce pain flare-ups so daily activities are more consistent
- Improve joint range and strength to support sitting tolerance or walking
- Learn strategies that help you stay active without overdoing it
Participation Goals
- Increase endurance for community access (shopping, social activities)
- Build capacity to return to a hobby, sport, or structured activity
- Improve tolerance for school or work-related movement demands
Setting clear goals is the first step – next, let’s see what outcomes you can expect and how to measure them.
Outcomes to expect (and how to measure them)
People often feel progress before they can “prove” it. A good Physiotherapist will usually track outcomes that show real functional change. Examples include:
- Walking distance or time (for example, 6-minute walk distance)
- Balance measures (simple balance tests, sit-to-stand performance)
- Transfer safety and independence level (how much support is needed)
- Confidence ratings (how safe you feel doing a task)
- Activity tolerance (how long you can do something before fatigue or pain escalates)
- Reduction in falls or near-falls over a period
- Reduced reliance on carers for specific physical tasks
A practical “progress tracker” you can use at home
Pick 2 daily tasks that matter and score them weekly (0 to 10):
- How hard was it?
- How safe did it feel?
- How long did it take?
If the scores are improving, therapy is translating into real life.
Now that you know how to track progress, let’s look at what NDIS Physiotherapy sessions usually look like.
What NDIS Physiotherapy sessions look like
While every participant is different, many NDIS Physiotherapy providers describe a similar structure: initial assessment, a goal-led plan, treatment and training, then follow-up to build and maintain gains.
A multidisciplinary team approach may be used, involving collaboration among health professionals with different skills to support participants’ needs.
Physiotherapists work with NDIS participants to provide tailored physical therapy services, including treatment of various conditions, setting individual goals, and collaborating with other healthcare providers to ensure comprehensive support.
Session 1: Assessment and Goal Alignment
Your first session usually includes:
- A conversation about what is hard day-to-day
- Review of your NDIS goals and relevant history
- Movement assessment (strength, balance, gait, transfers, range of motion)
- Identifying risks (falls, fatigue cycles, pain flare triggers)
- Agreeing on a plan: frequency, focus areas, and what you will practise between sessions
Follow-up Sessions: Treatment plus Skill-Building
Follow-up sessions often include:
- Hands-on techniques when appropriate (but not the whole session)
- Exercise and movement training tailored to your function
- Task practice (transfers, stairs, walking confidence, mobility aids)
- Education and strategies (pacing, warm-up routines, flare management)
- Updating your home program so it stays realistic and doable
Reviews and Reporting
NDIS Physiotherapy commonly involves progress summaries and reports, especially around plan reviews. Providers often describe reports as aligning therapy to NDIS goals and outlining an evidence-based program and recommendations.
Knowing what to expect in sessions helps you plan ahead. Next, let’s see where your sessions can take place.
Where sessions can happen: clinic, home, community, telehealth
Physiotherapy is most effective when it matches the environment where the difficulty actually occurs. Local allied health professionals can come to you for home visits, or you can visit them at their clinics, ensuring flexibility and convenience for your therapy sessions.
Home Visits
Home visits can be useful when:
- Transfers are difficult (bed, shower, toilet)
- Falls risk is a concern
- Home setup is limiting movement practice
Community-Based Sessions
Community sessions can help when the goal is confidence and participation, such as walking in real environments or building endurance for community access.
Telehealth Physiotherapy
Telehealth can support exercise programs, coaching, and regular check-ins, especially when travel is hard or you live remotely. Some providers highlight telehealth as a way to reduce travel barriers and maintain consistency.
With flexible options for where sessions happen, let’s look at how to get the most from your physiotherapy.
How to get the most from Physiotherapy (without wasting your budget)
1) Make the goal practical
Instead of “improve mobility”, aim for “walk to the local shop and back with one rest”.
2) Agree on the “minimum effective home program”
A short plan done consistently usually beats an ambitious plan you do not complete.
A good starting point:
- 3 exercises
- 10 minutes
- 4 days per week
Then build up.
3) Use pacing to avoid the boom-bust cycle
If fatigue or pain flares wipe out the rest of the day, your plan needs to be adjusted. Physiotherapy should make life more doable, not more fragile.
4) Ask how progress will be measured
If the plan has no measures, it is harder to defend at plan review time and harder for you to know what is working.
Now that you know how to maximise your sessions, let’s compare physiotherapy and exercise physiology under the NDIS.
Physiotherapy vs Exercise Physiology: when each is useful
Both can be valuable under the NDIS, and they often work best together.
- Physiotherapy often focuses on assessment, movement quality, pain and injury management, and mobility and transfer safety.
- Exercise Physiology often focuses on structured conditioning and capacity building through tailored exercise programming.
A multidisciplinary team approach, where health professionals with different skills collaborate, can help support as many of your needs as possible. Multidisciplinary care ensures that you benefit from the combined expertise of various allied health professionals, leading to more comprehensive support.
The right mix depends on your goals, risks, and how complex your movement needs are.
Before your first session, it’s helpful to be prepared. Here’s a checklist to get you started.
Checklist: what to prepare before your first session
- Your NDIS goals: and which ones you want Physiotherapy to support
- Any recent reports: Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology, Psychology/Counselling, specialist letters if relevant
- A short list of daily tasks that are difficult: 3 to 5 is enough
- Any mobility aids you use
- Your preferred setting: home, clinic, community, telehealth
- A quick note on risks: falls, dizziness, fatigue crashes, pain flares
Who to refer:
Participants, parents/carers, Support Coordinators, GPs, specialists, hospitals (for discharge planning where disability impacts function), schools (where mobility affects participation), SIL providers, and community teams.
What to include in the referral:
- Participant details and NDIS number
- Plan dates and funding type: self-managed, plan-managed, NDIA-managed
- Functional goals: what you want to do more safely or independently
- Current challenges and risks: falls, transfer safety, fatigue, pain flare patterns
- Current mobility aids and level of assistance needed
- Relevant reports and medical history summary
- Preferred service setting: home, clinic, community, telehealth
- Consent and key contacts
Now, let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions about NDIS Physiotherapy.
FAQs
Is Physiotherapy usually funded under Capacity Building?
Often, yes. It is commonly linked to Capacity Building, including Improved Daily Living, when it is therapy aimed at building skills, independence, and participation.
Can the NDIS fund Physiotherapy for pain?
It can, when the purpose is disability-related functional capacity (for example, pain management that improves daily function), and it meets reasonable and necessary criteria.
How many sessions do people usually need?
It depends on the goal. Many people do best with a time-limited block (for example 6 to 12 sessions) plus a clear home program and a review point. Others may require weekly sessions due to their high level of complexity and reduced functional capacity.
What does a first Physio session usually include?
Commonly: introduction, review of goals and history, movement assessment, and a goal-led plan as well as evidenced based assessment.
Can sessions happen at home or via telehealth?
Yes, depending on your goals and the provider’s delivery model. Telehealth is commonly used to reduce access barriers and support ongoing exercise programs.
Who sets the price for NDIS Physiotherapy?
The NDIA publishes pricing rules and price limits for supports, and these rules apply for NDIA-managed and plan-managed participants. as well as evidenced based assessment.
What is the difference between NDIS and Medicare Physiotherapy?
The NDIA considers the purpose of the physiotherapy. Post-surgery recovery is often a mainstream health responsibility, while disability-related functional support may be funded by the NDIS if criteria are met.
If you’re looking for a provider, here’s how Bloom Healthcare can help.
How Bloom Healthcare can help
Bloom Healthcare’s Physiotherapy team supports children, teens, and adults to build mobility, safety, and confidence through goal-led therapy. We provide NDIS physiotherapy services delivered by qualified health professionals, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to your needs. Sessions can be designed around your real-world environment and daily tasks, with clear measures so you can see progress and prepare properly for plan reviews when needed.
You can contact Bloom Healthcare via phone, email, or online form for any inquiries or to book services. Providers can also be found using the NDIS Provider Finder or by discussing options with your Support Coordinator.
