Founder, Accelr8 Rehab

Daniel O'Sullivan

Exercise Physiologist and Remedial Massage Therapist in Weetangera, Belconnen. Thirty years in the industry, sixteen of them running this clinic, most of it spent with people whose pain has already outlasted a few opinions.

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Daniel O'Sullivan, Exercise Physiologist and Remedial Massage Therapist, Accelr8 Rehab Canberra
30

Years in the industry

16

Years running Accelr8 Rehab

2

Disciplines, exercise and hands on

1

Clinic, Weetangera, Belconnen

The short version

Most People Find Me After a Few Other Things Have Not Worked

That is not a criticism of anyone else. Chronic pain and chronic fatigue are genuinely hard problems, and a lot of standard advice is built for injuries that heal in six weeks. When something has been going on for six months or six years, the rules change.

I do two things, and I do them together. As an Exercise Physiologist I work out what your body can actually handle right now, and build from there. As a Remedial Massage Therapist I get hands on with the tissue that is holding you back. Most clinics do one or the other. Doing both in the same room means I am not guessing about what the other half of your treatment is doing.

I am an applied scientist by training, so I am fairly direct about what the evidence supports and what it does not. If something is unlikely to help you, I would rather say so early than take your money slowly. That approach does not suit everyone. The people it does suit tend to stay a long time.

I was born in Canberra, trained here, and have worked here my whole career. Accelr8 Rehab has been in Belconnen for sixteen years.

"My job is to change what you feel, so you can get moving again. Everything else is detail."

Daniel O'Sullivan
How I got here

Thirty Years, One City

1992 to 1994

Canberra Institute of Technology

Associate Diploma of Applied Science, Fitness and Recreation. The starting point, and where I first worked out that I liked the problem solving more than the programming.

1998 to 2001

University of Canberra

Bachelor of Applied Science. This is where the scientific method got properly drilled in, and it still shapes how I assess people.

2002 to 2004

NSW School of Therapeutic Massage, Sydney

Diploma of Remedial Massage. I added hands on work because I kept seeing people who needed both, and sending them elsewhere was slowing them down.

2004

ACT Personal Trainer of the Year

Also part of the ACTNOW team that won a Comcare award for excellence in workers rehabilitation, for individualised return to work programs.

2009 to 2010

Charles Sturt University

Master of Exercise Science, Rehabilitation. The qualification that moved me properly into complex and long standing conditions.

2010

Accelr8 Rehab opens

A small clinic in Belconnen built around one idea: exercise and hands on treatment belong in the same room, delivered by people who talk to each other.

Today

Weetangera, Belconnen

A clinic with a team, group sessions running through the week, home visits for older Australians, and a growing focus on chronic pain, chronic fatigue and POTS. Mentoring Jess and Isaac is now some of the most useful work I do.

How I work

Three Things, In This Order

Almost everyone who walks in is dealing with one of three problems. They are confused about what to do, they keep falling off track, or they are stuck in a stop and start cycle. Here is what I do about each.

If you are confused

Move With Strength

We work out what your body can handle today, then build a plan you can actually follow. Not a generic program. The right movements, the right load, and a clear reason for each one.

If you keep falling off

Reset and Release

Hands on treatment to keep tissue loose and responsive, plus techniques you use at home between visits. This is the maintenance layer that stops good progress from quietly unravelling.

If you stop and start

Recover Like a Pro

Pacing, sleep and recovery planned deliberately rather than reactively. Learning to read your own signals is usually the piece that finally breaks the boom and bust cycle.

What I see most

Conditions I Work With Every Week

If yours is not on this list, it does not mean I cannot help. It usually just means it is less common. Give the clinic a call and we will tell you honestly either way.

Chronic and persistent pain Chronic fatigue and ME POTS and orthostatic intolerance Long COVID Lower back pain Sciatica Neck pain and headaches Hip and groin complaints Shoulder dysfunction Frozen shoulder Fibromyalgia Complex regional pain syndrome Migraine Tendon pain and tendinopathy Myofascial pain and trigger points Carpal tunnel syndrome Thoracic outlet syndrome Post surgical rehabilitation Neurological rehabilitation IT band and patellofemoral pain Shin splints Sleep disruption from pain
Who I work with

Referrers, Funders and Teams

A fair bit of my work comes through GPs, specialists, case managers and funded programs. If you are referring someone in, here is where I already sit.

GP and specialist referrals

Private clients and Medicare EPC referrals. Written updates back to the referrer as a matter of course.

DVA

Registered provider for veterans, both Exercise Physiology and Remedial Massage under a D904 referral.

Comcare and insurers

Workers rehabilitation and return to work programs, plus all major insurance companies.

Aged care and Support at Home

Clinic and home based sessions funded through Support at Home budgets, working alongside your existing provider.

NDIS

Exercise Physiology for plan managed and self managed participants, in clinic or at home.

Canberra Raiders

Service provider to the club. Which does not make me a better therapist, but it is a good day at work.

The paperwork

Qualifications and Registrations

Qualifications

  • 2009 to 2010 Master of Exercise Science, Rehabilitation Charles Sturt University
  • 2002 to 2004 Diploma of Remedial Massage NSW School of Therapeutic Massage, Sydney
  • 1998 to 2001 Bachelor of Applied Science University of Canberra, Bruce
  • 1992 to 1994 Associate Diploma of Applied Science, Fitness and Recreation Canberra Institute of Technology, Bruce

Registrations and memberships

  • Current Accredited Exercise Physiologist Exercise and Sports Science Australia, ESSA
  • Current Remedial Massage Therapist Association of Massage Therapists, practising since 2003
  • Current Senior First Aid and CPR Kept current, renewed on schedule
  • 2004 ACT Personal Trainer of the Year Plus a Comcare team award with ACTNOW for workers rehabilitation
Off the clock

The Bit That Is Not on the Certificate

I ask my clients to keep moving for the rest of their lives, so it would be a bit rich if I did not do it myself. Here is what that actually looks like.

Forty years of basketball

Still playing weekly through the warmer months. Still competitive. The recovery takes noticeably longer than it did in 1990.

The gym, several times a week

At a different gym from the clinic, deliberately. Fresh ideas tend to turn up when you are not the one running the room.

Underwater hockey, once

I have tried most sports at least once. Some of them stuck. That one did not, but I regret nothing.

A vegetable garden

Clients regularly leave with produce. It is not a marketing strategy, I just grow more tomatoes than three people can eat.

Family, and a very large dog

My wife and daughter come first, which is the whole reason I am building a clinic that does not need me in the room every hour. The German Short haired Pointer has opinions about all of it.

Raiders and Brumbies

Born and raised in Canberra, so this was never really a choice. There is also a sneaker collection that my accountant has some questions about.

If You Have Been Putting Up With It, Let's Have a Look

Book a time and we will work out what is actually going on, and whether I am the right person to help. If I am not, I will tell you who is.

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