EP: Stroke & Neurological Rehabilitation

B App Sc (Physio) M Physio (Neurological) PhD MACP

Brendon lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he currently works clinically with people in chronic pain in private practice, working with people with complex pain states, while also having a university research fellowship investigating sensory retraining in stroke.  For many years he worked in hospital rehabilitation settings, in both pain and neurological programs, and has been awarded titling by the Australian Physiotherapy Association in both disciplines of physiotherapy. His particular interest is in complex pain states for people with neurological deficits, and he has undertaken additional training in numerous neurological treatment approaches.

Brendon initially trained as a physiotherapist in Adelaide before then completing his Masters Neurological Physiotherapy in Melbourne.  His recently completed PhD – through the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health – aims to understand contributions towards chronic pain and identify potential targets for therapy in neurological populations. 

He has been teaching at the postgraduate level since 2002 in neurological and pain rehabilitation areas and joined the NOI stables in 2012.

Brendon lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he works clinically (www.innernorthphysiotherapy.com.au) with people who experience chronic pain. He has a particular interest in complex pain states, such as those with neuropathic pain symptoms. For many years he worked in rehabilitation hospital-based pain clinics and has developed educational resources for a range of clinical pain-related services. He is a member of the Australian College of Physiotherapists, having been awarded Titling in multiple disciplines of physiotherapy: Pain, Neurological and Research.

Brendon is actively involved in clinical research that started with his own PhD, which investigated chronic pain following stroke, and now continues as a Research Fellow at both La Trobe University and The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. He is currently involved in studies for complex conditions such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Chronic Post-Stroke Pain, exploring the effectiveness of interventions, including pain education, graded motor imagery, sensory retraining, and mind-body therapies. He now also supervises higher-degree researchers in pain-related topics at La Trobe University and the University of Adelaide.

He has been teaching at the post-graduate level since 2002 in areas of both pain and neurology and joined the NOI stables as an instructor in 2012. In addition to teaching the NOI Explain Pain and Graded Motor Imagery courses, he has also developed and teaches a course that is designed for clinicians working with neurological clients with pain; Explain Pain: Stroke and NeuroRehab. As a clinician with more than 25 years of experience working with clients with chronic pain, he strives to “bring the clinic” to each course, ensuring that there is plenty of time for the in-depth “I’ve got this patient who…” questions.