Kathleen Walker

Kathleen has almost two decades of experience as a physiotherapist having worked in the NHS, private practice and elite and recreational sport.

Qualifying in 2002 with BSc Hons Physiotherapy Kathleen worked for the NHS for ten years and progressed to become a Clinical Specialist in the treatment of spinal pain at Cardiff Royal Infirmary. After leaving the NHS Kathleen entered private practice and began working for Penarth Physiotherapy Practice where she developed a special interest in treating and managing recreational runners of all levels.

In 2016 Kathleen was awarded MSc Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy from Cardiff University which further developed her skills as a sports Physio and in the rehabilitation of athletes and sports people. She has subsequently entered the PhD programme at Cardiff to research running related injuries within recreational runners with the hope of developing a digital intervention that can help runners prevent injuries.

Kathleen has gained experience in working with athletes across many sports. She has worked at major athletics championships including the World Para Athletics Championships in 2017 and the World Indoor Athletics Championships in 2018. She has worked with her local rugby team, Pontyclun RFC supporting players of all age groups. Kathleen was also lead physiotherapist for Cricket Wales’ women’s team for three seasons. Currently Kathleen is a classifier for British Para Table Tennis, classifying para-athletes for national and international competitions.

Alongside her PhD, work and family Kathleen is a keen recreational runner, has completed two marathons and two triathlons and will be running Snowdonia Marathon in October 2021.