Staff profile for Ms Lois Tonkin

Position

Physiotherapist in Charge/Rehabilitation Adviser, Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Service

Job description

Physiotherapist

Organisation

Physiotherapist, Royal North Shore Hospital

Qualifications

Specialist Physiotherapist in Pain Management.

Assoc Clinical Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney

Education

D. Pt, University of Sydney

Research interests

• Factors contributing to successful return to work for injured workers.


• The role of stretching as a component of an exercise progrma for chronic pain sufferers.


• The neurological basis of movement in restoring optimal function to chronic pain sufferers.

Project

Lois is committed to maintaining the quality of the physiotherapy component of the ADAPT pain management program, maintaining an awareness of the current evidence in the area of pain management and implementing evidence-based best practice in the clinic.  In addition she has a commitment to enhancing the management of all injured workers through increasing the awareness and education of all stakeholders in the vocational rehabilitation system to ensure that evidence-based best practice is offered to all injured workers. 

Her major areas of interest are:

• Formalisation of the knowledge and the skills required by the physiotherapist to enable the patient to develop effective self-management pain strategies.


• Ensuring awareness amongst physiotherapists of the role of beliefs and cognitions in the development of disability associated with persisting pain.


• The integration of physiotherapy skills and behavioural management in the treatment of patients.


• Recognition of the continuum of pain from acute through sub-acute to chronic in physiotherapy practice.


• Identification of research strategies to provide the evidence for evidence based physiotherapy practice.

Grants/Awards

WorkCover NSW Grant 2008

Publications

Macedo, L. G., Latimer, J., Maher, C. G., Hodges, P. W., Nicholas, M., Tonkin, L., McAuley, J. H., Stafford, R (2008)
Motor control or graded activity exercises for chronic low back pain? A randomised controlled trial
BMC Musculoskelet Disord

 

Molloy, A,R,, Nicholas, M.K., Asghari, A., Beeston, L.R., Dehghani, M., Cousins, M.J., Brooker, C., Tonkin, L. (2006)
Does a combination of intensive cognitive-behavioral pain management and a spinal implantable device confer any advantage? A preliminary examination
Pain Pract.

 

Nicholas, M.K., Tonkin, L. (2004)
Application of cognitive-behavioural principles to activity-based pain management programs
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy: Clinical Science and Evidence Based Practice

 

Tonkin L, Nicholas M, Moog M, Shakespeare B. Fear of (Re)injury: General versus specific activities. Abstracts : 10th World Congress on Pain, IASP Press, Seattle, 2002.

 

Nicholas, M.K., Molloy, A.M., Tonkin, L., Beeston, L. (2000)
Manage Your Pain - Practical and Positive Ways to Adapt to Chronic Pain

 

Tonkin, L., Nicholas, M., Molloy, A., Sharp, T., Jones, L., Tadros, M., Beardmore, S., Beeston, L., Sullivan, P. Fear of (Re)injury: Self Report vs Performance. Abstracts : 9th World Congress on Pain, IASP Press, Seattle, 1999.

 

Tonkin L (1999) Physiotherapy: its role managing chronic non-malignant pain. Modern Medicine December 24-29.

 

Nicholas, M.K., Ayers, N., Tonkin, L. (1998)
Overcoming the RTW barrier of poorly managed pain
Moving in on Occupational Injury

 

Tonkin, L., Sharp, T., Nicholas, M., Molloy, A., Beeston, L.  The validity of the disability questionnaire as a measure of patient functioning. Abstracts: 8th World Congress on Pain, IASP Press, Seattle, 1996.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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