Matt Castro
Doctor of Physiotherapy (Bond University) | Bachelor of Human Kinetics, Movement Science (Hons.)
Bond Physiotherapy & Sports Medicine | Pindara Physiotherapy & Sports Medicine | Gold Coast Knee Group Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION
Registered Physiotherapist
AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency), registered May 2025
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) | AHPRA — Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency | Sports Medicine Australia
ABOUT Matt Castro
Matt Castro DPT, BHK (Hons) is an AHPRA-registered physiotherapist practising on the Gold Coast, Queensland, with a clinical background spanning musculoskeletal rehabilitation, orthopaedics, knee surgery rehabilitation, and sports physiotherapy. He graduated with a Doctor of Physiotherapy from Bond University in 2025, ranked first in class across seven subjects — including both Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy units — and named to the Vice Chancellor's List for six consecutive semesters. He received two First in Class Program Awards: (1) Clinical Proficiency and (2) Research, each recognising the highest GPA across all clinical and research subjects in his cohort.
Since graduating, Matt has worked across three clinical environments: Bond Physiotherapy & Sports Medicine and Pindara Physiotherapy & Sports Medicine, where he manages a broad MSK caseload from acute sports injuries to chronic pain and pre/post-operative rehabilitation; and the Gold Coast Knee Group, where he delivers strength and conditioning-based gym and field rehabilitation for athletes and individuals across the lifespan recovering from ACL reconstruction, patellar dislocations, multi-ligament knee injuries, meniscal repairs, tibial plateau fractures, and knee replacements. He also serves as a Senior Research Assistant at the Bond Institute of Health and Sport working across several projects relating to orthopaedics and knee research, He is a named co-author on two peer-reviewed publications — in Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy (2025) and International Emergency Nursing (2026).
Clinical Approach
Matt's clinical practice is grounded in an evidence-based, biopsychosocial framework that integrates manual therapy, exercise prescription, and patient education to achieve meaningful, functional outcomes. At the Gold Coast Knee Group, he applies criterion-based rehabilitation and return-to-sport testing frameworks to guide athletes through progressive recovery following complex knee injuries, supported by weekly professional development in ACL and knee rehabilitation systems, gait mechanics, and emerging strength and conditioning literature. In private practice, he manages a diverse caseload across the lifespan — from acute sports injuries and WorkCover presentations to chronic pain, pre- and post-operative rehabilitation, and DVA clients — collaborating closely with GPs, surgeons, and allied health teams. He holds Mulligan Concept certification in Lower Quadrant manual therapy and brings a research-informed lens to clinical decision-making, having co-authored two peer-reviewed publications during his DPT training.
SPECIALISATIONS
MSK Physiotherapy
Knee Rehabilitation
Return to Sport
Sports Injuries
Pre & Post Op Rehab
Exercise Prescription
Manual Therapy
Qualifications
Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) — Bond University, Gold Coast (2024–2025)
Bachelor of Human Kinetics (Honours), Movement Science — University of Windsor, Canada (2017–2022)
Mulligan Concept — Lower Quadrant — Mulligan Concept International (July 2025)
Sports Medicine Australia — Optimising Shoulder Health in Sport
StrongerU Senior Fitness Instructor — StrongerU Senior Fitness (December 2021)
First Aid — HLTAID011, CPR — HLTAID009
Registered Kinesiologist (R.Kin) — College of Kinesiologists of Ontario (Licence #18659)
In Matt's Own Words
YOUR SPECIALIST CONDITION
The patient I find most engaging is the athlete or individual who has had a significant injury — an ACL rupture, a multi-ligament reconstruction, a complex meniscal repair, or complex multi-trauma — and wants to get back to sport or life without having to guess whether their body is ready. Criterion-based rehabilitation gives us the framework to answer that question objectively, and working through that process with an individual is one of the most satisfying things I do clinically.
WHAT SHAPES YOUR CLINICAL APPROACH
My research background has shaped how I think at the bedside. Working on systematic reviews — synthesising evidence across hundreds of studies, appraising methodology, identifying gaps — changes how you read a clinical guideline. It makes you comfortable sitting with uncertainty rather than defaulting to habit. That translates directly into better clinical reasoning with complex patients.
YOUR CLINICAL APPROACH
I combine manual therapy with structured exercise prescription and return-to-function testing. I try to make the rationale for every treatment decision transparent to the patient, because people who understand why they're doing something are far more likely to actually do it.
PUBLICATIONS
Prevalence and screening of orthostatic hypotension in older adults presenting to the emergency department: A systematic review (Journal)
International Emergency Nursing | 2026 (Vol. 86, 101805)
Sattler L, Castro M, Ellem R, Gough S, Sweeny A, Senyard T, Kuilboer A, Alsaba N. Published by Elsevier. DOI: 10.1016/j.ienj.2026.101805. Synthesised evidence from six high-quality studies across 2,543 older adults in five countries on orthostatic hypotension prevalence (5–42%) and screening rates in emergency department settings. Matt contributed to writing, methodology, and data curation.
Quadriceps versus hamstring and patellar tendon autograft for ACL reconstruction: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Journal)
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy | 22 May 2025
Co-author. Published in one of the leading orthopaedic sports medicine journals, this systematic review and meta-analysis compared graft selection outcomes for ACL reconstruction — directly relevant to Matt's clinical focus in knee rehabilitation at the Gold Coast Knee Group.
Notable work experience
Bond University — Bond Institute of Health and Sport
Academic Research
January 2025 – present
Gold Coast Knee Group
Specialist Knee Clinic
June 2025 – present | Volunteer: July 2024 – September 2024
Bond Physiotherapy & Sports Medicine / Pindara Physiotherapy & Sports Medicine
Private Practice
June 2025 – present | Student placement at Pindara: May–June 2024
Lifemark Health Group — Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Healthcare Group
January 2021 – April 2023
Centre for Human Performance & Health — University of Windsor
Research & Rehab
June 2021 – January 2022
Professional Development
Combined Health — Musculoskeletal Segmental Layering & Dry Needling — Combined Health, for Healthcare Practitioners May 2026
AIS — Concussion in Sport for Healthcare Practitioners — Australian Institute of Sport May 2026
SportsMAP — The Knee: Acute to Capacity — SportsMAP February 2026
Mulligan Concept — Lower Quadrant — Mulligan Concept International July 2025
Sports Medicine Australia — Optimising Shoulder Health in Sport — Sports Medicine Australia
Weekly Knee Rehabilitation PD Programme — Gold Coast Knee Group (ACL/knee systems, gait mechanics, S&C literature) 2025 – present
LINKS
AHPRA Registration: Verifiable via the AHPRA online register at ahpra.gov.au
Publication DOI: 10.1016/j.ienj.2026.101805 (International Emergency Nursing, 2026)
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