Melbourne Athletic Development

Melbourne Athletic Development Physiotherapy and Injury management clinic focussed on health and performance. Sports Physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, massage and speed coaching.

Consultations by appointment.

We have another upcoming webinar from MAD director and Fascial Manipulation teacher Jack Williams, see details below:80-...
20/05/2026

We have another upcoming webinar from MAD director and Fascial Manipulation teacher Jack Williams, see details below:

80-90% of low back pain is non-specific (not a very helpful term). Part of this is the fact that structural pathology we see on scans doesn't always correlate well with symptoms (and often the issue is multifactorial). Yet instead of just looking for structural damage, we need to consider changes to tissue biomechanics as well - one such tissue that is relevant to LBP is the thoracolumbar fascia. Yet most don’t even know it exists let alone the role it plays in spinal biomechanics.

In this webinar, I'll be discussing the thoracolumbar fascia and the way in which it might be impacting the patients you see with LBP, how it can be assessed and treated using the Fascial Manipulation Method.

🗓 Wednesday, 3rd June

🕢 7:30pm AEST

🎟 Free to attend — recording available for those who register

Register via the link below
[https://melbourneathleticdevelopment.au1.cliniko.com/bookings?practitioner_id=1820740911064155847&appointment_type_id=1486748179079628139 ]

24/04/2026

New to the team starting next month meet Jas!!

Jas is an experience physiotherapist with a special interest in field based sports, having worked across AFLW and VFL competitions over approximately five years 🏉

Special interests include:
• Knee injuries
• Hip pain
• Ankle injuries
• Hamstring injuries
• Return to sport rehab

Jas will be starting with us next month and we are very excited 💥💥💥

Bookings with Jas will open a week before she starts so keep an eye on our socials to book!

Hamstring Testing ‼️The hamstring muscle group plays a critical role in high-speed running and force production. It is a...
07/04/2026

Hamstring Testing ‼️

The hamstring muscle group plays a critical role in high-speed running and force production. It is also one of the most commonly injured muscle groups, with deficits in strength or asymmetry often contributing to strain risk.

At MAD, we utilise objective testing technology to assess hamstring function, identify left-to-right asymmetries, and detect potential deficits. This allows for targeted intervention aimed at improving performance and reducing injury risk.

Book your testing with us today via the link in our bio or head to our website to lock in your time 🗓️

If fascia is so important, why has it taken this long to get our attention?Much of it comes down to how anatomy has trad...
31/03/2026

If fascia is so important, why has it taken this long to get our attention?

Much of it comes down to how anatomy has traditionally been taught — fascia was routinely stripped away in dissection, leaving it largely invisible in our training. But it was always there, and research over the past two decades has significantly shifted our understanding of what it does.

We now know fascia plays a role in:

Force transmission — load is distributed through fascial networks, not just from muscle to tendon

Pain — fascial involvement helps explain many presentations that don't fit a neat structural diagnosis

Motor control — muscle spindles are embedded within the muscular fascia

Proprioception — fascia is densely innervated with mechanoreceptors including Pacini and Ruffini corpuscles

MAD director Jack Williams has an upcoming free webinar that covers the evidence base behind fascia and how it can enhance your clinical reasoning in musculoskeletal practice.

🗓 Wednesday, 8th April
🕢 7:30pm AEST
🎟 Free to attend — recording available for those who register

https://melbourneathleticdevelopment.au1.cliniko.com/bookings?practitioner_id=1820740911064155847&appointment_type_id=1486748179079628139

For those of you interested, MAD director and Fascial Manipulation teacher Jack Williams will be running a free webinar:...
23/03/2026

For those of you interested, MAD director and Fascial Manipulation teacher Jack Williams will be running a free webinar:

"Fascial Manipulation: The Science Behind the Method"

This session will focus on the anatomical, biomechanical, and pathophysiological principles underpinning Fascial Manipulation — including current research on fascia's role in force transmission, sensory function, motor control, and how it adapts following injury.

The aim is to provide a clinically relevant overview of the science to support your reasoning in practice.

🗓 Wednesday, 8th April
🕢 7:30pm AEST
🎟 Free to attend — recording available for those who register

Register here:

https://melbourneathleticdevelopment.au1.cliniko.com/bookings?practitioner_id=1820740911064155847&appointment_type_id=1486748179079628139

This Saturday, 21st March we’re running another Fascial Manipulation Introductory Workshop.This workshop introduces the ...
15/03/2026

This Saturday, 21st March we’re running another Fascial Manipulation Introductory Workshop.

This workshop introduces the basic principles of Fascial Manipulation (FM) and the systematic framework used to assess and treat dysfunction in the fascial system. Participants will learn how to palpate and navigate fascial planes, and how the FM assessment framework helps clinicians understand how prior injuries, surgeries and musculoskeletal trauma may contribute to pain and dysfunction.

The course combines online lectures with hands-on practical sessions, introducing the FM assessment and treatment process to help clinicians better manage musculoskeletal pain.

The Workshop includes

Online lectures covering:
• Anatomical connections of muscular fascia forming myofascial planes/chains
• Physiological and biomechanical behaviour of fascia in the musculoskeletal system
• Mechanisms of fascial pain and dysfunction
• Differentiating fascial densification from fibrosis

In-person practical sessions focusing on:
• Palpation principles of the fascial system
• Recognising fascial densifications related to pain and dysfunction
• Treatment techniques to restore normal fascial function
• An overview of the Fascial Manipulation assessment process to guide clinical reasoning

A few spots are still available.

Check out the link below for more information.

13/03/2026

That tiny irritation you can’t quite shake? Yep… that’s a ni**le 😱

It might seem small now, but when ignored, a ni**le can turn into something much bigger.. like bone stress injuries or long-term pain.

The earlier you treat it, the quicker the recovery.
Don’t wait for it to become a full injury.

Come see us at MAD and get on top of it today. 💪

I recently had the opportunity to teach another Fascial Manipulation Introductory Workshop here in Melbourne.Over the la...
02/03/2026

I recently had the opportunity to teach another Fascial Manipulation Introductory Workshop here in Melbourne.

Over the last 20 years, fascia research has expanded significantly. Yet in clinical practice, fascia is still often neglected or discussed in broad or non-specific terms (what is myofascial release?).

This is where Fascial Manipulation is different - supporting it you have arguably the leading edge fascia research team (Professor Carla Stecco, Dr Carmelo Pirri, Dr Caterina Fede to name a few) that provide the scientific foundation that defines and informs the method.

I’ll be running another 1-day Introductory Workshop on Saturday 21st March (hybrid format).

The course covers:

• How deep muscular fascia connects and organises movement into myofascial sequences
• How altered fascial mechanics can influence pain, proprioception and motor control
• The difference between densification, fibrosis and trigger points
• How to clinically identify and treat fascial dysfunction

Online lectures
- Anatomical organisation of muscular fascia
- Biomechanics and physiology of fascial tissue
- Mechanisms of fascial pain and dysfunction

In-person practical
- Palpation of deep fascia
- Identifying Centres of Coordination
- Detecting densifications
- Treatment techniques
- Overview of the FM assessment model

Link in the comments

01/03/2026

180kgs squat working on that explosive power needed for sprinting. Started preseason at 120kg, stacking strength every week but assessing when competing 🏃‍♀️

Looking to improve your sprinting but think you’re doing the wrong gym exercises to compliment it? Or finding you’re always injured and unable to make it to the start line?

Come in and see us today so we can help you build a solid strength program designed to get you on the track and get to those goals!

Most people don't really think about fascia let alone Fascial Manipulation (in fact most of you probably have never hear...
23/02/2026

Most people don't really think about fascia let alone Fascial Manipulation (in fact most of you probably have never heard of it!)

Across countless conversations on my podcast with clinicians, researchers and coaches, one theme keeps popping up: despite how much we now understand about the fascial system, it still rarely features in how we talk about musculoskeletal pain, movement, or clinical models.

I run these introductory workshops to simply do that - introduce clinicians to the fascial research and how it influences our clinical practice. It can really help put the pieces of the puzzle together both from an anatomical framework given its continuity in the body in addition to understanding its role in force transmission, motor control and nociception.

If you're interested to know more or want to come and learn about it, I'll be running another Fascial Manipulation Introductory Workshop on Saturday, 21st March in Melbourne.

For further details check out the link below:

https://www.melbourneathleticdevelopment.com.au/fascial-manipulation-courses/

Address

168 Hoddle Street
Abbotsford, VIC
3067

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 7:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 7:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 7:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 7:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 7pm

Telephone

+61399396625

Website

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