Dr Adam Castricum

Adam Castricum is passionate about sport and exercise and takes great satisfaction out of helping all members of the community across all stages of life achieve their goals in a safe, enjoyable and healthy fashion whether they are elite athletes or simply inactive patients wishing to get active and lead a healthier, more rewarding life.

Adam became a Fellow with the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians (ACSEP) in 2008 after successfully completing 6 years of training in Melbourne and Sydney. Soon after, he was appointed Chief Medical Officer for Athletics Australia and headed up the medical team for the successful Australian Track and Field team at both the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games. From 2014-2017 he worked with the excellent medical and conditioning team at Hawthorn Football Club, with the highlight being the 2014 and 2015 Premierships.

In 2015, Adam started his 6 year term on the ACSEP Board as Vice President sitting on the Continuing Professional Development and Practice Accreditation Committees. In 2016, Adam was elected President of ACSEP and held this post for three years until early 2019.  As President, Adam also sat on the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC) and strongly advocated for equality and diversity, improving indigenous, regional and remote health outcomes, as well as doctors mental health and making specialist Sport and Exercise Medical care accessible to all members of the community. Adam continues much of this work as one the Health Champions of Change Coalition members and also mentors indigenous doctors on the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA) mentorship program. Adam was Head of the OPSMC Medical Department from 2011-2021. He continues to be actively involved in teaching ACSEP Registrars and Chairs the ACSEP Exercise is Medicine and Mental Health Working Groups.

His professional areas of interest include athletics, all codes of football, triathlon, alpine skiing, lower limb injuries, exercise prescription, adolescent injuries, fatigue in athletes and exercise induced asthma, on which he completed his Masters Research in 2008.

In clinic, Adam also performs diagnostic spirometry and interventions including ultrasound-guided interventions, extracorporeal shock wave therapy and iontophoresis.

In March 2021, Adam and his young family took a sabbatical for a few years across the Tasman to join the Axis Sports Medicine team in Queenstown, with the goal of exploring the magnificent Aotearoa and all her wonders. Adam will still be available for private telehealth video consultations for his existing OPSMC patients.

Career Highlights

• 2019: Working in the medical tent with international medical team for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii following the Ironman Sports Medicine Conference. Incredible week with wonderful people and inspiring athletes.
• 2014 – 2015: Hawthorn Premierships – a wonderful team effort in the face of numerous on and off-field challenges from a great club.
• 2012: 2012 London Olympic Games with Sally Pearson adding Olympic Gold to her World Championship for the 100m hurdles, Jared Tallent belatedly picking up his hard fought 50km walk gold medal and Mitch Watt (Long Jump) claiming a well deserved silver medal.
• 2009: World Athletics Championships in Berlin – the best result by an Australian Team at a Major Championship, including the remarkable pole vault gold medal to Steve Hooker in the most extraordinary circumstances.

Teams:

• Ironman World Championships, Event Doctor Medical Tent, Kona, Hawaii, USA (2019)
• Team Doctor – Hawthorn AFL Football Club (2014–2017)
• Chief Medical Officer – Athletics Australia (2008-2016)
• Team Doctor – Australian Athletics Team:
  • Olympic Games, London, UK (2012); Rio, Brazil (2016)
  • World Athletics Championships: Beijing, China (2015); Daegu, Korea (2011); Berlin, Germany (2009)
  • Commonwealth Games: Glasgow (2014); Delhi, India (2010)
• Team Doctor – Australian Junior Athletics Team:
  • World Junior Championships, Bydgoszcz, Poland (2008)
• Athletics Competition Chief Medical Officer – Melbourne Commonwealth Games (2006)
• Team Doctor – Australian Youth Athletics Team (2005-2008):
  • World Youth Championships: Ostrava, Czech Republic (2007); Marrakech, Morocco (2005)
• Team Doctor – Bendigo Bombers VFL / Essendon AFL Club (2008)
• Team Doctor – Sydney Swans AFL Football Club (2006)
• Medical Officer – NSW/ACT AFL Academy (2006)
• Team Doctor – Sydney University Rugby Union Team (2005)
• Team Doctor – Australian U21 Rugby Union Team, World Cup, Scotland (2004)
• Team Doctor – Williamstown VFL / Collingwood AFL Football Club (2003)
• Team Doctor – Collingwood AFL Football Club (2003)
• Team Doctor – World Masters Games, Melbourne (2002)

Webinars

• 2018 – Musculoskeletal Australia Webinar – A multi-disciplinary approach to managing knee osteoarthritis in the setting of chronic disease – for Health Practitioners https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noYeP8y87EU
• 2019 – Musculoskeletal Australia Webinar – A multi-disciplinary approach to keeping your knee healthy in the setting of chronic disease – for Consumers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHTZl6iIuLc&t=13s

Conference / Symposium Presentations

• 2021 – Sports Performance and Prevention Conference – New Zealand – Respiratory issues in athletes and sport
• 2020 – Australian Society of Lifestyle Medicine Virtual Conference – Every Conversation Counts – prescribing physical activity as a brief intervention
• 2019 – GPCE Conference, Melbourne – Managing the Weekend Warrior on Monday and getting your inactive patients active
• 2019 – Ironman Sports Medicine Conference, Kona, Hawaii, USA – How to get your patients active? When buying an iWatch 5.0 is not enough
• 2019 – Ironman Sports Medicine Conference, Kona, Hawaii, USA – Fatigue in athletes – Respiratory considerations
• 2019 – Ironman Sports Medicine Conference, Kona, Hawaii, USA – Navigating Emerging Biotechnology interventions in Sport and Exercise Medicine – where current practice and innovation meets the evidence and the patient
• 2019 – Northern Hospital Medical Grand Round, Epping – Better Mental Health
• 2019 – La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Centre, Bundoora – Medical Management of Tendinopathy – emerging trends and evidence
• 2019 – ANZVS Science Week Keynote, Gold Coast – Navigating Emerging Biotechnology interventions in Medical Science – where current practice and innovation meets the evidence and the patient
• 2019 – ACSEP Registrar Conference, Queenstown – Better Mental Health
• 2018 – NACCHO Conference, Brisbane –Exercise as medicine – evidence for prescribing exercise for Australia’s nine national health priority areas: An umbrella review. Implications for management and prevention of chronic disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
• 2018 – SMA Conference, Perth – Women in Sport Symposium – High Performance Medical Challenges in Elite Athletes
• 2018 – SMA Conference, Perth – Exercise as medicine – evidence for prescribing exercise for Australia’s nine national health priority areas: An umbrella review
• 2018 – AIDA Conference, Perth – Exercise as medicine – evidence for prescribing exercise for Australia’s nine national health priority areas: An umbrella review. Implications for management and prevention of chronic disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
• 2018 – AIDA Conference, Perth – Concussion in Sport Workshop
• 2018 – Sri Lankan Sport and Exercise Medicine Conference, Colombo – Keeping kids active – why physical activity is vital in children and young adults
• 2018 – Sri Lankan Sport and Exercise Medicine Conference, Colombo – Exercise as medicine: assessing and prescription of exercise in the consultation room and the role of the health professional
• 2018 – ASEAN Sports Medicine Conference, Kuala Lumpur – Navigating Emerging Biotechnology interventions in Sport and Exercise Medicine – where current practice and innovation meets the evidence and the patient
• 2018 – ASEAN Sports Medicine Conference, Kuala Lumpur – How to get your patients active? When buying a fitbit is not enough
• 2018 – ACSEP Conference, Gold Coast – ACSEP Mental Health Plan
• 2018 – ACSEP Conference, Gold Coast – ACSEP Reconciliation Action Plan
• 2017 – University of Singapore and Singapore Stem Cell Society Roundtable, Singapore – Professional Practice Guidelines for Autologous Stem Cells in Australia
• 2017 –Sri Lanka Institute of Sports Medicine, Colombo – ACSEP – From Sports to Exercise and Beyond
• 2017 –Sports Medicine Australia Conference, Langkawi – Navigating Emerging Biotechnology interventions in Sport and Exercise Medicine – where current practice and innovation meets the evidence and the patient
• 2017 – Rural Medicine Australia, Melbourne– How to get your patients active without upsetting their tendons
• 2017 – Rural Medicine Australia, Melbourne– Clinical MSK Examination Workshop
• 2017 – Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA) Conference, Hunter Valley, NSW – ACSEP Clinical Examination Workshop – Shoulder and Knee
• 2017 – SEMSA conference, Melbourne – How to get your patients active? When buying a fitbit is not enough
• 2017 – ACSEP GP symposium, Melbourne – How to get your patients active? When buying a fitbit is not enough
• 2017 –SEMSA ACL session, Melbourne – A crucial injury
• 2016 – SMNZ Conference, Auckland – Hamstring injuries in athletics – beware the tendon!
• 2015 – ACSP GP symposium, Melbourne – Conditions around the hip in the exercising population
• 2014 – SMA Annual Conference, Canberra – Hamstring injuries in athletics – not just muscle strains
• 2014 – Imaging @ Olympic Park symposium – Conservative management of Injuries around the hip in the exercising population
• 2014 – International Hip arthroscopy meeting, Melbourne – Ischiofemoral impingement syndrome
• 2014 – High Performance Sport Medical Officer Group Conference, Canberra – Sport Supplement policies – AFL vs AA
• 2013 – SMA Webinar – Supplements in Sport
• 2013 – ACSP Annual Conference, Coffs Harbour – Field event injuries in athletics
• 2012 – Mercy Private Hip and Groin talk – Conservative management of Injuries around the hip in the exercising population
• 2012 – Athletics Australia symposium – Exercise induced leg pain
• 2008 – ACSM, Nashville, USA – The role of the bronchial provocation challenge tests in the diagnosis of exercise induced bronchoconstriction in elite swimmers