Sports and Exercise Physician

Our Expertise and Specialties

We offer diagnosis and management for all musculo-skeletal injuries. We have special expertise in:

  • low back injury, in particular sacro-iliac joint injury including conservative management and also prolotherapy injections for this problem
  • Injection therapies for osteoarthritis
  • PRP for the treatment of ligament and tendon injuries
  • PRP for gluteal tendonopathy (bursitis)
  • Peripheral Nerve injections
  • management and rehabilitation for any injury

A/Prof Jeni Saunders

Has worked with professional rugby league and rugby union teams, as well as elite teams including Australian Women’s Hockey, Australian Women’s Volleyball. Australian and Oceania Track and Field teams, Australian Swimming and Australian Olympic Teams.

Ask how we can help with your injury

We will be happy to discuss your treatment options

Our Expertise and Specialties

A/Prof Saunders offers specialist advice and treatment of:

  • low back pain, with special interest in sacroiliac joint injury
  • Treatment using regenerative medicine techniques is also offered for SIJ injury as well as for
  • tendon issues such as gluteal tendonopathy
  • rotator cuff tears
  • tennis elbow
  • patella tendinopathy
  • Achilles tendinopathy.
  • In particular sacro-iliac Joint injury including non-surgical management. This includes the use of highly specialised physiotherapy, PRP and / or Prolotherapy injections.

A/Prof Jeni Saunders

Sport and Exercise Physician

A/Prof Saunders has worked with Professional Rugby League teams, as well as Shute shield Rugby Union teams. She has also accompanied many National teams on tour including Australian Swimming and Athletics teams, Women’s Hockey team, Women’s Volleyball team, and Australian Netball team. She was also honoured to travel with the Australian Olympic team to two Summer Olympic Games. She also worked with NSWIS Snowsports teams for 11 years.

Specialty Expertise

A/Prof Saunders works from rooms in Sydney City (Sydney Sports Medicine Specialists in Macquarie Street) and at Meadowbank. Some videoconferencing is available for come consultations. Her recent Ph.D studies were in the Diagnosis, Management and treatment of sacroiliac joint injuries (SIJ).

She has studied the use of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections and uses this to treat both the SIJ as well as tendon injuries to the elbow, knee, gluteal insertion at the lateral hip as well as Achilles tendon.

Experience

Private Practice
1981- present.
Currently A/Prof Saunders works in private practice in Meadowbank and Sydney City. She has recently closed her Kogarah practice after 40 years if providing a service in this area.

Adjunct Associate Professor University of Notre Dame
A/Prof Saunders worked as an endorsed Sports and Exercise Physician for NSWIS form its inception n 1994 until 2019. AT this time NSWIS changed its medical system to provide all medical assistance onsite and within NSWIS itself. Therefore, external providers were no longer required.

Clinical Lecturer Sydney University 2009-2020
Dr Saunders enjoyed teaching Phase 1 medical students during her time as a clinical lecturer. As the curriculum was revised the need for outside tutors for this component of teaching was no longer necessary.

Administrative Experience

  • Honorary Secretary of the Australasian College of Sports Physicians 2004-2011.
  • Member Research Committee ACSEP 2000-current
  • Member Board of Censors (Now termed EAC ) ACSEP 2004-2020
  • Chair ACSEP Overseas Trained Specialist Committee Chair 2014-2020
  • Member AMSEC 2009/2010
  • Board Member and Vice President NSW SMA 2012-2016
  • Chief Medical Officer World Masters Games Sydney 2008
  • Honorary Secretary Sports Medicine Australia (NSW Branch) 1979-1984)
  • Medical Director Westpac rescue Helicopter 1985-86
  • Foundation Director (and Medical Committee Member) Careflight 1986-1987. This was the beginning of Careflight and I am honoured to be a Founder of Careflight Helicopter Rescue Service.

Honors and Awards

Australian Sports Medal
Awarded by the Australian government in 2000 for outstanding achievement and service in Sports Medicine

Life Membership
UNSW Hockey Club

UNSW Sports Recognition Award 
Awarded by the UNSW Sports Association in 1975. This was awarded for services to UNSW Hockey Club, and UNSW Basketball Club

ACSEP Ken Crichton Award
For outstanding service to ACSEP Recipient of 2018

Education

Graduated in medicine at UNSW 1978

Inaugural Fellowship of the Australian College of Sports Physicians 1991

Ph. D University of Notre Dame (Sydney) 2019 For a thesis entitled: “The sacroiliac joint: Clinical correlations of the ligamentous and muscular connections.”

Certificate of Clinician Performed Ultrasound (Soft Tissue) 2019 (CCPU)

Live Courses

Course 1

Making sense of low back pain.

Getting the diagnosis correct and instituting correct management: an introduction

Saturday 15th June 2024 9am – 12.30pm (Lunch included)

@ The Physio Joint, Redcliffs Christchurch NZ

  • Functional anatomy of the SIJ, Hip and Lumbar vertebral unit and patho-anatomy
  • Clinical Diagnosis including best imaging techniques
  • Initial treatment including bracing/taping/ specialised physical therapy/ exercise therapy, what and when
  • Injection therapies: which injections, when, how and why
  • When to consider surgery and types of surgery • After injection, following -up after specialised  physiotherapy, after injections and return to sport considerations
  • Questions and course Wrap up

$ 250 Inc. GST

On special!

All participants will have the opportunity to present difficult cases and have access toProfessor Saunders for advice and ongoing support.

Course 2

Masterclass in Sacroiliac joint, and all things pelvic related.

This is for experienced practitioners looking to extend their knowledge. Must have attend the introductory course in person or online.

Saturday 15th June 2024 1pm – 4pm (Lunch included)

@ The Physio Joint, Redcliffs Christchurch NZ

  • We will review the patho-anatomy of the SIJ, pubis and hip
  • We will look at the accommodative strategies that are employed with SIJ mechanical issues
  • We will then discuss the strategies required to unwind these and treat the underlying issue
  • Muscle enthesopathies around the pelvis
  • Neural compression around the pelvis as a secondary consequence of the altered muscle function
  • The SIJ Influence on rib ring dysfunction: is it the SIJ driving the rib? Or the rib ring dysfunction driving  the SIJ? (and other drivers)
  • Co-existent lumbar spine and hip issues
  • Detailed discussion regarding the muscular components of lumbo-pelvic stability.
  • Questions and course Wrap up

$ 250 Inc. GST

On special!

All participants will have the opportunity to present difficult cases and have access toProfessor Saunders for advice and ongoing support.

For Health Professionals

Sacroiliac Joint Mechanical Incompetence eLearning 3 Module BUNDLE

This 3-part course us designed for medical practitioners and allied health who wish to deepen their knowledge in sacroiliac joint OR Pelvic Girdle Pain as it is known in Europe.

The three modules are stand alone and can be viewed individually. A Certificate Of Completion is earned when the course is completed.

MODULE ONE
Introduction.
MODULE TWO
Clinical Support.
MODULE THREE
Management Strategies.


$ 250.00 Inc. GST or $99 Inc. GST per module.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) eLearning Module

This course will provide broad information on what is PRP, how it works, methods of preparation and use in MSK conditions. It is meant for doctors and allied health professionals, with interest in the use of PRP for assisting with treatments of tendon, ligament and joint injury. A Certificate Of Completion is earned when the course is completed.

$ 125.00 Inc. GST

eLearning Subscription plans

Select an eLearning training course plan for you or your organisation.

  • Individual Monthly Plan
  • $30
    per month
  • For 1 user
  • Access to all training courses
  • Auto renews monthly
  • Cancel any time
  • Individual Yearly Plan
  • $300
    per year
  • For 1 user
  • Access to all training courses
  • Auto renews yearly
  • Cancel any time
  • Group Monthly Plan
  • $100
    per month
  • For up to 20 users
  • Access to all training courses
  • Auto renews monthly
  • Cancel any time
  • Group Yearly Plan
  • $459
    per year
  • For up to 20 users
  • Access to all training courses
  • Auto renews yearly
  • Cancel any time

For Patients

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome eBook

This E-Book is intended to help those people who have been identified as having this disorder. It outlines the current knowledge of this condition and uses lay language to describe the condition. A/Prof Saunders has attempted to use the current research literature to describe the existing knowledge about this condition. As more knowledge becomes available this book will be modified and updated.

A/Prof Saunders is a Sports and Exercise Physician who developed an interest in this disorder when she began to notice some symptoms in patients who subsequently turned out to have this disorder.

$ 9.99 Inc. GST

Sacroiliac JointMechanical Incompetence eBook

What is it and how do I get better?

This book is designed to help patients suffering from Sacroiliac Joint issues.  It will help you understand what your problem is, how to get it better and what to do if you have some of the associated conditions.

The treatment of SIJ insufficiency has 3 phases. For 80% of patients Phase 1 is all that will be required. For the remaining patients Phase 2 and 3 will also be required.

$ 9.99 Inc. GST