ATHLETICS | PHYSIOTHERAPY & EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY
QSMC provides athletics physiotherapy and exercise physiology services from two Brisbane clinics – Bowen Hills and Woolloongabba. Our physiotherapists have professional experience working with Athletics Australia, Queensland Athletics, and at Olympic and Commonwealth Games level, and treat athletics athletes from junior community level through to elite competition.
Trusted Support for Athletics Athletes at Every Level
Whether you are managing an injury, returning to competition, or looking to improve your performance, our team provides individualised, evidence-based care tailored to the demands of athletics.
We work with athletes across all disciplines – from sprinters and distance runners to jumpers and throwers – at all levels, from junior and community athletes through to those competing at an elite level.
How We Support Athletics Athletes
Injury Assessment and Rehabilitation
We assess and manage a wide range of athletics-related injuries, including:
- Hamstring and calf strains
- Achilles and patellar tendinopathy
- Hip and groin injuries
- Stress fractures and bone stress injuries
- Foot and ankle injuries (sprains, plantar fascia)
- Knee injuries (patellofemoral pain, ACL)
- Sacroiliac joint and low back injuries
Your rehabilitation plan is tailored to your injury, goals, and stage of recovery.
Return to Play Planning
Returning to athletics requires more than just being pain free.
We guide you through a structured process that may include:
- Strength and conditioning benchmarks
- Functional and sport-specific testing
- Load management and progression planning
- Running and biomechanics reassessment
Performance and Injury Prevention
If you are not injured but want to improve your performance or reduce injury risk, we can help with:
- Running assessment and biomechanics analysis
- Strength and conditioning programs
- Load management strategies
- Pre-season and pre-competition screening
Common Athletics Injuries We Manage
- Hamstring strains and tears
- Calf muscle injuries
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Hip and groin strains
- Stress fractures and bone stress injuries
- Patellofemoral pain
- Sacroiliac joint and lumbar spine injuries
- Foot and ankle injuries
Why Choose QSMC?
Our approach focuses on delivering structured, evidence-based care tailored to the demands of athletics.
- Experience working with athletics athletes at Olympic, World Championship, Commonwealth Games, and community competition levels
- Clinicians who have competed or worked in track and field at the highest levels, bringing firsthand understanding of the sport
- Collaborative multidisciplinary care across physiotherapy, exercise physiology, and other allied health services
- Individualised management plans based on current clinical evidence
- Access to gym-based rehabilitation and performance facilities
- Serving athletics athletes across Brisbane and South East Queensland, from junior club level through to elite competition
Book with our Brisbane-based Athletics Clinicians
Take the next step toward returning to competition with the support of clinicians experienced in managing athletics-related injuries and performance demands.
Physiotherapists
Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist
Shane Lemcke is an APA Titled Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist and Director at QSMC with over two decades of experience with international athletics. His career is distinguished by his work as a Physiotherapist for the Australian Track and Field team at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, as well as the Commonwealth Games and multiple World Championships. Shane possesses extensive experience in managing the complex musculoskeletal demands of track and field athletes, with a primary clinical focus on high-tension muscle and tendon injuries of the hamstrings, calves, and Achilles. Having held lead roles with the AIS and QAS, Shane applies rigorous elite diagnostic standards to support athletes across all disciplines—from sprinters and jumpers to throwers—in optimising their movement capacity and achieving a resilient return to competition.
Physiotherapist
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Kharis Jayawardhana is a dedicated Physiotherapist at QSMC with extensive experience supporting track and field athletes across all levels. Her clinical approach is deeply informed by her background as a former track and field athlete and coach, providing her with a first-hand understanding of the biomechanical demands and technical nuances of athletics. Kharis has a primary clinical focus on the management of stress fractures, running-related injuries, and tendon rehabilitation, as well as complex post-operative recovery including ACL injuries. By integrating advanced clinical services such as Dry Needling and Clinical Pilates with a deep foundational knowledge of movement, Kharis aims to support athletes in optimising their recovery and returning to their specific disciplines with improved resilience and performance capacity.
Senior Physiotherapist
Dolph Francis is a Senior Physiotherapist at QSMC who brings an elite athlete’s perspective to athletics rehabilitation. A former AIS scholarship holder in Track and Field (400m hurdles) and a three-time Australian representative, Dolph possesses a first-hand understanding of the technical and physical demands of high-performance athletics. He specialises in conducting comprehensive running assessments for athletes ranging from Olympic competitors to club-level participants, with a primary clinical focus on optimising running economy and mechanical efficiency. Having worked with Athletics Australia and the Delhi Commonwealth Games team, Dolph applies advanced clinical reasoning to support athletes across all track disciplines in managing injury risks and achieving a resilient return to competition.
Senior Physiotherapist
Jess Morey is a highly skilled Physiotherapist at QSMC with a primary clinical focus on athletics-related injuries and performance. Drawing on her own background as a junior national-level track athlete, Jess possesses a first-hand understanding of the high-intensity demands placed on competitive runners. She specialises in comprehensive Running Assessments, utilising advanced clinical tools like Real-time Ultrasound and Clinical Pilates to identify biomechanical inefficiencies and refine movement patterns. Her expertise extends to the management of lower limb tendinopathies and hip, knee, and ankle injuries, common across various athletics disciplines. Jess aims to empower athletes by integrating evidence-based rehabilitation with technical assessment to support a resilient and high-performing return to the track.
Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist
Michael Dalgleish is an APA Titled Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist with over 30 years of experience supporting athletes at the highest levels of international competition. His extensive background in athletics is highlighted by his role as a QAS Squad Physiotherapist for Track and Field and his service as the Australian Team Physiotherapist for the Commonwealth Games. Clinically, Michael focuses on complex problem-solving for musculoskeletal issues, with a primary clinical focus on the spine, hip, and lower limb—critical areas for athletes managing high-impact loading and explosive power. Drawing on his tenure as a Lecturer for the Masters in Sports Physiotherapy, Michael applies an advanced evidence-based approach to support athletics competitors of all ages in bridging the gap between rehabilitation and long-term athletic development.
Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist
Dr. Loretta O’Sullivan-Pippia is a Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist (as awarded by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2007) with an elite background in international track and field. Her experience is highlighted by her tenure with Great Britain Athletics, where she supported athletes at the highest levels of competition. Loretta holds a Doctorate of Clinical Physiotherapy and is uniquely recognised for her clinical focus on adolescent sports medicine, particularly in the management of patellofemoral pain, ACL rehabilitation, and shoulder instability. By integrating her extensive doctoral research with her experience in running and dance assessments, Loretta provides an advanced standard of care for developing athletes, aiming to bridge the gap between injury and powerful, high-performance outcomes on the track.
Exercise Physiologists
Senior Exercise Physiologist
Matt Crear is a Senior Accredited Exercise Physiologist at QSMC who specialises in bridging the gap between clinical rehabilitation and elite-level performance. Having served as a high-performance lead for world-class sprinters, Matt possesses a deep understanding of the biomechanical demands of track and field. His clinical practice has a primary focus on musculoskeletal injuries of the hip, knee, and ankle, as well as complex post-surgical recovery. By integrating evidence-based strength and conditioning principles with his experience in athletics injury recovery, Matt aims to support athletes in optimising their force production and movement efficiency. Whether working with elite sprinters or developmental athletes, he focuses on building the physical resilience required for a successful and sustained return to the track.
Senior Exercise Physiologist
Adam Garred is an experienced Exercise Physiologist and Director at QSMC with over fifteen years of experience in high-performance athletic preparation. He is highly regarded within the running and athletics community for his extensive experience in managing bone stress injuries and guiding athletes through comprehensive rehabilitation and performance programs. Adam’s clinical focus centres on complex musculoskeletal rehabilitation, particularly involving the hip, knee, and lower limb—critical areas for athletes managing the repetitive high-impact forces of track and field. By integrating advanced musculoskeletal knowledge with practical strength and conditioning principles, Adam works to support athletics competitors in optimising their loading strategies, aiming to bridge the gap between injury recovery and elite-level performance.
Exercise Physiologist
Toby Edmanson is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist at QSMC who brings a data-driven approach to athletics performance and injury rehabilitation. Utilising his Athlete Performance Assessment framework and VALD technology, Toby translates complex force and symmetry metrics into actionable insights for track and field athletes. His clinical focus is centred on lower limb injuries—including ACL rehabilitation and running-related pathologies—where objective profiling is essential for precise return-to-track progressions. Toby aims to support athletics competitors in identifying individual injury risk factors and optimising movement efficiency through evidence-based, data-backed exercise prescription.
Exercise Physiologist
Monique Taylor is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist at QSMC who integrates a strong foundation in sports medicine with clinical performance rehabilitation. Drawing on her experience as a sports trainer in high-pressure field environments, Monique possesses a deep understanding of the physical demands placed on youth and developmental athletes. Her clinical practice is distinguished by a specialised focus on bone health and Women’s Health, providing critical support for athletes managing bone density requirements and physiological transitions. By integrating evidence-based strength and conditioning to support track and field athletes in optimising their training towards building a resilient physical foundation for long-term athletic performance and injury prevention.
If you are unsure which clinician is best suited to your needs, our reception team can assist in directing you to the most appropriate practitioner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you treat athletes across all athletics disciplines?
Yes. QSMC’s physiotherapists treat athletes across sprinting, distance running, hurdles, field events (jumping and throwing), and multi-discipline events, from junior club level through to elite competition, at our Brisbane clinics in Bowen Hills and Woolloongabba.
What is the difference between seeing a physiotherapist and an exercise physiologist for an athletics injury?
A physiotherapist typically assesses and manages the injury itself – diagnosing the problem, reducing pain, and guiding early recovery. An exercise physiologist focuses on the rehabilitation and performance side, rebuilding strength, movement capacity, and sport-specific fitness. For many athletics injuries, particularly complex lower limb and running-related conditions, both may work together as part of the same recovery plan.
Do I need a referral to book an appointment?
No referral is required to book an appointment with a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist at our Brisbane clinics. You can book directly online or contact our reception team on 07 3891 2000.
Visit QSMC in Brisbane
QSMC has two Brisbane clinics offering athletics physiotherapy and exercise physiology services – Bowen Hills and Woolloongabba.
Bowen Hills Clinic
Bowen Hills Medical Specialist Centre
Suite 2/16 Thompson St, Bowen Hills QLD 4006
Woolloongabba Clinic
The Gabba, Hyundai Centre
Gate 2, 812 Stanley St, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102.
Running Assessments
Our running assessment service uses video gait analysis and biomechanical evaluation to identify movement patterns that may be contributing to injury or limiting your performance. Whether you’re preparing for a first half marathon or chasing an ultra marathon finish line, a running assessment can provide valuable insights into your training and race readiness.