Aleks Baruksopulo

It is interesting to reflect on how your previous sporting experiences can impact your whole life.

I know this was true for me because sport, particularly basketball, was such a big part of my young life. All I thought and dreamt about was becoming a professional basketballer. Even though this did not eventuate the dedication and effort that was put into this passion over those years, I know has influenced every part of my life since then. I was fortunate enough to have been afforded this experience and will be forever grateful to my parents for their support as I desperately tried to follow my first real passion.

Becoming a podiatrist in my mid-20s I know I was influenced by these experiences with basketball. I knew I wanted to work somewhere in sports medicine but at the time I was not one hundred per cent sure why. It was not until my early-30s that I started to figure out why I was drawn to it. Although I had many positive experiences playing basketball it was ultimately chronic injuries that lead me to give up. This was definitely heart-breaking, and it still lingers to this day. I now know this is why I am drawn to helping other injured athletes – to help them hopefully avoid the heartbreak of having to give up something they loved, as I had. Now, I find there is nothing more professionally rewarding than being able to help someone achieve their sporting goals.

The passion of helping recreational runners came a little further into my career and has evolved into my niche area of podiatry practice on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Personal experiences with recreational running and triathlons, working alongside running health professionals, having the experience of previously owning a running shoe store, and constantly being around runners, helped fuel this passion.

And that’s where my book comes in. As an extension of my daily work, I hope that it will reach a wider audience and help as many runners as possible enjoy injury-free running.

Although at times challenging, without question completing this book has been rewarding and I have been fortunate to be able to continue to follow this passion.

Aleks lives on the Gold Coast, Australia, with his wife and three children. He works across several locations and is best located for appointments at www.sportsmedpodiatry.com.au

He is also available for Telehealth or Video Conference consultations and can be contacted via:

e: aleks@sportsmedpodiatry.com.au

Instagram: [goldcoastrunningpodiatrist]

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science in the field of biomedical science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia (2001)

• Bachelor of Health Science (Podiatry), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia (2006)

Accreditations:

• Athletics Australia recreational running coach (level 2)

Professional memberships:

• Sports Medicine Australia (SMA)

• Australasian Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine (AAPSM)

• Queensland Athletics – Coaching

Main professional experience:

• Working in physiotherapy and sports medicine clinics since 2006, he has completed 30,000+ consults in this setting and treated recreational, semi-professional, and professional athletes.

• Previously co-owning a podiatry running shoe store in Brisbane – The Podiatry Shoe Lab.

• Previously clinical supervisor (podiatry) at Southern Cross University, Queensland