A Victorian physiotherapist found inspiration for her unique Australian business venture while working in East Timor.

Musculoskeletal physiotherapist Karen Finnin launched the country’s first and only online personalised injury management business www.physios-online.com for areas without access to physios, after being inspired by the success of her private practice, Physiotherapy Timor, in Dili.

Karen ventured to Dili in 2007 to support her husband Dan Uden, also a physiotherapist, who was supplying physiotherapy services to members of the Australian Defence Force serving in Timor.

It was then Karen realised there was a need for access to good quality injury management for the thousands of non-Defence expat workers and locals living in Timor.

“My clientele were from the UN, the Australian Federal Police, volunteers and a vast array of development projects,” she said.

“Many were Australian but I saw people from all over the world.”

Karen said she treated up to 30 patients a week.

“Most of these people are very passionate about their jobs, so work long hours,” she said.

“Most are working on laptops, with whatever chairs and desks can be found. It will come as no surprise then, to discover that many of the ailments I saw related to spinal issues.

“There was also a collection of sports related injuries, and injuries from falls from motorbikes and tripping over the vast collection of potholes along Dili’s roads.

“Sometimes I treated Timorese locals. They were usually referred from an expat neighbour or friend. “Tina, my Timorese receptionist, helped me with translation, and I charged them just a few dollars for their session.”

After overcoming hurdles ranging from locating premises to finding a physio indemnity insurer willing to cover her in Timor, Karen’s business was born.

“I knew 100 percent that I was making a difference to the expat community - I was providing a service that didn't exist before,” she said.

“I got to meet the most fascinating people as patients, who told me stories about the weird and wonderful places they had lived and worked.

“The range of expats was amazing, from volunteers living in hot dusty local houses to diplomats on huge salaries living in the most plush accommodation compounds.

“Yet we were all the same - foreigners trying to make a difference to a developing nation.”

Three years later, Karen and Dan returned to Australia, selling Physiotherapy Timor to a New Zealand physio and launching Physios Online.

“My time in Timor developed my passion for creating access to injury management for people in rural and remote areas, and directly led me to my current project,” she said.