Our team

Matt has been a partner at Figtree Physiotherapy since 2005 and has been extensively involved in Sports Physiotherapy in the Wollongong area. Matt completed his PhD in 2020 which focused on injury prevention in football, in addition to his Honours degree in Exercise Science & Rehabilitation and Masters in Physiotherapy. Through his experience and knowledge base, Matt has an active and hands-on approach to rehabilitation to get you back on track as fast as possible.

Matt has particular interests in the areas of:

• Injury prevention
• Athlete and Team High Performance management
• The treatment and management of overuse and pelvis/hip/groin related injuries

Matt's current roles:

• Medical & High Performance Manager (Wollongong Wolves FC)
• Head Physiotherapist (Wollongong Wolves FC)
• Physiotherapist for Football Federation of Australia (FFA) National Teams Unit
• Physiotherapist and Consultant to Project M Triathlon Squad
• Researcher at the University of Wollongong consulting with the School of Medicine
• Developer of “Prepare 2 Perform” athlete welfare app in conjunction with Western Sydney University

Matthew has also worked with Dapto Rugby League, Illawarra Cricket, NSW Country Cricket, South Sydney Rabbitohs (NRL), the Gold Coast Suns (AFL), the Illawarra Steelers and Queensland Rugby Union Academy squad.

International presentations/lectures:

• Keynote speaker at the Injury Prevention and Team Care Conference (2017) in Auckland, New Zealand.
  Title: Player Welfare: From Design to Implementation of a Youth Player Welfare Programme
• World Conference on Science in Soccer, Rennes, France (2017).
  Title: “Non time loss injuries – are they worth recording?”

Regular speaker on Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement for:

• Football South Coast
• Wollongong Wolves Football Club
• Illawarra Academy of Sport
• NSW Cricket
• Wollongong Performing Arts High School – Elite Dance Group

Published Articles
www.researchgate.net/profile/Matthew_Whalan

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Daniel is a partner at Figtree physiotherapy with a vast range of clinical experience and knowledge in Musculoskeletal & Sports Physiotherapy. A physiotherapist since 2007, Daniel has used his skills and extensive knowledge in injury management to provide accurate rehabilitation to a diverse clientele ranging from the casual exerciser to elite level athletes.

Daniel is a passionate sports fan and has played competitive soccer for over 15 years in the Illawarra. This has led to Daniel having a particular interest in:

• Sports injuries
• Sporting biomechanics and its relationship to injury risk, recovery and performance
• Injury Prevention in Athletes
• Treatment and management of Knee and Ankle injuries

Daniel has worked closely with numerous international and local sporting teams, providing on-field management and in-clinic care to the Socceroos Legends Team, Australian Futsal team, Pararoos Football Team,  South Coast Wolves Football Club, Tarrawanna Football Club, Bowral Rugby Union Club and Dapto Rugby League Club to name a few. Daniel’s physio skills have also been put to use on the national stage at the 2016 Central Coast International Rugby 7’s Tournament and for East Coast Heat FC at the 2017 AFF Futsal Club Championships in Thailand.

Other than being a sports focused musculoskeletal physiotherapist, Daniel has a number of other unique skills such as:

• Fracture management in particular fibreglass casting and thermoplastic splinting for associated acute fractures.
• Treatment of TMJ disorders and patients suffering with jaw related pain and dysfunction. He has worked closely with a number of local dentists and oral surgeons to optomise patient outcomes in this specialised injury region.
• He also has a K1 and K2 certificate in Kineseo Taping. This is a great asset to provide to the sporting client and is becoming greatly used among the elite sports people of today to accelerate recovery and return to sport.
• Experience within the chest physiotherapy realm for chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthmatic patients at Wollongong Hospital.

In his spare time Daniel enjoys playing football (soccer), hitting the gym, hiking the escarpment and travelling the world chasing the summer heat.

Llew is a partner at Figtree Physiotherapy with 14 years experience in Strength and Conditioning and Physiotherapy across the Central West, Queensland and the Illawarra. Llew has an Honours degree in Exercise Science and Rehabilitation in addition to a Masters in Physiotherapy which allows a comprehensive and detailed approach to injury rehabilitation and prevention.

Llew’s background in rugby union has helped in developing rehabilitation programs for football players of all codes. Llew has worked previously as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the University of Wollongong Rugby Union Club, Physiotherapist for the Samoan Rugby Union tour of New Zealand, Physiotherapist for South Coast Wolves Football Club and consultant for Wollongong Mustangs Gridiron Club. Llew is currently the Physiotherapist for Dapto Rugby League Club and NSW Country Cricket.

Llew has a particular interests in the areas of:

• The treatment and management of shoulder injuries
• Crossfit and gym-related injuries
• Running biomechanics
• Clinical pilates
• High Performance for athletes to grandparents and everyone in between to develop tailored strength and conditioning programs and classes

When not at work Llew enjoys training for adventure racing, travelling the world searching for the perfect powder skiing, attempting to be a Ninja Warrior and spending time with his family.

Michalene is a partner at Figtree Physiotherapy and has many years of experience as both a clinician and physiotherapy lecturer. She has undertaken extensive postgraduate education, obtaining both a Graduate Diploma in Manipulative Therapy and a Masters in Physiotherapy in addition to her undergraduate degree at the University of Sydney.

Michalene's areas of interest include the management of back, neck and shoulder pain through the re-education of the stabilizing musculature using exercise and manual therapy. Michalene is also trained in Pilates treatment and instruction and utilizes these principles in combination with her clinical skills to provide a complete approach to rehabilitation.

Michalene heads up the Incontinence & Pelvic Floor Division at Figtree Physio which focuses on the issues associated with incontinence and pelvic floor retraining, providing further services for her patients.

Stella came to us from Germany during her studies in 2015 and enjoyed her time so much she decided to stay. She has completed her Bachelor of Physiotherapy in the Netherlands in 2015 and has since been working as a Physiotherapist and Pilates instructor at Figtree Physio. In addition to Stella’s excellent knowledge, her keen passion for football has led to representing the region in football with the Illawarra Stingrays Football Club, resulting in a wealth of experience in managing sporting injuries and preventing future injury.

Stella has a special interest in the area of spinal pain and dysfunction in particular relating to the neck and lower back. Stella has a strong focus with her patients on restoring normal range of motion and function no matter what age bracket they fall in. By combining her physiotherapy skills with the movement therapy of Pilates exercise, Stella has had great success with treating many patients with acute and chronic spine issues.

Stella is in charge of our Pilates classes at the practice. She designs the programs based on the individual needs of each patient, whether it is aimed at injury recovery, a high level athlete needing to improve core strength and performance or for those looking for a safe way to exercise and get fit. Her focus during the classes is on progressively improving the clients general conditioning by addressing key weaknesses and providing close attention to high quality movement.

Since 2016, Stella has been working as the physiotherapist for the youth squads at the Wollongong Wolves FC in addition to game day assistance with the first team. Stella’s role expanded in 2017 to become the data analyst for the Wollongong Wolves, involving game analysis of the first team games, providing invaluable information and feedback to the coaching department.

Nick is a local boy born and bred who completed a Bachelor of Exercise Science at University of Wollongong. During his undergraduate degree, Nick worked intensely with the both the St. George Illawarra Dragons and Wollongong Wolves Football Club, assisting in the areas of Strength and Conditioning whilst also gaining valuable experience in the aspects of player welfare, monitoring and injury management.

In 2017, Nick completed his Masters of Physiotherapy at University of Sydney and has since joined the Figtree Physio team. During his studies Nick has gained valuable experience having spent an extensive amount of time working in a number of rehabilitation hospitals across NSW. In particular, Nick has worked closely with local orthopaedic surgeons focusing on post-operative care and rehabilitation protocols post musculoskeletal surgeries eg. knee and hip joint replacement and joint arthroscopies. Nick has a strong passion for sport and since joining the Figtree Physio team is putting his skills to use in the local sporting world. He is currently the primary physiotherapist for both the South Coast Flames Football Club and Berkeley Rugby League Club.

Nick is also specially trained in Clinical Pilates and is presently running individual and group classes at the practice. Combining his understanding of exercise science and movement therapy, Nick is able to tailor the Pilates program to achieve the greatest benefits for his patients, having great success with those suffering from chronic neck and lower back pain.

Peter is a local physiotherapist home grown in Figtree, a stone’s throw away from the practice. Having completed a Bachelor in Exercise Science in 2017 and a Masters in Physiotherapy in 2019, Peter is an enthusiastic member of the Figtree Physio team with exceptional therapy skills. Peter is no stranger to the role of the physiotherapist across a variety of patient types, from inside the sporting world working with athletes, to rehabilitating injured workers return to their occupations. He has experience in providing on and off the field management of numerous sporting injuries. Peter’s previous roles include head physio for the Berkeley Rugby League Club and assisting with injury management for the Wollongong Wolves, South Coast Flames Football club and Dapto Rugby League club.

Peter also joins the Figtree Physio team with a 20 years background in the police force, where his wealth of life experience and empathetic nature is obvious in his approach to patient care. Peter has an impressive knowledge in exercise prescription and conditioning programming for numerous demographics. He is also a physical training instructor for the men and women in blue and has previously represented New South Wales and Australia in Police Rugby League.

Peter is available to provide rehabilitation management for Workers Compensation Cases, Third Party Claims and DVA patients.

In his spare time Peter enjoys watching the St George Illawarra Dragons and Illawarra Hawks, and spending time with his family.

Rachel is a physiotherapist at Figtree Physio with an expansive list of skills and experience. Prior to completing her Master’s in Physiotherapy, Rachel completed a Bachelor in Exercise Science and assisted with Ph.D. research into injury prevention and management in football players. This allowed her to work closely with several local football teams implementing effective injury prevention programs. By doing so, Rachel has gained valuable experience in player welfare and return-to-play processes for athletes across numerous sports.

Rachel is a passionate sports person having represented the Illawarra in Netball and Swimming. Her experience and knowledge have not only led her to having a keen interest in sports injuries, but various neurological and respiratory conditions aswell. Rachel has worked in the ICU and rehab wards of Sutherland Hospital, working closely with orthopaedic and cardiac post-operative patients. Rachel has a deep understanding of complex neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Spinal Cord Injuries as a result of her experience working in a private specialist Neurological Practice.

In addition to being a great physio, Rachel is also running individualised and group clinical pilates classes at the practice. Combining her understanding of exercise science and movement therapy, Rachel is versatile in tailoring the pilates program to help each patient achieve their specific functional goals. She is also available to provide rehabilitation management for Workers Compensation Cases, Third Party Claims and DVA patients.

In her spare time, she enjoys going to the gym, catching up with friends, hiking and watching Harry Potter films.

Cody comes to us holding a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science (UOW) and a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy (UTS). Cody has worked within the sporting world for the South Coast Flame’s youth program, NSW Touch Football State Cup and at several representative touch football school competitions. Cody has provided injury management and prevention in elite athletes, delivering hands on treatment for the Illawarra Hawks Basketball team and assisting in strength and conditioning sessions with high profile athletes. Cody’s experience and interests also spans into areas other than sport. Following valuable clinical placements at Prince of Wales Hospital, Cody has provided patient centred care and physiotherapy treatment within the spinal cord injury population, as well as with other neurological conditions such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease. More recently, Cody has been working in the aged care setting as a physiotherapist to help with pain management and function in the elderly population. Cody also previously worked as a disability support worker to provide community access and engagement in social activities for people with Autism and Down Syndrome. These experiences give Cody a well-rounded knowledge and a strong communication skill set to provide high valued care for a range of conditions.

Cody has particular interests in the areas of:

• Back & Shoulder pain.
• Knee and Ankle injuries.
• Sports injury management.
• Neurological conditions and rehabilitation.

Currently, Cody is completing his research paper alongside senior researchers at the University of Technology Sydney answering some of the pressing questions surrounding treatment following ACL rupture. In Cody’s spare time, he enjoys spending time in the gym, outdoors, playing touch football, travelling and spending time with his dog.

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