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

NDIS Worker Screening (Yellow Card)

Card #72812589 (Expiry: May 2028)

Working with Children (Blue Card)

Card #2304072 (Expiry: May 2028)

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, neurological physiotherapy, and cardiorespiratory care. 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

Knee Rehabilitation
Return to Sport
MSK Physiotherapy
Sports Injuries
Pre- & Post-Op Rehab
Neurological Rehab
Cardiorespiratory
Exercise Prescription
Aged Care
Manual Therapy

Expertise

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 — Expiry: May 2026
CPR — HLTAID009 — Expiry: March 2026
Registered Kinesiologist (R.Kin) — College of Kinesiologists of Ontario (2022–2024, 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.

Specialist Areas

Matt's clinical experience covers the following areas, with particular depth in knee rehabilitation, musculoskeletal physiotherapy, and evidence-based exercise prescription...

KNEE REHABILITATION & RETURN TO SPORT
Specialised gym and field-based rehabilitation for athletes recovering from knee injuries and/or surgery at the Gold Coast Knee Group. Application of criterion-based rehabilitation and validated RTS testing frameworks to guide progressive return-to-gym, running, and sport phases.
MUSCULOSKELETAL & SPORTS PHYSIOTHERAPY
Management of a broad MSK caseload in private practice across the lifespan, including acute sports injuries, chronic pain, WorkCover, DVA, and pre/post-operative rehabilitation. PRE- & POST-OPERATIVE
ORTHOPAEDIC REHABILITATION
A particular clinical interest in peri-operative physiotherapy — both optimising patients physically before surgery (prehabilitation) and guiding recovery afterwards. Clinical placement at Gold Coast University Hospital Trauma & Orthopaedics and Robina Hospital Outpatient MSK — both with 100% APP grades — delivering evidence-based post-operative physiotherapy, fracture clinic collaboration with orthopaedic surgeons, and group-based exercise classes for post-operative patients. This experience, combined with ongoing work at the Gold Coast Knee Group managing post-surgical knee presentations, informs a joined-up approach to surgical pathways from pre-op preparation through to return to function.

Achievements

Certificate of Academic Excellence — Award for Clinical Proficiency (2025)

Bond University, Doctor of Physiotherapy Programme
Awarded for achieving the highest GPA across all clinical subjects in the DPT cohort — encompassing Clinical Practice 4, 6, and 7, each graded at 100% APP, across emergency department, trauma & orthopaedics, outpatient MSK, neurology, cardiorespiratory, and private practice settings.

Certificate of Academic Excellence — Award for Research (2025)