Claire is a highly experienced physiotherapist recently returned to Australia after working in the United Kingdom.  She has a special interest in the management of sports and musculoskeletal conditions, in particular treating women in the antenatal and postnatal period.

Claire is passionate about patient education and in addition to seeing clients individually, teaches a number of antenatal, postnatal and exercise classes within the Mater service.  She takes an individualised, evidence based approach in the management of her clients, aiming to empower them to achieve their treatment goals. 

Claire graduated with First Class Honours from Griffith University, and has further training in the management of musculoskeletal conditions, exercise therapy, pilates and acupuncture. 

Early on, Deb worked locally and abroad as a radiographer until she returned to Brisbane to study and commence her physiotherapy career at the Mater Hospitals in 2005.  Deb has worked as a physiotherapist with a special interest in paediatrics for 14 years.  

Deb’s years of paediatric hospital experience, has allowed her to foster a good working relationship with several specialist doctors who rely on her knowledge and experience to support their patient’s rehabilitation and recovery.  

Deb has completed further training in the USA in the rehabilitation of children undergoing limb reconstruction. 

She has also worked in Australia’s only specialist physiotherapy clinic dedicated to sporting teens and spent many hours providing on-field physiotherapy coverage. 

As a busy working mother herself, Deb ensures that her physiotherapy advice, interventions and home programs are manageable and most importantly family centred. 

Jaime graduated from the University of Queensland in 2006, and has worked in both private practice and hospital settings throughout Brisbane and the Gold Coast, working exclusively in women’s health physiotherapy for the last decade. 

While at Mater hospitals, Jaime has treated patients across the continuum of life, including antenatal to postnatal women, bladder and bowel concerns, persistent pelvic pain syndromes, and varying musculoskeletal complaints. Jaime has also been involved in educating undergraduate and new graduate physiotherapists across Queensland.

Jaime has studied a post graduate certificate in exercise and women's health through Melbourne University, and has a particular interest in persistent pelvic pain syndromes, using hands on therapy and individualised exercise programs to holistically manage varying musculoskeletal, pelvic pain and pelvic floor conditions concerning women.
 

Katie graduated from the University of Queensland in 2014 after completing a Master of Physiotherapy studies and prior to this, she completed a Bachelor of Exercise Science in 2012 at Griffith University. Since graduating, Katie has worked in both private practice and hospitals, treating a range of conditions including pelvic floor dysfunction and obstetric and postnatal musculoskeletal issues. Katie has also worked with patients who have a strong background in sports and exercise, in particular, dancers and cross-fitters.

 At the Mater, Katie treats pelvic floor and obstetric musculoskeletal dysfunction, performs postnatal return to sports pelvic floor assessments and conducts frequent exercise and education classes for both antenatal and postnatal patients. Katie is also a clinical educator for women’s health physiotherapy students.

Katie has a passion for helping women of all stages and ages of life and uses a holistic treatment approach to address the patients concerns and goals. 

Kristen Ruhmann has over 18 years of experience as a physiotherapist both in Australia and abroad, and has specialised in women’s health for the past nine years. Kristen has a special interest in lumbo-pelvic stability and pre and post-natal fitness.

As a part of the Mater Mothers’ Hospitals Physiotherapy team, Kristen provides specialised care of postnatal women, where she has further developed her knowledge and skills in the areas of baby handling and baby massage education for women and their families. Kristen also teaches mother-baby exercise, pregnancy exercise and pregnancy Pilates classes.

Kristen aims to provide women with specialised physiotherapy care and education to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Lizelle has 20 years’ experience working as a physiotherapist in the clinical area of women’s, men’s and pelvic health. She graduated in South Africa and worked in Cape Town before moving to London. She completed her post-graduate certificate in Continence while working in the UK. Since moving to Australia, she continued with professional development to become more skilled in the treatment of women, men and children with pelvic floor dysfunction. She has experience in advanced treatment modalities for pelvic floor dysfunction such as bio-feedback, use of real time ultrasound, pessaries, e-STIM, defecation dynamic and pelvic floor rehabilitation (including down-training). 

Lizelle is passionate about achieving the best possible outcomes for her patients through a holistic approach. She has a special interest in treating bowel dysfunction (obstructed defecation, constipation and faecal incontinence) as well urinary incontinence in men following surgery for prostate cancer. Her main area of expertise lies with female pelvic floor dysfunction (incontinence, prolapse and pain syndromes).

Michelle is a specially trained physiotherapist with over 10 years’ experience in treating people with dizziness and imbalance. She has a special interest in neurological, aging and balance disorders and is committed to helping individuals reach their personal goals.

Michelle graduated the University of Queensland with First Class Honors, is a published research author and has had further training in disorders of dizziness, balance and aging. She is a member of the Queensland Vestibular Network, the Queensland Physiotherapy Rehabilitation Network and is registered with AHPRA.

Nadine graduated from Western Sydney University in 2013 and has since worked in various clinical areas across a wide range of settings including tertiary hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, home-based services and private practice. Her passion in helping women achieve optimal health and function lead her to establish her own private practice in Sydney where she treated patients with pelvic floor dysfunction and musculoskeletal conditions and assisted with pregnancy and post natal care and recovery.
 

Nadine moved from Sydney to Brisbane in 2017 to share her passion for women’s health with the Mater Mothers Physiotherapy team. She continues to work as an Obstetrics and Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and Clinical Educator and is currently studying her Masters in Clinical Physiotherapy majoring in Continence and Women's Health. Nadine is committed to ongoing professional development and high-quality specialised care for women across the lifespan. She hopes to promote awareness of women's health and wellness and influence positive change locally and abroad.

Rebecca has worked for over 11 years managing a wide range of conditions, including but not limited to back/ neck, knee and shoulder pain.

She also has extensive experience managing patients recovering from work injuries and after orthopaedic surgery.

She has completed her masters in the field, as well as extended training in orthopaedic screening, meaning she can accurately diagnose and treat all conditions to a very high standard. 

Sara’s clinical area of special interest is in Musculoskeletal and Sports Physiotherapy.

Since graduating from University of Queensland, St Lucia in 2008, Sara has spent the past four years working in both hospital and private practice settings.

Sara is a current national level swimmer. Sara aims not only to treat the presenting injury but also to aid patients in injury prevention, including designing targeted and sport-specific exercise programs for the both the athlete and non-athlete.

Sheridan Guyatt is a physiotherapist with 20 years of experience in musculoskeletal and women’s health physiotherapy. She has worked specifically in a women’s health role across both hospital and private practise settings here in Queensland and also in Tasmania.

Sheridan is passionate about promoting health and wellness during pregnancy, postnatally and beyond including treating patients with pelvic floor dysfunction, back pain and pelvic girdle pain as well as optimising recovery after pregnancy and childbirth.

She is actively involved in teaching classes as well as individual patient consultations both in the Mater Mothers’ Hospital and Mater Health and Wellness clinic.

Tanja graduated from the University of Queensland in 2005 with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy, first class Honours. Her passion for Women’s Health was ignited as a new graduate Physiotherapist at the Mater Mothers’ Hospital in 2006, where she was inspired by the transformative impact of Physiotherapy on the quality of life of women, especially during and following the childbearing year.  

Utlising an integrated, evidence based, patient-centered approach, she manages the following pregnancy related musculoskeletal and pelvic floor muscle conditions:

·         Low back and pelvic girdle pain (sacro-iliac joint, pubic symphysis)

·         Rectus diastasis

·         Pelvic Floor Muscle re-training and education

·         OASI (obstetric anal sphincter injuries)

·         Stress Urinary Incontinence, Urge Urinary Incontinence and Urgency

·         Pelvic Organ Prolapse (also trained in Pessary sizing & fitting)

·         Bowel Dysfunction (including constipation and obstructed defaecation)

·         Pelvic Pain

·         Education and assessment for safe return to sport/activity post-natally

With a strong focus on evidence-based care, underpinned by her PhD studies and research experience, Tanja combines postural and movement pattern assessment and correction, core muscle re-training, soft tissue release, manual therapy and exercise prescription to empower women with the skills to manage pregnancy related discomfort and the confidence to continue achieving/resume their movement/activity goals. 

Tanja is also currently a Betty McGrath Fellow and is conducting a research project investigating pregnancy related low back pain, pelvic girdle pain and stress urinary incontinence and its relationship to changes in the postural muscles during and following pregnancy.