Presenters

Francine St George
MSc (Med) BSc (NSW) PGD Physio PGD Sport Sc MAPA.
Physiotherapist/Sports Scientist
info@physiocoachingacademy.com

Francine is the founder of PCAA, and is well known throughout Australia for her innovative ideas and integrative approach to injury and pain management as well as for her popular workshops designed for Health Professionals.  She is also founder of Physio Posture Fitness located in Randwick, NSW, Australia, where she continues to treat elite athletes and  others with complex musculoskeletal conditions.  She combines her voluntary public relations activities with research, lecturing and treating at the clinic.  Her key expertise is using her assessment System to identify the original contributor to a pain and getting the client to learn techniques and exercise how to ease secondary compensations for a long term solution.

Focus on elite athletes
Francine has worked and travelled with a number of elite sporting teams, such as the Australian University hockey team and the Australian Universities rugby team. Over the last twenty years, she has also worked at a number of National and International sporting meets, including The Commonwealth Games in Brisbane and the World University Games (both in Canada and in Japan).

Her Masters degree (from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney) reflects her particular interest in elite athletes. For her thesis, she researched an area of particular interest, Investigation of the Lumbar Disc of the Elite Athlete using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

Francine is also a Mentor with www.PhysioProfessor.com.

Penny Elliott
M.H.Sc.(Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy) B. App.Sc (Phty) MAPA
Physiotherapist
penny@cyberphys.com

Penny completed her qualifications in Physiotherapy at the University of Sydney in 1993 and completed her Masters of Health Science (Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy) at Charles Sturt University with Distinction in 2006.

Penny has spent several years on the development of a number of education programs for health professionals and regularly presents workshops for Physiotherapists, Pilates Instructors and Massage Therapists throughout Australia as well as internationally.  This includes presenting the Exercise and Pregnancy workshop and the Posture, Soft tissue and Exercise workshops for physiotherapists; teaching and designing the sports massage programs at the NSW School of massage; and teaching personal trainers in Australia and in Singapore.

One of Penny's main interests is movement analysis and postural assessment.  In the past, she has worked with a variety of sports people at The Sports Clinic at Sydney University – including the Sydney University Rugby team, Olympic level rowers, runners and triathletes. She uses this expertise in designing individual and small group exercise programs, as well as teaching Clinical Pilates and using Real Time Ultrasound imaging for specific rehabilitation of the deep trunk stabilisers.

Penny's other areas of interest include lower limb analysis and biomechanical assessment from her work making orthotics with a well known Sydney podiatry group.  Teaching posture at the University of Sydney's School of Dentistry has also encouraged her further studies into TMJ.

As well as presenting workshops for health professionals, Penny has been a Senior Associate of Physio Posture Fitness for the past  14 years. She uses a hands on and exercise based approach to treatment to encourage clients to take an active part in managing their own health and fitness, and when not teaching or treating she enjoys Pilates, dancing, swimming, jogging, kung fu, yoga and being a mum.

Natasha Rai
B.Sc (Phty) (Hons)
Physiotherapist

Natasha has lectured and mentored Strand 1 and Strand 2 Academy students in the clinical use of  Real Time Ultrasound (RTUS) and she has also co-facilitated the popular PCAA Exercise and Pregnancy workshop. She is also featured on our women's health DVD.

Natasha graduated from the University of Birmingham, 1999. Since graduation, she has worked predominately in private practice including at the Physio Posture Fitness Clinic in Randwick. Natasha has trained with the Australian Physiotherapy Pilates Institute and she teaches at the Physiotherapy Coaching Academy Australia.

Natasha is experienced in treating lower back, pelvis and hip pain.  Natasha combines hands on treatment and exercise to facilitate recovery. She is trained in the use of Real Time Ultrasound to accurately assess how muscles of the pelvic floor, lower abdominal and hip are working. With this information she is able to formulate an individual exercise program to help pain, posture and core stability.  She has been able to help a wide range of people from busy mums to triathletes.

Natasha's interest in Women's health includes assisting women with exercise prescription during and after pregnancy.  During pregnancy, she helps clients minimise their pain and maintain muscle strength.  She manages post pregnancy recovery with prescription of pelvic floor and abdominal strengthening exercises and helps clients get back in to sport and exercise. She also manages incontinence issues.

Natasha's own sporting background is in martial arts. The experience of recovering from her traumatic injuries helps her to relate to the pain and the challenges of returning to sport.