ABOUT MICK HUGHES
I’m an APA Titled Sports & Exercise Physiotherapist with a clinical focus on ACL injury, knee rehabilitation, lower limb sports injuries, strength and conditioning, and return to sport.
I grew up in country New South Wales before moving to Sydney in my early 20s, where I completed a degree in Exercise Science at Australian Catholic University. After a short stint living and working in the UK, I returned to Australia in 2006 and began my physiotherapy studies at James Cook University, graduating in 2009.
Since then, I’ve been fortunate to work across private practice, elite sport, postgraduate education, mentoring, and sports physiotherapy.
My sports physiotherapy experience has included working as Head Physiotherapist for the Collingwood Magpies Netball team, as well as roles with elite junior sporting programs including the North Queensland Cowboys U20s rugby league team, the Newcastle Jets National Youth League, and the Emerging Jets Academy.
I’ve also completed a Master’s Degree in Sports Physiotherapy, which further developed my interest in sports injury assessment, diagnosis, rehabilitation, and return-to-sport planning.
In recent years, much of my clinical and educational work has focused on ACL injury rehabilitation.
I currently consult at North Queensland Physiotherapy Centre, where I help people navigate the often confusing and frustrating process of ACL injury recovery — including decisions around surgery versus non-surgical rehabilitation, timing of surgery, rehab progression, strength testing, and returning safely and confidently to sport.
Although ACL rehab is a major part of my caseload, I also enjoy working with people of all ages and activity levels who are managing knee pain, lower limb injuries, and other musculoskeletal or sporting complaints.
Outside the clinic, I’m the founder of The ACL Hub, an education platform designed to make ACL injury information more practical, accessible, and evidence-informed for athletes, parents, coaches, and clinicians.
I’m also heavily involved in physiotherapy education through Learn.Physio, where we provide online professional development for physiotherapists and health professionals around the world. Through this work, I’ve contributed to postgraduate mentoring, ACL workshops, online education, and professional development both locally and internationally.
I’ve also been involved in projects such as the Melbourne ACL Rehabilitation Guide, helping provide clearer, criteria-based guidance for clinicians and patients throughout the ACL rehabilitation journey.
My approach to physiotherapy combines clinical assessment and diagnostic reasoning with my background in exercise science, strength and conditioning, and sports rehabilitation.
In the clinic, I place a strong emphasis on education, progressive exercise, strength, confidence, and long-term outcomes. I use passive treatment sparingly, and instead focus on helping people understand their injury, build capacity, and take an active role in their recovery.
My goal is simple: to help people feel less confused, less fearful, and more confident about their rehab, their body, and their ability to get back to doing the things they love.
