Staff Profiles

Below are the brief profiles of the Shannonside Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic staff.

Emilie McGrath

My background is in orthopaedics and sports medicine. After my primary degree I gained an Masters Degree in Sports Medicine from Trinity College in 1991. After working in the United States and the UK I established the Shannonside Clinic in 1996. Based on additional training abroad I acquired a Biodex Isokinetic dynamometer and developed an Isokinetic Strength Testing consultancy in 1999. This highly objective computerised strength testing system is the gold standard for many top level sports teams and companies worldwide. Clients of the Shannonside Clinic have access to this technology which is available in only a handful of clinics in the country.

I was awarded Specialist status in the area of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy by the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists in 2006. I have been awarded the O’Driscoll O’Neiil Research Bursary for research into hamstring injury which was carried out in conjunction with the University of Limerick.

Other facets of my professional life include lecturing in Functional Anatomy in the School of Physiotherapy in the University of Limerick, leading the volunteer physiotherapy effort for the Clare People 10K since its inception and being a national Council member of the Irish of Society of Chartered Physiotherapists.

Jane Kavanagh

Jane joined the Shannonside Clinic in January 2006. She comes with an impressive range of experience in both the clinical and academic field. For many years she was a Clinical Tutor in the Faculty of Medicine, School of Physiotherapy in UCD, and subsequently taught Functional Anatomy in the School of Physiotherapy in the University of Limerick, where she continues to teach.

She has a Masters Degree in Physiotherapy as well as a post graduate Certificate in Sports Physiotherapy. Her areas of special interest are: spinal manipulative therapy, core stability training for back and limb pain and modified Pilates exercise.

Ursula Blake

Ursula specialises in working with children with special needs. She has extensive post graduate training in the Bobath approach to neurological rehabilitation. Her initial training took place in Heidelberg, Germany and she qualified in 1985. She worked in Munich in a Centre for children with Cerebral Palsy for 3 years as a staff physiotherapist.

In 1988 she moved to England and worked over the next 3 years as a senior Chartered Physiotherapist in a Community and Child Development Centre in West Yorkshire. She moved to Ireland in 1991 and worked for 6 years in the Central Remedial Clinic in Dublin.

Now living in Newmarket on Fergus, Co Clare she has been working for Enable Ireland as Senior Chartered Physiotherapist in the Children Services since 1998. All told she has 23 years experience in the field of paediatric neurology.