Suite 3, Ground Floor, The Gateway,
312 St Kilda Road, Southbank, VIC, 3006
Catherine Etty-Leal is a Titled APA Sports and Exercise, and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist with an interest in dance, performance, vocal, TMJ and paediatrics (children and young people).
She has extensive experience treating professional artists and athletes across Melbourne, with considerable Vocal Physiotherapy training. This includes extensive experience treating and managing Muscle Tension Dysphonia, throat pain syndromes and the performance voice. She has a special interest in the TMJ (jaw), in particular treating and managing TMJ pain and asymmetry especially for singers and professional voice users. Catherine has also completed the APPI Pilates instructor certification pathways in both matwork and equipment. She currently is a senior course presenter and examiner for the APPI in Australia. This allows her to enhance her physiotherapy practice with extensive Pilates knowledge and teach Clinical Conditioning. She instructs classes designed for rehabilitation, fitness, singers, and dance in the Performance Medicine gym. She is a strong advocate for self management and thoroughly enjoys seeing the improvements her patients make by doing exercise and Pilates.
Catherine graduated from The University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy and has completed both a Masters in Sports Physiotherapy and Masters of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy through LaTrobe University. She has also completed post graduate study through Monash University in the field of paediatric physiotherapy. She is heavily involved in the Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Association, being an active committee member. Having a passion for educating others, Catherine has been involved with education sessions for full time courses in dance and other disciplines of the performing arts. She currently tutors on the Masters of Sports and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy course at LaTrobe University. She has recently been a presenter at the 2015 DanScience conference, in 2016 at the Music Therapy conference of Australia, in 2018 at the Laryngology Society of Australasia conference, and in 2019 and 2021 at the Australian Society for Performing Arts Healthcare conferences.
During their Melbourne seasons, Catherine plays an important role in managing the physiotherapy and physical health of the performers of professional production companies, as well as within Melbourne’s full time dance schools.
Memberships
Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA); Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy Association (SEPA) (prev Vic Branch Chair); Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Association (MPA); Dance Network; International Association of Dance Medicine (IADMS); Sports Medicine Australia (SMA); Laryngology Society of Australia (LSA)