A Full Circle Moment That Changed Everything

A Personal Note from Valerie

Recently I was in a car accident and sustained whiplash. I'm doing okay, but the experience has brought everything full circle for me.

If you've never experienced whiplash, it's a rapid forward-and-backward movement of the neck that typically happens in rear-end collisions. It can happen at any speed, and it can be anywhere from uncomfortable to completely debilitating.

Here's the ironic part: we've partnered with the University of Queensland to research and improve care for neck pain, back pain, and whiplash from road traffic accidents.

But this isn't really about the irony. It's about why I do this work in the first place.

Going back to the beginning

I don't often share this story, but it feels like a good time right now.

When I was in high school, I was in a car accident. I dealt with whiplash, headaches, and nerve pain for years afterward. I went to appointments regularly covered by insurance. I never felt like I was truly part of my own recovery.

No one educated me about what was happening in my body. No one showed me exercises or explained how I could return to the sports I loved. I wasn't empowered to help myself, I was just a passive recipient of treatment.

Eventually, I stopped going. Not because the pain was gone, but because I felt powerless and frustrated.

It wasn't until I found physiotherapists who involved me in my care, who taught me, encouraged me, and treated me like an active participant, that things changed. I finally felt like I had some control over my healing.

That experience shaped everything about how I practice today.

How we approach care at Prana

This is why I'm so intentional, passionate and committed about the way we work with patients at Prana Physiotherapy & Health.

I want every person to understand what's happening with their body and why we're recommending specific treatments. Whether that's hands-on treatments like massage or joint mobilisation, exercise programs, strengthening, clinical pilates, activity modifications, or referrals to other specialists.

I want you to feel empowered and in control of your recovery, not like something is just being done to you.

We bring the clinical expertise and evidence-based knowledge, but you bring the expertise about your own body, life and goals. The best outcomes happen when we work together as partners in your care.

Our team invests heavily in ongoing professional development because we take the trust you place in us seriously. We want to provide the highest quality care possible. The kind of care I wish I'd received all those years ago.

We're here if you need

I hope you and the people you care about never experience a car accident. But if someone does, please know we're here to help.

Our team has been specifically trained by the University of Queensland in the latest evidence-based approaches to treating neck pain, back pain, and whiplash. This partnership ensures patients receive exceptional care while contributing to research that will help many others in the future.

Warmly,

Valerie Mullane

Practice Principal