Inside the First In-Hospital CrossFit Box in Australia
The story.
CrossFit Neuro is part of the Back Pain Centre at St. Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
It opened in July of 2017 by Joanne and David Johnson. David, a Neurosurgeon and avid CrossFitter, wanted to create a center where the cause of back pain was being addressed, as opposed to just the symptoms of back pain being treated.
What they do.
The Functional Movement Training Center includes a neurosurgery practice, rehabilitation center and CrossFit box. And, in that order, each patient progresses to an athlete.
“The majority of our members commenced with CrossFit Neuro as Chronic Back Pain Patients. Successful completion of our NeuroHAB (Central Nervous System Rehabilitation) Program, has allowed our members to transition from patient to athlete which is incredibly exciting and rewarding,” wrote Joanne.
Why they do it.
At CrossFit Neuro, they are “passionate about the education and the importance of functional movement in the management of acute and chronic illness. We assist our athletes at any level in developing their skill in the ‘sport of life’.”
And no one is better equipped to do that than David Johnson. “The combination of his Neurosurgical expertise with an awareness of movement proficiency and its role in understanding why, on a global scale, back pain rehabilitation is failing and the incidence, prevalence and recurrence of back pain symptoms are escalating, becoming amongst the world’s highest economic health burdens,” Joanne wrote in an email.
It’s working.
The coaches at CrossFit Neuro are not only Level 1 or Level 2 Certified CrossFit Trainers, but are also healthcare professionals, including registered nurses, an exercise scientist and certified functional movement therapists.
“We are fortunate enough to have now reached capacity in our current space and are opening our second Box in July this year to assist as many people in the community as possible,” said Joanne.
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