Get to Know Mauricio Bara

He’s the head honcho and Principal Physiotherapist here at Articulate, and you’ll see him teaching rehab classes, Pilates and in private physiotherapy appointments (and if you’re really lucky doing admin at the front desk!). We thought you guys might like to know a little more about him, so we sat down and asked him about all things physiotherapy (and what Articulate is all about!).

What made you decide to become a physiotherapist?

I was treated by phyios as a teenager for a couple of injuries whilst I was playing a lot of sports. Compared to the doctors that I saw, the physios seemed to care a lot more. They were happier and always fun to see. I always liked the idea of working with sport, and so decided to study Exercise Physiology at uni first which I loved. I found though that there was a limitation of how much I could help people while they were in the acute (early or initial) stage of an injury. I decided to continue on and get my Masters in Physiotherapy so I could use both degrees together. Physiotherapy allows me deliver better treatment to my patients when they are first injured, and the combination of exercise prescription and physiotherapy knowledge now allows me to use more holistic treatment options and outcomes. Exercise physiology allows me to be creative, and physiotherapy helps with the diagnostics – combined, they mean better outcomes for my patients.

What’s your favourite part of treating clients?

I love helping people to overcome a problem – not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. When my patients have an ‘aha’ moment and realise that they can do something that they thought wasn’t possible due to their injury or limitation is super rewarding for me. My partner (who’s a yoga teacher) says I love problem solving because I’m a Virgo, but I’m not too sure…

Why did you decide to open Articulate?

After 10 years of treating I was ready to take the next step be my own boss – and in that I wanted to have control over what I could offer, and do things differently. Opening Articulate lets me deliver rehab and performance enhancement in the most cutting edge ways – I can utilise new technologies (like our axIT objective strength system), treat using new evidence based techniques and integrate with other modalities in unique ways. It’s really exciting to be able to build a dream business – it’s the clinic I’ve always wanted to work in, and I’m so excited to be able to offer new things to my patients!

What’s the biggest myth that people believe about physios?

That I’m the one doing the fixing. My job is to guide, educate, inform, breakdown barriers, identify motivators – when I'm treating we're in the car together but my patient is always in the driving seat. There is nothing that I can magically do with my hands to make anything better – what I can do is give them the right movement prescription and empower them to fix themselves, and help them understand and accept the journey.

If you could give one piece of advice to all of your patients, what would it be?

Sometimes the biggest changes are found in the smallest increments. This applies both during rehab from an injury, and when trying to improve performance (whether that's in sports, dance, movement or just day to day function). We can all be so impatient when it comes to healing and growing – it’s a feature of our modern society where so many things are instant! Resilience and acceptance are some of the greatest tools we can utilise when dealing with our health. Be patient and put the work in and you'll get to where you need to be!