Leighton Marshall,
APA Registered Physiotherapist
Leighton Marshall completed a bachelor's degree in Athletic and Exercise Therapy from Victoria BC, CAN (hometown) and a master’s degree in Physiotherapy from Latrobe University in Melbourne. He lives in Noosa with his wife and young daughter and works in private practice at Lifecare- Noosa Sports and Spinal Physiotherapy. Leighton also runs operations at Kinetik Systems- travelling to jobsites, assessing and developing PDAs for local councils and construction companies.
Back in 2015, while working in private practice in the oil and mining town of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Leighton witnessed firsthand the significant impact workplace injuries have on both employees and, in particular, employers.
With a strong interest in problem-solving and systems improvement, he began closely examining the rehabilitation and insurance claim process. What became increasingly clear was the number of unnecessary steps, inefficiencies, and communication breakdowns involved — all contributing to avoidable costs for businesses through administration fees, repeated phone calls, missed information, and extended time off due to a lack of clarity around job demands and worker capacity.
It was during this time that Leighton recognized a fundamental gap in the injury management system: a lack of clear, objective information about what a job actually requires.
This insight led to the development of a Physical Demand Analysis approach, aimed at bringing clarity and consistency to workplace injury management
Since beginning work treating workplace injuries in 2015, the two major challenges remain the same:
The RTW process is more complex and costly than it needs to be
Many workers take too much time off due to an inefficient process
With extensive knowledge of biomechanics, Leighton became the head practitioner to lead the return-to-work program at Clearwater Physical Therapy. He drove the injury management process by administering job site assessments before injuries—PDAs (Physical Demand Analysis)—and return to work capacity evaluations after injuries were treated—FCE’s (Functional Capacity Evaluations).
These assessments benefited both the employer and the multidisciplinary team of doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other practitioners managing workplace injuries by cutting down the time and cost of return to work and removing the grey area when it came to suitable duties plans. He went on to perform PDAs for Council including fire, police, waste and water management, trades, main roads, administrative jobs as well as trucking, oil mines, refineries and much more.
Leighton is excited to bring his new approach to Queensland.
Work History
2011-2015 | Bachelor's Degree in Athletic & Exercise Therapy- Camosun College, BC, CAN
2015-2016 | Medical Assessor at Surehire Occupational Testing, Fort McMurray, AB, CAN
2015-2017 | Certified Athletic Therapist at Clearwater Physical Therapy, Fort McMurray, AB, CAN
2018-2019 | Master's Degree in Physiotherapy at LaTrobe University, Melbourne, VIC, AUS
2020-2021 | APA Registered Physiotherapist at Allied Family Physio, Maroochydore, QLD, AUS
2021-Present | APA Registered Physiotherapist at Noosa Sports and Spinal Physio, Noosa, QLD, AUS
2022-Present | Founder and Principal Physiotherapist at Kinetik Systems