Main Interest: Lower limb overload pathologies, Persistent pain and Post-operative rehabilitation
Sam has completed a Bachelor of Science (Sports Science) and a Masters of Physiotherapy in Western Australia and has a wide range of experience across sports, clinical and corporate physiotherapy. His love of sports and experience in sport physiotherapy enables him to have a deep understanding of an athlete’s ongoing training and performance goals.
Having experienced sporting injuries Sam has great empathy for chronic pain suffers and is passionate about getting people active again. He believes ‘motion is lotion’ so aims to get people moving as quickly as possible and take an active role in their own rehabilitation. Sam has undertaken DMA Clinical Pilates training and runs several of our pilates classes at both Burleigh and Runaway Bay clinics, alongside exercise classes aimed at individuals with hip or knee osteoarthritis and falls prevention. He has team physiotherapist experience with Australian Rules Football and Rugby teams.
Outside of work Sam enjoys keeping fit and enjoying time with his young family.
Sam’s Clinical Passions
- Knee pain
- Facilitating and empowering rehabilitation
- Lower limb overload pathologies in team sports
- Persistent pain
- Post-operative rehabilitation to return to sport – especially knees
- Utilising technology to assess, treat and monitor patient
Sam’s Story
I was born in Perth with both parents Australian (Mum’s side 5th generation Australian from convicts that arrived from England via Fremantle). My younger brother and I grew up watching Dad play footy (the Aussie Rules kind) and cricket on the weekends so we always had a ball in our hands. Dad worked his way up in the bank so we had various stints in Melbourne and one in New York. When we returned from New York we bought a house in Perth. I played Tee-Ball then Baseball growing up in the summer up until 12, and AFL from about 10 (I was too competitive for Auskick or modified rules as this “wasn’t real footy” and there was no scoring/winners!).
After a year in Melbourne again when I was 14 we returned to Perth where I focused solely on football playing in development squads up until WAFL Colts level when I was 19. As a dour defender what I made up in work ethic I lacked in skill and size for my height to get drafted or play at State Level, so I returned to play at Amateur level for about 12-13 years which I loved.
After high school I initially wanted to be a biomechanist in elite sport so did my Sports Science degree, and quickly realised that physics weren’t a strong suit but chemistry/biology were. I became passionate about ‘exercise as medicine’ and wanting to help as many people as possible maintain their quality of life and independence as long as possible to allow them to do the things they wanted to do.
After my first year of uni, I met my wife Penni. She was originally from the Gold Coast but five years after meeting, we were married & now have 3 beautiful kids!
In the meantime I finished my Sports Science degree and did some work for a Cardiology practice and within corporate health doing health checks for some big corporate companies. I felt that becoming a physio was the next step so I did a Masters degree over 2 years. I went straight into private practice after that initially in Perth, but we then made the decision to move back to the GC before the kid’s prep year at school was about to start.
In preparation for the move I had emailed my Resume to Gold Coast Physio & Sports Health for a role. Thankfully Britt took the risk on me via a Skype interview and here I am today!