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Associate Professor Michelle Smith

Associate Professor

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences
m.smith5@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 54660

Overview

Dr Michelle Smith is a Associate Professor in Physiotherapy and a titled Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist. She is Co-director of the International Ankle Consortium, Co-director of the Sports Injury Rehabilitation and Prevention for Health (SIRPH) research unit and Program Director for the Masters of Sports Physiotherapy degree at UQ.

The overarching theme of Michelle's research is lower limb joint health. Her research focuses on the prevention and management of lower limb joint injuries and pathologies across the lifespanto enable unrestricted participation in sport, physical activity and work. There are three key areas of her research:

  1. To improve understanding of ankle injuries and osteoarthritis across the lifespan: Ankle sprains are the most common injury seen in emergency departments and are a primary cause of ankle osteoarthritis, which in light of its post-traumatic nature, often affects young adults. To optimise outcomes and participation for people with ankle pathologies, my research characterises impairments and participation restrictions in the continuum from ankle injury to osteoarthritis and establishes the efficacy of interventions to manage these conditions.
  2. To understand the effectiveness and implementation of injury prevention strategies: While neuromuscular exercise program and taping/bracing have been shown to decrease injury risk, translation of research into practice is limited. My research investigates the implementation of injury prevention initiatives in adolescent athletes and involves stakeholders to better understand barriers and facilitators.
  3. To evaluate the implementation of lower limb osteoarthritis interventions: Exercise and education for hip and knee osteoarthritis have been shown to improve quality of life and functional outcomes. My research investigates the implementation of such programs in public hospitals and private physiotherapy practices on patient outcomes and service delivery.

Michelle has presented her research and delivered keynote and invited presentations at national and international multi-disciplinary conferences. She teaches across the undergraduate and postgraduate physiotherapy curriculum in the areas of musculoskeletal health and sports injuries. She has been recognised for her high teaching quality and impact at both School and Faculty levels through receipt of Teaching Excellence Awards. She is the Chair of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences External Engagement Committee, Deputy Chair of the Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy Group of the Austrailan Physiotherapy Association, and Chair of the Queensland Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy Group. She is a member of the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Foot and Ankle Working Group, International Foot and Ankle Osteoarthritis Consortium, and Australian Foot and Ankle Research Network.

Research Interests

  • Ankle osteoarthritis
  • Ankle sprains and fractures
  • Injury prevention
  • Lower limb osteoarthritis
  • Sports physiotherapy

Qualifications

  • Graduate Certificate in Higher Education, The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Physical Education, University of Manitoba
  • Bachelor of Medical Rehabilitation, University of Manitoba
  • Master of Sports Physiotherapy, The University of Queensland

Publications

View all Publications

Grants

View all Grants

Supervision

  • Development of a core domain set for ankle osteoarthritis: An international consensus

    Doctor Philosophy

  • The use of standing work stations in relation to low back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions in office workers

    Doctor Philosophy

  • Understanding impairments and management of growth-related injuries in adolescent athletes

    Master Philosophy

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • Improving management, optimising return to sport and preventing re-injury after ankle sprains and fractures

    Ankle sprains are often perceived to be minor injuries, but unfortunately a high proportion of people who sprain or fracture their ankle go onto experience recurrent injury and chronic ankle instability. There is a need for improved understanding and implementation of ankle sprain management, return to sport criteria and uptake of injury prevention strategies.

    Options for PhD projects in this area include:

    • Improving patient outcomes after ankle sprains and fractures
    • Determining optimal outcome measures for acute lateral ankle sprain injuries and chronic ankle instability
    • Establishing return to sport criteria for lateral ankle sprain injuries
    • Understanding and addressing barriers to the use of taping and bracing in preventing ankle injuries

  • Improving management of ankle osteoarthritis

    Unlike hip and knee OA, there are a lack of clinical guidelines to inform the management of ankle osteoarthritis. Few studies have investigated the effect of different treatments for ankle osteoarthritis, and the diverse use of outcomes in ankle osteoarthritis literature makes synthesis of information challenging. There is a need for agreement on core outcome measures to be used in ankle osteoarthritis research and high-quality clinical treatment trials to enable the development of clinical practice guidelines.

    Options for PhD projects in this area include:

    • Developing a core outcome measurement set for ankle osteoarthritis research
    • Determining the effectiveness of treatments in managing symptoms and improving function in people with ankle osteoarthritis
    • Determining the effect of exercise interventions on improving impairments, pain and function in ankle osteoarthritis
    • Early detection and management of ankle osteoarthritis

  • Improving implementation of injury prevention approaches in sport

    Many sports have developed injury prevention programs to try to decrease injury rates and optimise sport participation. There is strong evidence for the efficacy of neuromuscular training program on preventing a range of acute lower limb injuries. However, the implementation of injury prevention initiatives is challenging.

    Options for PhD projects in this area include:

    • Evaluating muscle function and barriers and facilitators to strength training in adolescent female athletes
    • Evaluating the effectiveness of neuromuscular injury prevention programs in improving injury risk factors and preventing injury in sport
    • Improving the implementation of neuromuscular injury prevention programs in sport

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book Chapter

  • Osteoarthritis of the foot and ankle

    Paterson, Kade L., Kelly, Luke A. and Smith, Michelle D. (2023). Osteoarthritis of the foot and ankle. Foot and ankle biomechanics. (pp. 547-563) edited by William R. Ledoux and Scott Telfer. London, United Kingdom: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-815449-6.00026-3

  • The elbow and forearm complex

    Vicenzino, Bill, Smith, Michelle and Bisset, Leanne (2011). The elbow and forearm complex. Exercise therapy in the management of musculoskeletal disorders. (pp. 113-128) Oxford, United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Development of a core domain set for ankle osteoarthritis: An international consensus

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • The use of standing work stations in relation to low back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions in office workers

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Understanding impairments and management of growth-related injuries in adolescent athletes

    Master Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Towards better understanding and management of pelvic floor disorders in women engaged in high intensity exercise: The effects of strenuous exercise and vaginal pessaries on pelvic organ descent in females

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Understanding the relationship between the pelvic floor and the hip

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Improving management, optimising return to sport and preventing re-injury after ankle sprains and fractures

    Ankle sprains are often perceived to be minor injuries, but unfortunately a high proportion of people who sprain or fracture their ankle go onto experience recurrent injury and chronic ankle instability. There is a need for improved understanding and implementation of ankle sprain management, return to sport criteria and uptake of injury prevention strategies.

    Options for PhD projects in this area include:

    • Improving patient outcomes after ankle sprains and fractures
    • Determining optimal outcome measures for acute lateral ankle sprain injuries and chronic ankle instability
    • Establishing return to sport criteria for lateral ankle sprain injuries
    • Understanding and addressing barriers to the use of taping and bracing in preventing ankle injuries

  • Improving management of ankle osteoarthritis

    Unlike hip and knee OA, there are a lack of clinical guidelines to inform the management of ankle osteoarthritis. Few studies have investigated the effect of different treatments for ankle osteoarthritis, and the diverse use of outcomes in ankle osteoarthritis literature makes synthesis of information challenging. There is a need for agreement on core outcome measures to be used in ankle osteoarthritis research and high-quality clinical treatment trials to enable the development of clinical practice guidelines.

    Options for PhD projects in this area include:

    • Developing a core outcome measurement set for ankle osteoarthritis research
    • Determining the effectiveness of treatments in managing symptoms and improving function in people with ankle osteoarthritis
    • Determining the effect of exercise interventions on improving impairments, pain and function in ankle osteoarthritis
    • Early detection and management of ankle osteoarthritis

  • Improving implementation of injury prevention approaches in sport

    Many sports have developed injury prevention programs to try to decrease injury rates and optimise sport participation. There is strong evidence for the efficacy of neuromuscular training program on preventing a range of acute lower limb injuries. However, the implementation of injury prevention initiatives is challenging.

    Options for PhD projects in this area include:

    • Evaluating muscle function and barriers and facilitators to strength training in adolescent female athletes
    • Evaluating the effectiveness of neuromuscular injury prevention programs in improving injury risk factors and preventing injury in sport
    • Improving the implementation of neuromuscular injury prevention programs in sport

  • Managing repetitive use injuries in adolescent athletes

    Adolescents have high rates of sport participation with many playing multiple sports at school and in the community. Apophyseal growth plate conditions, such as Osgood-Schlatter disease, Sinding-Larsen-Johansson syndrome and Sever’s disease, occur in active adolescents but little is known about how best to manage them.

    Options for PhD projects in this area include:

    • Characterising the presentation of Osgood-Schlatter’s disease, Sinding-Larsen-Johansson syndromes and/or Sever’s disease in active adolescents
    • Differentiating between pain sources in adolescent athletes that present with anterior knee pain
    • Improving management of Osgood-Schlatter’s disease, Sinding-Larsen-Johansson syndromes and/or Sever’s disease in active adolescents

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

injury prevention, sports injuries, osteoarthritis, ankle sprains

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ResearcherID: F-7529-2010

ORCID: 0000-0002-7860-1581

Scopus ID: 8886336200

Google Scholar ID: ma5V3F4AAAAJ

Personal Profile: Link

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