Medically Focused Fitness - Donna McCook

Neck Pain? Challenging to Rehab? Doesn't have to be!
Cervical / Thoracic Spine Course - in Brisbane June 13th & Melbourne 18th July - come and join us!

General exercise and global activation patterns are not enough for cervical and thoracic presentations.

In fact, for some patients — particularly those with whiplash, clinical instability or sensitised presentations — they can actively make things worse.

The deep muscle systems of the cervical and thoracic spine are small, specific, and have to be working well to deload the structures that cause pain. You cannot access them with a resistance band circuit. You need to know where they are, how to assess whether they're functioning, and how to restore them in a way that's safe and progressively loaded.

This is the layer of clinical practice that most exercise professionals haven't been taught.

I've been applying this in the clinic for 30 years.
This workshop is where I teach it.

A Full-Day Cervical & Thoracic Spine Rehab Workshop

📍 Brisbane — Sat 13 Jun
📍 Melbourne — Sat 18 Jul

8am–4:30pm | 8 CPD hours | $295 + GST

Email [email protected] to register.
Full more details → https://medfit.co/cervical-thoracic-rehab

Advancing Clinical Training for Exercise Physiologists Learn from our health and injury rehabilitation courses led by an experienced Exercise Physiologist & Physiotherapist at Medically Focused Fitness.

Shoulder Rehab? Hows it going? I'm Heading to Sydney (21/06) & Melbourne (19/07) - Come and join us!

This is one of my most popular courses.

There's a good reason for that. This stuff is real - its what I have found works incredibly effectively clinically through years of clinical application.

The shoulder is one of the most complex joints in the body — and one of the most commonly mismanaged in rehabilitation. Not because exercise professionals don't care, but because the clinical depth required to assess it properly, understand what's actually driving the problem, and prescribe exercise that matches the presentation — that's simply not covered well in most training.

This full day is going to cover a lot of ground -
From impingement syndrome to frozen shoulders to acute rotator cuff injury. From scapular dyskinesis to post-surgical rehab continuation. From irritable presentations that need careful loading to the complex cases that have been passed between practitioners with no clear improvement.

This course gives you a complete, integrated system — assessment, reasoning, exercise prescription, progressions, and the clinical decision-making that ties it all together.

Full-Day Shoulder Rehabilitation Workshops coming up

📍 Sydney — Sun 21 Jun
📍 Melbourne — Sun 19 Jul

8am–4:30pm | 8 CPD hours | Early bird $295 + GST
ESSA Accredited
Designed for Exercise Physiologists, but Ex Scientists and other allied health professionals with an interest in rehab are very welcome to also attend.

Email [email protected] to register
For more details → medfit.co/full-day-shoulder-rehab-1

Also ahead - Cervical / Thoracic Rehab - Brisbane 13/06 and Melbourne 18/07. Get in touch if you want to come along!

Advancing Clinical Training for Exercise Physiologists Learn from our health and injury rehabilitation courses led by an experienced Exercise Physiologist & Physiotherapist at Medically Focused Fitness.

GLP-1 medications are now part of everyday clinical practice.

Ozempic. Wegovy. Mounjaro. Your patients are on them — or asking about them. And they may not be telling you that thats the case. As exercise professionals, we have a significant and largely untapped role in the care of this population.

But it's not straightforward.

Obesity is complex. The physiology is complex. The musculoskeletal considerations, the fear of injury, the behavioural layers, the way these medications change appetite, muscle mass and exercise tolerance — it all matters. So too is a deep understanding of the challenges that people with obesity experience navigating health, physical activity and fitness.

It will take every piece of your knowledge and consideration to piece this all together and help your clients with the care and sensitivity that they hope to find. Let me help you learn how to navigate this with more confidence.

This is a brand new full-day workshop built specifically for exercise professionals working with — or about to work with clients living with obesity who are seeking your exercise help for their health recovery.

We will cover:
→ The international shift to recognition of obesity as a chronic, complex, recurring disease process unto its own, and the changing face of science around this significant health problem
→ the shifting pharmacological landscape, drug physiological mechanisms, the new medication pipeline, what is known and what is not clear, and how this is important to remain abreast of when prescribing exercise for people taking these medications
→ The musculoskeletal impact of obesity such as osteoarthritis, foot biomechanics, movement momentum, and mobility impairments
→ Exercise programming considerations for joint health, load tolerance, injury risk
→ Managing underlying pain and injury concerns,
→ Creating positive pathways to help people to overcome barriers to activity engagement
→ Pre-empting postural and mechanical changes likely to occur with body weight change
→ Understanding the impact of the process of losing weight and its potential impact on muscle, bone and activity / exercise tolerance
→ Compassionate, sensitive practice in this space
→ How to align your clients' goals with their real health needs
→ The evidence — and the gaps

📍 Sydney — Sat 30 May
📍 Melbourne — Sun 5 Jul

8 CPD hours | Early bird $325 + GST
Limited Places Available

For Full details and to Register → medfit.co/exercise-and-glp1s

Advancing Clinical Training for Exercise Physiologists This evidence-based workshop explores the emerging role of exercise professionals in supporting people using GLP-1 medications for obesity management.

Core work has its place — but if that's the extent of your low back pain toolkit, you're missing a whole layer of clinical reasoning that your patients actually need.

Real lumbar rehabilitation means:
→ Biomechanical analysis — understand what is actually driving the symptoms
→ Movement and motor control assessment — not just prescribing movement, get focused
→ Irritability profiling — know when to load and when not to
→ Integrating multiple frameworks — no defaulting to one approach for everyone

This is exactly what I've been doing clinically for 25+ years — and exactly what I teach.

Full-Day Lumbar Spine Rehab Workshop

📍 Sydney — Sun 31 May
📍 Melbourne — Sun 5 Jul
📍 Canberra — Sun 2 Aug
📍 Brisbane — Sun 30 Aug

8am–4:30pm | 8 CPD hours | Early bird $295 + GST

Full details and to register → https://medfit.co/full-day-lumbar-spine-26

Advancing Clinical Training for Exercise Physiologists A full-day, high-level practical workshop designed to advance clinical reasoning and movement-based rehabilitation skills for lumbar spine presentations. Building on the concepts introduced in the “Just the Theory” and “Just the Practical” courses, this session introduces multiple schools of...

Cervical nerve root compression is one of those presentations that makes a lot of exercise professionals nervous.

And understandably — if you don't know how to assess the level of dysfunction, how to load around it safely, and how to recognise what's improving versus what's worsening, it's easy to either undertreat or make things significantly worse.

But these patients need you. And with the right clinical framework, you can make a real difference to their recovery.

In this workshop we cover:
→ How to identify and assess cervical nerve root involvement
→ Understanding the clinical picture — what's neurological, what's mechanical
→ How to design exercise that facilitates healing without provoking the nerve
→ Progressions that respect the tissue while building capacity
→ When to refer on — and when to back yourself

Confidence with these presentations comes from understanding them. That's exactly what this day builds.

Full-Day Cervical & Thoracic Spine Rehab Workshop
📍 Hobart — Sun 17 May
📍 Brisbane — Sat 13 Jun
📍 Sydney — Sat 20 Jun
📍 Melbourne — Sat 18 Jul

🎖 8 CPD hours | 💰 Early bird $295 + GST

Email [email protected] to register.
Full details → medfit.co/cervical-thoracic-rehab

Back to Back Courses with shoulder rehab courses in Hobart (May 16th), Sydney (Sun 21st) and Melbourne (July19th)

Advancing Clinical Training for Exercise Physiologists Necks and thoracic spine - can be challenging too. There is a lot of anatomy, biomechanical considerations, motor control and nerve tissue to consider when assessing, finding your base line and prescribing exercise. 

If you're not assessing scapular biomechanics, you're missing one of the most important drivers of shoulder dysfunction.

The scapula is the foundation of every shoulder movement. Its position, its control, its relationship to the thoracic spine and ribcage — these directly affect what loads the rotator cuff, what compresses the subacromial space, and what limits overhead range.

Most exercise programs handed over by a GP or even a physio don't address this. They prescribe for the symptom, not the driver.

As the exercise professional in the room, you have the time and the opportunity to go deeper. But only if you know what to look for — and what to do with what you find.

Scapular assessment, biomechanical reasoning and integrated shoulder rehab are core components of this workshop.

Full-Day Shoulder Rehabilitation Workshop

→ Scapular position, movement and control assessment
→ How thoracic spine and rib mechanics affect shoulder function
→ Identifying compensatory patterns and what they mean
→ Exercise prescription that addresses the real driver
→ Progressions from early-stage to full loading

📍 Hobart — Sat 16 May
📍 Sydney — Sun 21 Jun
📍 Melbourne — Sun 19 Jul
📍 Canberra — Sat 1 Aug

🎖 8 CPD hours + ESSA Accredited | 💰 Early bird $295 + GST

Full details and to register → medfit.co/full-day-shoulder-rehab-1

**Also back to back with Cervical & Thoracic Rehab Workshops in Hobart (Sun 17 May) and Sydney (20th June). See https://medfit.co/cervical-thoracic-rehab for more details.

Most exercise professionals treating neck pain are looking in the wrong place.

The thoracic spine is often the key to the cervical spine — and if you're not assessing and addressing it, you're managing symptoms rather than causes.

A stiff, poorly loaded thoracic spine changes the position of the head, alters load distribution through the cervical structures, and can directly trigger neck pain and headaches. Unlock thoracic mobility and motor control, and you change everything above it.

This is one of the most clinically underused concepts in cervical rehab — and it's a cornerstone of what I teach.

Full-Day Cervical & Thoracic Spine Rehab Workshop

→ Thoracic mobility and its relationship to cervical load
→ Deep cervical muscle systems — assessing and restoring function
→ Movement pattern deficits that make neck pain worse
→ Postural dysfunction — beyond 'chin tucks and posture reminders'
→ Integration across the upper quadrant

📍 Hobart — Sun 17 May
📍 Brisbane — Sat 13 Jun
📍 Sydney — Sat 20 Jun
📍 Melbourne — Sat 18 Jul

🕗 8am–4:30pm | 🎖 8 CPD hours | 💰 Early bird $295 + GST

Email [email protected] to register — include your name, profession and clinic.
Full details → medfit.co/cervical-thoracic-rehab

Also in Hobart that same weekend — Full-Day Shoulder Rehab Workshop (Sat 16 May). Details at medfit.co

Advancing Clinical Training for Exercise Physiologists Necks and thoracic spine - can be challenging too. There is a lot of anatomy, biomechanical considerations, motor control and nerve tissue to consider when assessing, finding your base line and prescribing exercise. 

I teach exactly what I do in the clinic. Not just theoretical. Not diluted.

After 30+ years working clinically, prescribing rehab for injury recovery, continuing to research, learn, attend conferences, and extend my knowledge, I've developed an approach to lumbar rehabilitation that integrates multiple schools of thought — biomechanics, motor control, load management, movement analysis, pain science — because no single framework works for every patient.

Most clinicians 1–5 years in have been trained in one approach. Maybe two. And they're applying it to everyone.

The gap between good intentions and genuinely good outcomes often comes down to one thing: clinical breadth.

This workshop is a full-day immersion in exactly that.

You'll leave with:
✓ A real framework for biomechanical and movement analysis
✓ The ability to differentiate complex lumbar presentations
✓ Exercise progressions that actually match what's going on
✓ Confidence with the cases that currently keep you second-guessing

This is cross-professional, hands-on, and built for clinicians who are ready to work at a higher level.

Full-Day Lumbar Spine Rehab Workshop
📍 Melbourne — Sun 10 May
📍 Sydney — Sun 31 May
📍 Canberra — Sun 2 Aug
📍 Brisbane — Sun 30 Aug

8am–4:30pm | 8 CPD hours | Early bird $295 + GST

Check out the website for more info and to register
Details: medfit.co/full-day-lumbar-spine-26

Advancing Clinical Training for Exercise Physiologists A full-day, high-level practical workshop designed to advance clinical reasoning and movement-based rehabilitation skills for lumbar spine presentations. Building on the concepts introduced in the “Just the Theory” and “Just the Practical” courses, this session introduces multiple schools of...

Core work has its place — but if that's the extent of your low back pain toolkit, you're missing a whole layer of clinical reasoning that your clients actually need.

Real lumbar rehabilitation means:
→ Biomechanical analysis — understand what is actually driving the symptoms
→ Movement and motor control assessment — not just prescribing movement, get focused
→ Irritability profiling — know when to load and when not to
→ Integrating multiple frameworks — no defaulting to one approach for everyone

This is exactly what I've been doing clinically for 25+ years — and exactly what I teach.

Full-Day Lumbar Spine Rehab Workshop
📍 Melbourne — Sun 10 May
📍 Sydney — Sun 31 May
📍 Canberra — Sun 2 Aug
📍 Brisbane — Sun 30 Aug

8am–4:30pm | 8 CPD hours | Early bird $295 + GST

Email [email protected] to register — include your name, profession and clinic.

Full details → https://medfit.co/full-day-lumbar-spine-26

Stop Prescribing "General" Exercise for Specific Pain.

The label “Non-Specific Low Back Pain” is often a cover for a lack of clinical clarity.

Look, sometimes it will work, but In 30 years of clinical practice, I’ve found that back pain is rarely non-specific once you look at the elements of segmental control and loading tolerance. When an EP treats "the back" instead of "the driver," the client will simply plateau. Become disillusioned. Frustrated. And accept "this is it" well ahead of when they need to.

Are you seeing:
❌ Persistent "stiffness" despite mobility work?
❌ Recurrent "tweaks" as soon as load increases?
❌ High irritability that stops your progressions in their tracks?

In my Advanced Lumbar Rehab course, we stop guessing. I’m sharing the exact framework I use at Back Lab to differentiate between discogenic drivers, facet joint sprains, and true segmental instability. We move beyond "core bracing" into 0–24 week loading timelines that actually build tissue resilience.

This is based on years of clinical experience, research, talking with and learning from the back pain gurus from around the world. It's a course that won't just "expand your tool kit" - it will seriously extend your clinical options to tackle back pain presentations from a different perspective.

Join me in one of the the Advanced Lumbar Masterclasses - 2026 locations include
* Melbourne May 10th
* Sydney May 31st
* Canberra Aug 2nd
* Brisbane Aug 30th

More Info and Links to Register -

Advancing Clinical Training for Exercise Physiologists A full-day, high-level practical workshop designed to advance clinical reasoning and movement-based rehabilitation skills for lumbar spine presentations. Building on the concepts introduced in the “Just the Theory” and “Just the Practical” courses, this session introduces multiple schools of...