Our Therapists

Hand Therapy is the specialised rehabilitation of the upper limb performed by Occupational Therapists or Physiotherapists. Sunshine Coast Hand Therapists are committed to best and latest therapies to achieve return to a productive lifestyle.

Principal Therapist Profile

<strong>Katie Whittle (Owner)</strong>
Katie Whittle (Owner)Accredited Hand Therapist (AHTA), Occupational Therapist, B.Occ.Thy., P.D. Hand Rehab., CHT, Member of AHTA
Katie has run her own hand therapy practice since 1994 after working in hand therapy units in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and the UK and qualifying as an Occupational Therapist at UQ in 1987. She moved to the coast in 2001 and founded Sunshine Coast Hand Therapy. She has continued to develop her considerable knowledge and experience  in this specialised field and is a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT USA). Katie keeps abreast of new developments in therapy through her membership of Australian and US organisations. She has excellent links with local and Brisbane Hand Surgeons and mentors undergraduate therapists.

Therapist Profiles

<strong>Emma Sayle</strong>
Emma SayleOccupational Therapist, B.Occ.Thy., Accredited Hand Therapist as awarded by the AHTA, Bsc.Sport and Exercise

Emma graduated in 2015 from University of the Sunshine Coast with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. Prior to working in hand therapy, she was working along-side osteopaths, acupuncturists, and naturopaths in private practice as a remedial therapist after completing a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science in 2002 at USC. She is enjoying gaining knowledge in all areas of hand therapy from continuing education courses as well as being mentored by her Sunshine Coast Hand Therapy colleagues.

<strong>Kim Snellgrove</strong>
Kim SnellgroveMusculoskeletal Physiotherapist
Kim graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physiotherapy from the University of Queensland. She then returned to University of Queensland in 2012 to complete her Masters of Physiotherapy in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. She is a Titled Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist with the Australian Physiotherapy Association. She also became an Associate Member of the Australian Hand Therapy Association in 2021.

Kim has extensive post graduate education and continues to stay current with the latest methods though her professional group membership and attendance of continuing education.

Kim has years of experience working with a variety of Musculoskeletal Injuries. She has worked in the USA as well as Australia as a physiotherapist. She has previously been an owner/director of physiotherapy clinics in Hawaii, and NSW.

She has also worked with preprofessional and professional dancers In Sydney.

She has treated many non surgical and surgical shoulders in her physiotherapy career. Treating clients with rotator cuff tendinopathy, rotator cuff tears post op, shoulder dislocations, and AC separation.

Her knowledge in treating the spine and nervous system is advantageous for treatment of carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel pain syndromes, and all upper limb neural pain.

She has extensive experience in treatment of tendinopathies of the Upper limb. Examples of these tendonopathies are tennis elbow, golfers elbow, DeQuervian’s Syndrome ( thumb tendonopathies) and trigger finger.

She also has extensive experience in management of osteoarthritis of the hand.

Kim enjoys staying active with bike riding, hiking and dancing.