Dr Omer Batin Gozubuyuk is a Sports and Exercise Medicine specialist originally trained in Turkey between 2011-2016. He was a staff specialist between the years 2016-2019 at Istanbul University, and then he decided to come to Australia. In the year 2019, he fulfilled all requirements and was awarded as a fellow of the Australasian College of Sports and Exercise Physicians (ACSEP).

​Having provided much of his services via telehealth throughout Victoria’s pandemic lockdowns, Dr Omer Gozubuyuk is using this experience to break down barriers and offer his expertise to patients in Far North Queensland.

He is a strong believer of the exercise therapy as the main therapeutic approach in the majority of musculoskeletal conditions and always enjoys the chance to work with highly skilled Allied Health professionals forming a comprehensive health-care team for professional athletes as well as for recreational active people.

​Personal areas of interest include musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging (for diagnostıc purposes, follow-up, patient feedback, therapeutic procedures), biomechanics, myofacial chains, injection therapies such as neural therapy and other new forms of therapies such as high-volume injections for paratendinitis or hydro-dissection of peripheral nerves. He performs musculoskeletal injections almost always under ultrasound guidance, and some examples are: the shoulder joint, knee joint (suprapatellar approach), peri-tendinous, peri-ligamentous or intra-lesional injections (PRP), bursal aspirations, peripheral nerve or facial plane blocks (ilioinguinal, LFCN, saphenous, etc.) and sacroiliac joint injections.

​Ömer has an additional M.Sc. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Bogazici University and was part of the academic staff at Istanbul University where he was giving lectures to medical students. He has delıvered many speeches at national and international congresses including World Congress of Sports Medicine by FIMS in 2016 and additionally has a list of publications. He loves teaching in the university and is passionate about doing clinical research. His Research Gate profile is up-to-date (Omer Batin Gozubuyuk).

Sporting Involvement

• Accredited Team Physician of the Turkish Football Federation and a team doctor for junior national teams since 2012.
• National Anti-doping Agency of Turkey as a doping control officer since 2012.
• Başakşehir Football Club (League A) 2013- 2017 for four consecutive seasons as the team physician.

Ömer is passionate to always learn and further develop his skills, leading him to recently undertake some additional courses.

​– Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Education Certificate, Euro-Musculus 2015.

– Clinical Neural therapy, NT Association and Integrative Medicine Association of Turkey 2016.

– Interventional Ultrasound, Lumbosacral Injections Course Certificate, Euro-Musculus 2017.

– Advanced Team Physician Course, International Olympic Committee 2017.

Telehealth appointments

Video or phone consultations are medical consultations. There are certain aspects of these consultations that patients should be aware of:

– Video consultations:

      * Use a computer instead of a tablet/phone as you will require your hands-free moving/ performing tasks

      * Be mindful of privacy in the room 

      * Wear non-obstructive clothing 

      * Allow enough space in the room to perform certain physical tasks like bending, squatting, laying on your back, sitting on a chair with full visibility of your legs

      * Beware of backlight – if there is direct sunlight towards your camera, change the angle of the computer or close blinds and open lights

      * Use wireless headphones if in a loud place (not preferred) or speakers. Do not use cabled headphones.  

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About the experience

You may find Telehealth consultations as very different experience. 

 During the pandemic, medical professionals have experienced and upskilled themselves on how to deliver medical care better via Telehealth services.

 The government also prepared some guidelines on the standards and delivery of these services.

 Both the patients and practitioners should acknowledge that there are some limitations on using Telehealth for diagnosis and management of certain conditions. Dr Gozubuyuk will advise you further if your condition has specific limitations at the earliest convenience. 

CONSULTATIONS

Initial consultations with Dr Gozubuyuk takes minimum 30 minutes, where your detailed history is recorded. Important aspects of the initial consultations include:

​- History of your current injury

– Determining aggravating and easing factors, including your initial management methods

– Your past and current sporting history

– Your medical history related to your injury and overall health

– Short and long-term aims apart from recovering from the injury/condition

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Next, a thorough physical examination is performed. A short biomechanical assessment is added to outline possible risk factors for the injury. 

If needed, imaging is ordered (such as X-ray, CT or MRI).

Later, if suitable, imaging with an Ultrasound in the rooms is performed. 

After the diagnosis is made, evidence-based information for the current diagnosis is shared with the patients. This include:

– The extent, natural history and prognosis of the injury/condition

– Conservative or surgical options for the injury/condition 

Shared decision-making is the next step, to determine what treatment option is the best for the specific condition.

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Treatment options

Common treatment options include:

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– Rest / unloading

   > Complete rest: Apart from the major acute traumas, complete rest is rarely required. The injured body area is protected, whereas other parts of the body still should be active to improve blood circulation that will aid recovery and also improve overall health. 

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– Relative rest / optimal loading

  > Partial loading or loading as tolerated: Instead of the well-known RICE or PRICE regime, the emphasis is now on optimal loading rather than resting. This helped to develop the recommendation acronym POLICE (Protection, Optimal Loading, and Ice, Compress, Elevate). Learn how you can protect your injured body part but at the same time load it safely. Evidence shows that this type of loading significantly reduced the time to heal and return function. 

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– Simple pain medications 

 > Most over-the-counter pain medications are safe for short-term use, but some types are not recommended in the initial days of your injury. The recommendations also depend on the severity of your acute injury. For chronic or long-standing injuries, increased dependency on pain medications needs a thorough assessment as to why healing is not taking place instead of trying to find the best medicine. 

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– Tailored exercise program for your needs

 > Undoubtedly, this is the best way of managing musculoskeletal conditions but with some caveats. You need to comprehend what type of exercise is required at which stage of your recovery, as well as which exercises or equipment you should avoid. You may be surprised that simple exercises can provide a rapid pain-relief effect that is usually neglected. Also, it should be noted that exercise programs need to be revised or modified according to the difficulty, compliance, effect on the injured body area, or once they become very easy to perform. This is why we cooperate with Exercise Physiologists and Physiotherapists that are experts in this area. 

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– Protective taping/bracing

 > Used for hundreds and thousands of years, injured body parts can be externally supported utilizing braces or semi-elastic bandages. More recently, these materials have become very comfortable to use, and there is a wide range of materials to choose from. Learn which one to choose and which to avoid to help your recovery. 

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– Injection therapies

​   – Local anesthetic injections: Simple local anesthetics can be delivered around your painful body region with a special technique that can help to reduce perceived pain. This is especially effective when there is an ongoing peripheral sensitization (pain out of proportion to the extent of the injury), or the injured tissue is considered to produce pain signals constantly even though the injury itself has healed. 

   – Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections: This type of injection therapy might be preferred, especially if you have arthritis or a ligament injury. For big joints like the knee, a series of injections (3 injections 2-3 weeks apart) is preferred, whereas, for small joints and ligaments, only one injection might be adequate. PRP injections are delivered under ultrasound guidance by Dr Gozubuyuk.

   – Cortisone injections: Sometimes, the initial inflammation of the joint is significant enough for us to consider cortisone over other types of injections. This injection is usually very well tolerated and there is immediate pain relief from the local anesthetics combined and an ongoing anti-inflammatory effect from the cortisone. The number of injections per body region is limited due to long-term side effects. Discuss whether this injection is suitable for you or not. Cortisone is delivered under ultrasound guidance by Dr Gozubuyuk.

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– Referral to a surgeon

  > If your condition is considered best addressed by surgery, a referral will be arranged to provide you with the specialist care. 

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Important aspects

As a Sports & Exercise Physician, Dr. Gozubuyuk gives importance to all aspects of recovery. This includes sleep, nutrition, and training loads. Upon your visit, these aspects will be considered, and recommendations will be provided to help you:

​- Understand what means a good recovery

– Learn how you can improve your recovery 

– Comprehend how nutrition can have a positive effect on healing

– Learn additional methods that you can utilize 

For Doctors & Allied Health Referrers

 Dr Batin is happy to see all patients, whether they are private patients or WorkCover/TAC funded, for the following:

​- Sports-related acute and chronic injuries

– Overuse syndromes 

– Tendon pathologies

– Biomechanical assessment 

– Athlete’s overall health

– Patients who need injection therapies

– Exercise prescription and counselling for management of chronic disease

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Fee Policy

​Dr Batin works only privately. WorkCover/TAC approval before your visit is needed. 

Consulting Locations

MP Sports Physicians, Frankston, VIC 

LifeCare Croydon Sports Medicine, VIC

Healesville Sports Medicine & Physio, VIC

Stratford Medical Centre, QLD

Sports and Exercise Physician – Referral Required

 Initial Telehealth attendance (MBS Item 91822) $280.00

Subsequent Telehealth attendance (MBS Item 91823) $170.00