Rate My Professor Michelle Kendell

Dr. Michelle Kendell serves as a Lecturer and Research Coordinator in Physiotherapy at the Curtin School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University in Perth, Australia. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Alberta in Canada, followed by a Master of Manipulative Therapy and a Doctor of Clinical Physiotherapy from Curtin University. Throughout her career at Curtin, she has focused on teaching musculoskeletal physiotherapy and coordinating research initiatives within the school. Her professional contributions extend to teaching excellence, as evidenced by her inclusion in the Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Team that received a Teaching Team Award for excellence and innovation in health sciences education. Additionally, she has participated in teaching and learning grants alongside colleagues such as Sharon Perry and Mervyn Travers.

Kendell's research interests center on musculoskeletal pain, particularly chronic low back pain (CLBP), encompassing trunk muscle activity, movement strategies during functional tasks, biopsychosocial factors including significant other interactions and psychological variables, and the efficacy of pain screening tools like the STarT Back Tool and Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire. She employs advanced methodologies such as electromyographic analysis, dynamic quantitative sensory testing, and movement evaluation tools to subgroup patients based on multidimensional profiles of pain, disability, and sensory discrimination. Key publications include 'The predictive ability of the STarT Back Tool was limited in people with chronic low back pain: a prospective cohort study' (2018), 'STarT Back Tool risk stratification is associated with changes in movement profile and sensory discrimination in low back pain: A study of 290 patients' (2019), 'Do chronic low back pain subgroups derived from dynamic quantitative sensory testing exhibit differing multidimensional profiles?' (2021, Scandinavian Journal of Pain), 'Significant other interactions in people with chronic low back pain: Subgrouping and multidimensional profiles' (2021), 'Only one fifth of young Australian adults have beliefs about medical imaging for low back pain that align with current evidence: A cross-sectional study' (2021, Musculoskeletal Science and Practice), 'Interactions analyses: Enhancing understanding of chronic low back pain' (2023), and 'How do people with chronic low back pain pick a pencil off the floor?' (2024, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice). Her scholarship also covers pelvic health physiotherapy scope of practice in public health settings and rehabilitation outcomes post-bone marrow transplant. With over 550 citations across 16 publications, her work advances clinical understanding and practice in allied health.