Katrina Shaw

Since those early ‘careers discussions’ at Secondary school I can’t remember wanting to be anything other than a Physiotherapist. The human body and movement have always fascinated me and I loved the idea of being able to ‘help’ people. To say I was devastated not to be accepted onto a University course at 18 is an understatement. But I used the time to complete a Sport Science degree, qualify as a Personal Trainer, and work as a Physiotherapy Assistant to strengthen my application and I graduated as a Physiotherapist in 2009.

I’ve loved every minute of it since! I’ve been privileged to gain extensive and wide-ranging experience throughout my career so far. I’ve worked with clients from all walks of life, from international level athletes across multiple sports, to end of life cancer patients. I’ve also been lucky to work all over the world, travelling with the Great Britain American Football team across Europe, working in the Peter MacCallum Cancer Hospital in Melbourne, and 2 large private practices in New Zealand and Australia. I have experience in a multitude of acute and chronic injuries but my special interests are jaw pain/clicking (Temporomandibular Dysfunction, or TMD) and headaches/migraines.

Both of these conditions can have a debilitating affect on people’s daily lives, in particular being able to spend time with family and friends as well as eating and talking, all of which are things I personally take great pleasure in! I love using a variety of hands-on treatment techniques including massage, manual therapy and dry needling to compliment exercises and movement and lifestyle changes to optimise my client’s function and well-being. When I’m not being a physio, you’ll find me trying to avoid my own injuries while practising my favourite hobbies – aerial/circus arts and ballroom dancing!

TMD and cervicogenic headaches that are 2 speciality areas I treat: 

Temporomandibular Dysfunction

Pain or clicking around the jaw (Temporomandibular Joint, or TMJ) is known as Temporomandibular Dysfunction (TMD). We need our jaws for important daily functions such as eating, talking and yawning. Physiotherapy can often provide significant relief of TMD through a personalised programme of hands-on treatment, simple exercises, and lifestyle/posture advice. Related symptoms that can often also be helped are tinnitus (ringing in your ears) and headaches/migraines.

Headaches and Migraines

The Watson Headache Approach (www.watsonheadache.com) is a well researched and evidence based treatment technique to help primary headaches and migraines (i.e. those where the cause is unknown and not due to confirmed disease, infection or structural abnormalities. This includes Tension Type headaches, Cluster headaches and most migraines), and related conditions such as syncope, central sleep apnoea, and Post Concussion Syndrome. Research has shown that for the vast majority of these conditions, the underlying cause is a ‘sensitised brainstem’ interacting with mechanical disorders of the upper neck. After a full assessment to confirm this is also the cause of YOUR symptoms, treatment involves safe, non-manipulative (no cracking!) manual therapy to the upper neck to reproduce and then ease your typical symptoms. You will also be given some exercises and lifestyle/posture advice to compliment the clinic treatment sessions and self manage at home.