Efrem Bunguric

Efrem Bunguric

Tertiary Education

• 1991
  
  • Bachelor of Applied Science Physiotherapy
    University of Sydney
• 2009
  
  • Masters Health Science Sports Physiotherapy
    University of Sydney
• 2012 - 2014
  
  • Specialization Sports Physiotherapy Training Program
    Australian College of Physiotherapists (Deferred)
• 1985
  
  • Associate Diploma in Sport Science
    University of Wollongong
• 2005
  
  • Australian Strength and Conditioning Association
    Levels 1 & 2 - Strength and Conditioning Coach
• 2005
  
  • Sports Medicine Australia Levels 1 & 2 Sports Trainer
• 2006/07/08/09/11/2015
  
  • Senior First Aid Certificate

Qualification

• Australian Physiotherapy Association Titled Sports Physiotherapist

Special Membership Groups

• Australian Physiotherapy Association - Gold Member
• Sports Physiotherapy Australia
• Sports Medicine Australia
• FFA Accredited Australian National Soccer Team Sports Physiotherapists
• NSWIS Accredited Sports Physiotherapists

Professional Sports Employment Summary

• 2015
  
  • Cronulla Sharks NRL Head Physiotherapist
• 2013-2014
  
  • Western Sydney Wanderers FC Head Physiotherapist
• 2005-2006
  
  • Australian Rugby League Young Kangaroo Team Physiotherapist
  • Australian Rugby League Invitational Kangaroo Team Physiotherapist
  • Under 19 NSW State of Origin Team Physiotherapist
  • Under 16 NSW State of Origin Team Physiotherapist
  • Australian Based Greek Rugby League Team Physiotherapist
• 2002
  
  • Australian National Socceroo Squad 2nd Physio / Strength & Conditioner
  • FFA Accredited Australian National Soccer Team Sports Physiotherapists
• 2012
  
  • Australian Pararoos Football Team Physiotherapist
• 2003-2006
  
  • West Tigers Rugby League Club Physiotherapist / Strength & Conditioner (NRL & Premier League Squad)
• 2001-2003
  
  • National League Champions 2001, Grand Final Runners Up 2002
• 2000
  
  • Greek Olympic Track and Field Team Physiotherapist Sydney 2000 Olympics
• 1996
  
  • National League Soccer - Sydney Olympic Soccer Club 1st Grade Team Physio
• 1988-1991
  
  • National League Soccer - Croatia Sydney Soccer Club 1st Grade Team Physio Grand Finalists 1988
• 2006-2010
  
  • Sydney United FC
    Consultant Physiotherapist
• 2010-2015
  
  • Sydney Olympic FC Head & Consultant Physiotherapist
    2011 NSW Premier League Premiers
• 2012
  
  • Tutor - Australian Catholic University - School of Physiotherapy

My main goal is not merely to provide adequate sports coverage for sports teams, it is to implement changes within the provision of physiotherapy services provided. I aim to improve the standard of physiotherapy, micromanage the network between physiotherapy, medical and coaching staff, and most importantly provide education and implement strategies for injury prevention. My extensive research into UEFA injury surveillance and management combined with my experience with National Teams, Hyundi A-League as well as Telstra NRL competitions renders my service as the benchmark in Football Player Management.

Continuing Education

Completed courses include:

• Western Acupuncture and Dry Needling,
• Radiology Update Interpretation and Prognosis,
• 3D Assessment and Treatment of the Lumbar Spine Hip and Pelvis (Trish Wisbey-Roth),
• SPA Sporting Hip and Groin
• Complex Hip and Groin (Andrew Wallis, Leanne Rath)
• Complex Ankle (Mathew Stewart)
• Advanced Foot Biomechanics
• Complex Shoulder (Rod Whiteley)
• Sporting Shoulder (Andrea Mosler)
• Real Time Ultrasound and Exercise (Francine St George)
• Kinesiotape
• Physiotherapy Impact Mobilizer (Tim Mann)
• APA Sporting Groin
• Thoracic Spine in Sport
• SPA/ASCP Injury Prevention Seminar
• NSW Symposium
• Advanced Mulligan Mobilization with Movement
• Sydney Specialist Physiotherapist Master Class Series 2012
• Presenter at Specialist Physiotherapist Master Class Series 2013

At this point in my career I felt that I had reached a level where I have obtained many years of clinical experience, experience with National teams and elite athletes from many varied codes and have run a successful private practice. My goal was to further develop my theoretical base by completing a Masters in Sports Physiotherapy of which I did in 2009 becoming an Australian Physiotherapy Association Titled Sports Physiotherapist. I have a special interest in injuries specific to the football and rugby league populations and have recently had an article published in the Sports Physiotherapy journal titled "Soccer - the unnatural selection" and have another case report on "Compartment Syndrome in Soccer" in the final stages before publication submission.

Completing my Masters in Sports Physiotherapy was a turning point in my professional career. It has reignited my passion in physiotherapy and inspired me to achieve the highest standard in my profession so as to provide the highest evidence based treatment to my patients and sporting teams. Therefore it was my goal to become a Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists and become a Specialist Sports Physiotherapist. My specialization training is currently deferred due to my commitment with the Western Sydney Wanderers FC (WSWFC) and Cronulla Sharks from 2013-2015.

Physiotherapy Services Summary: (detailed description provided in appendix)

• Pre-Season Physical Screening
• Daily player update (discuss with coaching staff player limitations and injury progression)
• Immediate Post-Game Injury Report
• G+1 (day following game) injury follow-up report
• Training day 1 physical / injury screening
• Implement standardized injury prevention daily prehabilitation program
• Provide education on pre-game hydration, nutrition, preparation
• Provide education on major injuries in football & strategies to reduce injury
• Provide comprehensive rehabilitation programs and return to play protocols
• Liaison with Medical staff re scans & follow-up injury progression
• Implement new muscle injury classification system
• Provide regular in-service presentations for physiotherapy staff
• Standardized physiotherapy protocol
• Incident Report
• Medication Register
• Physio Pool Roster schedule
• Physio Pool Costing

MY VISION

I pride myself on an Evidence Based Physiotherapy approach to treatment, the quality of manual and exercise treatment options, a commitment to research and offering the best treatment options for the individuals' needs. In a football team setting, I view success as primarily reducing injuries. Reducing hamstrings to less than 17%, groin 13%, hip / back below 6%, knee and ankle less than 20% (based on UEFA statistics 2011). Working closely with training staff and having a tight relationship with coaching staff to ensure the top 25 players are available for selection consistently week after week. At the WSW FC I achieved the lowest injury rate in 2013 - 2014 season (A-League injury surveillance program), consequently finished in the top 2 positions of the ladder in 2 consecutive seasons. Cronulla Sharks went from the last place on the 2014 NRL ladder to 4th position at the completion 2015 season. We had a 90% player availability statistic which is outstanding for NRL standards. The NRL average weekly injury rate is six players unavailable for first grade each week; at Sharks we had an impressive 2.5 players.

I believe with my experience in sports, acquired knowledge through continued education and knowledge of sports injuries I can make a positive contribution to reducing the incidence of injuries and implement the latest in Sports Science and Sports Physiotherapy for the prevention and management of complex cases in the sporting population.

Thank you for taking the time to read my resume.

Appendix 1

Physiotherapy Services Detailed Description:

Pre-Season Physical Screening
Soft tissue injuries, be that acute or chronic can be reduced through thorough screening and management. A-League statistics clearly illustrate that teams with the lowest yearly injury rate will finish in the top 2 positions of the table. The pre-season screen is a detailed musculoskeletal screen of all major joints of the body including spinal, and motor control testing. The aim is to identify areas of weakness that will then require personalized strength programs to reduce the likelihood of injuries and ensure a high percentage of weekly player availability.

Daily player update (discuss with coaching staff player limitations and injury progression)
This is in the form of a spread sheet or face to face meeting with coaching staff to discuss each player's daily condition. If players are clear to fully train they will be listed in green, players with training restrictions will be in amber while injured players who are unfit to train with the team will be listed in red. This enables coaching staff to better plan daily training drills by having numbers clearly defined well before training commences.

Immediate Post-Game Injury Report
Following each game, I will provide an injury report (presented in a table format). It will outline which player completed each game, who failed to complete a game due to injury, and any injuries that were identified in the post-game injury screen. This report will be emailed to relevant staff for immediate actioning. Coaching staff will also have access to this report. If urgent referral to a Sports Physician or Orthopaedic Specialist is required, the senior physiotherapist will arrange this immediately and access our network in order for priority Medical or MRI scan accessibility.

G+1 (day following game) injury follow-up
Post-game medical ideally occurs on the day after the game (G+1) with senior physiotherapist and team doctor in attendance. Treatment plans and forthcoming weekly training load will then be discussed with the Head of High Performance and documented. Any injury requiring further investigations will be scheduled immediately for same day scanning or intervention as required.

Training day 1 physical / injury screening
In conjunction with G+1 physio/medical injury screening, a standard weekly physical screen will be performed. This is ideally performed prior to first training session. It will involve a series of tests to evaluate player wellness and weight as well as physical data including groin strength, hip mobility, sit and reach, thoracic rotation, hamstring length, calf length and core strength. For a squad of 25 players, it will take approximately 40 minutes.

Implement standardized injury prevention daily prehabilitation program
This is a program of exercises routinely performed before each training session. It was developed by myself during my time at the Western Sydney Wanderers FC and also implemented at the Cronulla Sharks NRL. It is an evidence based series of flexibility, mobility and activation exercises designed to reduce the likelihood of avoidable soft tissue injuries. The successful result of this program was overwhelming. WSW FC had the lowest injury rate in 2013 - 2014 (A-League injury surveillance program), consequently finished in the top 2 positions of the ladder in 2 consecutive seasons. Cronulla Sharks went from the last place on the 2014 NRL ladder to 4th position at the completion 2015 season. We had a 90% player availability statistic which is outstanding for NRL standards. The NRL average weekly injury rate is six players unavailable for first grade each week, at Sharks we had an impressive 2.5 players.

Provide education on pre-game hydration, nutrition, preparation
I have PowerPoint presentations available on pre-game preparation, importance of correct warm up / cool down, hydration, nutrition for player education. Education is paramount if players and staff are to embrace new implementations.

• Provide education on major injuries in football & strategies to reduce injury
• Return to play protocol
• Liaison with Medical staff re scans up injury progression
• Implement new muscle injury classification system
• Standardized physiotherapy protocol

Incident Report
Standard report detailing the athletes name, date, squad, injury site, injury mechanism, injury examination, immediate treatment, medications, did it require ambulation, which hospital, where parents notified, immediate plan, rehabilitation plan, return to play estimate. It should be noted that this is a standard protocol which is implemented to cover medico-legal requirements.

Medication Register
This is a table that lists all medications provided by physiotherapist. This will include over the counter medications as well as medication prescribed by team doctor. This document is available for review by the team doctor to monitor which players use medications frequently for management of pain or inflammation. It is also available for review by ASADA if requested. It is also recommended that the physiotherapist meet quarterly with the assigned team doctor to review the medication register.

Physio Pool Roster schedule
We will have all therapists on a roster so that no game or training session is without adequately qualified sports coverage. All therapists will be minimum Level 1 Sports Trainer to APA Titled Sports Physiotherapist qualification.

Physio Pool Costing
The above mentioned roster will better enable us to predict costing for the season. Once the budget is set, we can provide adequate level sports coverage based on budget restrictions and meet our budget requirements.

Appendix 2

What is an APA Sports Physiotherapist?

An APA Sports Physiotherapist is a highly qualified professional with expert knowledge and skills in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sport injuries. In addition they are experts in movement analysis and exercise prescription.

An APA Sports Physiotherapist has completed at least four years of university studies and has a comprehensive knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, crisis management, assessment and treatment of joint and muscle condition. In addition, an APA Sports Physiotherapist has undertaken further studies specifically in the management of sports injury.

An APA Sports Physiotherapist is a member of the Australian Sports Physiotherapy Association (SPA) and is bound by its professional Code of Conduct. They have undergone a rigorous selection process to ensure that they have the level of experience and knowledge t be awarded the title.

Today the title serves as the professional mark of specialization and distinction for physiotherapists practicing in the field of sports physiotherapy.

APA Sports Physiotherapists Treat sports people of all ages and abilities, recreational to elite athletes, athletes with disabilities, teams and individuals.