ABOUT MICK HUGHES
I grew up in Country NSW and moved to Sydney, NSW in my early 20s and completed an Exercise Science Degree at Australian Catholic University. After a short stint working and living in the UK, I returned back to Australia in 2006 and commenced my physiotherapy studies at James Cook University.
Since completing my Physiotherapy studies in 2009, I have been able to get a wide variety of experiences working in different sports physiotherapy practices, sports physio coverage and also complete a Masters Degree in Sports Physiotherapy.
From a sports physio perspective I have been the Head Physio for the Collingwood Magpies Netball team and worked with elite junior sporting teams such as the NQ Cowboys U20s rugby league team and the Newcastle Jets National Youth League and Emerging Jets Academy soccer teams.
In recent years, I have focused my physiotherapy career to looking after people from all walks of life and levels of sporting ability in a clinical setting at The Melbourne Sports Medicine Centre.
During this time, I have also been able to focus my clinical caseload of helping people recover from ACL injury and help them navigate the difficult decisions of choosing between surgery and rehab, timing of surgery, and returning back to sport following ACL surgery.
Although I have a high caseload of 20-30 ACL patients per week, I am more than happy to treat all patients, of all ages, with all musculoskeletal complaints.
Overall, I think my approach to Physiotherapy is quite unique in that I combine my clinical assessment and diagnostic skills as a Physiotherapist, and combine it with my Exercise Science background skill-set in tailoring exercise programs to the patient's injury for optimal short term and long term improvements in pain and function.
As a result, I spend as little time possible using passive forms of treatment, and instead try to promote active treatment strategies to my patients for what I personally believe results in superior and sustained long term improvements in pain and function.