Huy Vu – Primal Physiotherapist

Introducing Huy: Your Dedicated Primal Physio

Hi, my name is Huy I am a fifth-year physiotherapist. I graduated from The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle in October 2018. For those who don’t know where Fremantle is, it’s a tourist town in Perth, Western Australia. I haven’t always been in Perth, I started off doing physiotherapy at Latrobe University in Bundoora, after graduating from high school at Maribyrnong Secondary College. Since returning to Melbourne and now working here at Primal Physio, this has allowed me to contribute to the local community where I grew up.

The decision to pick up physiotherapy was one I made here, shaped by the interaction I had with this very local community. I was inspired to be a physiotherapist during my high school work experience placement back in year 10, having the opportunity to be at a private clinic. I had always marvelled at the complex, but amazing inner workings of the human body. On top of that, I always had a draw towards all sports, and being active – from cycling, soccer, basketball, to badminton and swimming. Physiotherapy seemed like the perfect combination at the time. As I was going through the course in university, I realised that physiotherapy is not just about being an autonomous practitioner, but it opens the door to so many different career opportunities – hospital, aged care, and community, just to name a few diverse settings. And since graduation, I have had the chance to try all of the above-mentioned settings. It has opened up my eyes and clinical breadth so much. I find it easier to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds, and to this day, I still like to keep my practice broad and be a bit of a generalist, rather than specialised in a particular area.

Besides my passion as a physiotherapist, I love to train in the local CrossFit gym. It’s a sport where you get exposure to all aspects of fitness, specifically strength, conditioning, power, and mental fortitude. Call me biased, but I think it is the ultimate fitness modality – giving you the basic tools and knowledge as you start out on your fitness journey. I also love all things outdoorsy such as camping, hiking, and going to the beach. And so you might find me occasionally at a short triathlon event, just having a good time enjoying the sunlight.

So far in my career, there are much that I have seen, and also haven’t seen. And the human body is magnificent and complicated, but amazingly robust. I take joy in empowering others to move well and move often enough to stay pain free and improve one’s functional capacity and quality of life. This had helped to motivate me to be the best version of myself as a physiotherapist – striving to have the skills and knowledge to be able to help others.

Having worked as a physiotherapist for the last 5 years, there have been many proud moments where I felt I had made a difference to someone else’s life. From giving a helping hand to get someone up for their first step after a knee replacement surgery, to guiding a mine worker through rehabilitation to return to physical work again after a rotator cuff repair surgery, these have all been much cherished journeys that I had the privilege to share with them. In other instances, the most helpful things I had done for my clients are to be a good listener, and to explain in simple terms what the issue is and the pain experience and science. I take great pride in these little moments as well.

My passion in fitness helped me to connect with other likeminded gym regulars, but furthermore, helps me with understanding the different injuries and the lived pain experience.

I like to be a ‘been there, done that’, ‘practice what you preach’ kind of guy! So don’t feel shy to come and say hi, and we’ll work through getting on top of your pain issues, or potential ones!