Pelvic Health & Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist,    and Director of The Physiotherapy Clinic 

My Story:

When you grow up in a small country town like Leeton NSW, you don’t do a whole lot other than play sport!  Like many of us, that was what ignited my interest in Physiotherapy. Desperate to explore the big lights of Sydney, I studied hard, got into Physiotherapy at CSU Albury and after graduating (and a fair bit of traveling in between) finally made it to Sydney!  I loved my time in  Sydney, but recently moved back to the country, and now live in Wagga Wagga; I love my role as the Director of The Physiotherapy Clinic for over 17 years now. I'm now on the journey to becoming a Doctor, something I’ve always wanted to do to. I am also doing a PHD to explore the role of the pelvic floor in birth outcomes, something we’ve been working with clinically for a very long time but now need to turn clinically hypothesis into robust scientific research.

What makes me different:

I started in this clinic when it specialised in the pelvis and how to re-train the core muscles using real time ultrasound (when this was unique!).  Shortly into my career here we realised that we couldn’t treat the pelvis well unless we knew what was going on, on the inside of it!  So I have dedicated the best part of the last 10 years to learning about the pelvic floor, the pelvic organs, pregnancy and birth.  Even though this is where my passion lies, I have continued to treat all different types of injuries and problems as well.  Why?  Because I know one part of the body influences another and I couldn’t possibly solve the problems I need to solve unless I have an understanding of the whole body… not just what goes on inside of it!

I have been blessed with many opportunities to study and learn, and I’ve loved every minute of it.  I’m extremely grateful to all those who have dedicated their time and energy to research, in both medicine and the Physiotherapy world.  I hope to empower and inspire our team here at The Physiotherapy Clinic to strive to always keep learning for the benefit of all of our future patients.

What I have learnt:

Bachelor of Physiotherapy with Honours - CSU

Post Grad Cert in Continence & Women’s Heath - UniMelb

Masters in Women's Health Medicine - UNSW

PHD student -  UC

Medical Degree Student - University of Notre Dame

Musculoskeletal:

• Pilates method for Physiotherapists: Susie Bond

• The lumbar spine pelvis, hip and instability – optimising biomechanics and motor control: Trish Wisby Roth

• Treating the lumbopelvic instability patient as a whole: Trish Wisby Roth

• Certificate in spinal manual therapy

• Treatment of the Lumbar spine and pelvis Muscle Energy Level 1 and 2: Barbara Hungerford

• Dry Needling Plus Level 1 and 2: Andrew Hutton

• Understanding tendinopathies of the hip and pelvis: Alison Gramaldi

• The Dynamic Pelvis: Steve Saunders

• The Pelvis – A collaboration of ideas for research and clinical practice:  Dianne Lee

• Masterclass Symposium 2013: Australian specialist physiotherapy education

• LJ Lee, The Sports Pelvis and Hip

• ConnectTherapy™ Series 2018 – Dr Linda-Joy Lee

Women’s Health and Continence:

• Post Graduate Certificate in Continence and Women’s health: University of Melbourne

• The Pelvic Floor: Curtain University

• Pelvic Pain: Helena Frawley

• The Lactating Breast Level 1 with Melinda Cooper

• Advanced Pelvic Floor: Pelvic organ prolapse: Taryn Hallam, WHTA

• Advanced Pelvic Floor: Stress Urinary Incontinence: Taryn Hallam, WHTA

• Advanced Pelvic Floor: Pelvic Pain: Taryn Hallam, WHTA

• Advanced Pelvic Floor: Post Natal: Taryn Hallam, WHTA

• New perspectives on treating urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and rectus diastasis – Dianne Lee

• Continence and Women’s Health International Master Class

• Lactating breast – Level 2 – APA and Melinda Cooper

• Pelvic pain foundation of Australia – Seminar for health Professionals

• Lactating breast Level 2 with Melinda Cooper

• Pelvic organ prolapse & Gellhorn workshop with Taryn Hallam

• Advanced lactating breast workshop with Melinda Cooper

• Pelvic Skills Workshop with Prof Peter Deitz

Conferences:

• Women’s health conference: Royal Women’s hospital 2011

• Excellent Down Under 2008, 2010

• Australian Physiotherapy Association Conferences 2007, 2009, 2011

• World Congress on Low back pain and Pelvic Pain 2013

• NSW Continence Foundation Conference 2014

• National Continence Foundation of Australia Conference:  2013, 2014, 2015, 2016Our very own PB conference. PB Paving the way forward for the Female Athlete 2022PB - paving the way forward for endometriosis - 20223

Publications: Murdoch-Ward J,  Nahon I,  De-Vitry Smith S,  Bernardi E,  Woods T.  Assessment of the bearing-down manoeuvre in pregnancy and detection of paradoxical levator ani muscle contraction using 2D transperineal ultrasound and vaginal palpation: a concurrent validity and inter-rater reliability study. BJOG.  2024; 131(6): 843–847. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.17694

A fun fact:

My grandmother had 18 Children!