Dr Mark Young
Medical Specialist
Sports and Exercise Physician. Subspecialised in Non-operative Spinal Care
Co-Medical Director of Qsportsmedicine, Qspine and The Pars Clinic
Mark studied medicine in London and qualified in 1984. He moved to Australia and spent 7 years in rural General Practice in Alice Springs, before undertaking his specialist fellowship training at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
Mark has worked in specialist spinal surgical clinics on and off for 20 years due to his skills in diagnosis and rehabilitation.
Mark has been appointed to many of Australia’s elite sporting teams and understands the team approach results in best patient outcomes. He has previously undertaken research in the use of stem cells in musculoskeletal injury and is currently actively studying stress fractures in the lumbar spine in adolescent athletes.
Current and past appointments
International appointments
- Chief Medical Officer: ICC T20 Women's World Cup, Australia 2020
National appointments
- Chief Medical Officer: Diving Australia 2000 - 2022
- Chief Medical Officer: Triathlon Australia 2008 - 2016
- Chief Medical Officer: Softball Australia 2000 - 2010
- Chief Medical Officer: National Cricket Centre (Brisbane) 2014 - 2020
- Team Doctor (P/T): Australian Mens and Women's Cricket 2016 - 2022
- Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Committee, Canberra: 2014 - 2023
State/local appointments
- Chief Medical Officer: Queensland Cricket 2014 - 2023
- Chief Medical Officer: Queensland Reds RU 2003 - 2005
- Team Doctor: Brisbane Roar (soccer) 2004 - 2008, 2011 - 2013, & 2015 - 2016
- Team Doctor: Brisbane Bullets (basketball) 2006 - 2010
- Team Doctor: Queensland Firebirds (netball) 2000 - 2004
- Queensland Academy of Sport: SMO to multiple squads, 2000 - 2010
- ACSEP: State Training Coordinator (Qld and NT) 2000 - 2010
- ACSEP: Clinical Training Supervisor 2000 - current
Academic appointments
- Senior Honorary Research Fellow - Stem Cells Laboratory - Mater Medical Research Institute 2011- 2014
- Honorary Research fellow - Department of Stem Cells - Translational Research Institute and RBWH 2015 - 2017
- Academic Appointment: Senior Lecturer, UQ School of Clinical Medicine 2024 - current
Clinic appointments
- Spineplus (Dr Paul Licina) - (non-operative) Spinal Medicine Specialist 2006 - 2011 and 2013 - 2015
- Qsportsmedicine: 2010 - current (Co-Director)
- Qspine: 2023 - current (Director)
- Pars and Adolescent Spine Clinic: 2024 - current (Co-Director)
Dr Mark Young has previously spent six years working alongside a local spine surgeon and his role included: spinal patient pre-assessment, management planning, interventional injections, exercise prescription, patient monitoring and fast tracking likely surgical procedures. Dr Young has also assisted neurosurgeons and spinal orthopaedic surgeons in operating theatres, and understands the principles of, and indications for surgical spinal intervention.
Mark has been trained to investigate patients utilising diagnostic injections algorithms (e.g. to identify the likely source of a subtle lumbar radiculopathy, identify facet joint and sacroiliac joint symptoms) and can help manage patients who do not yet require surgery (e.g spinal stenosis). He understands the indications, roles and limitations of spinal injections, and has been trained in procedures in Melbourne (MetroPain) and has been supervised by Brisbane musculoskeletal radiologists.
Besides being a Fellow of the Australasian College of Sports and Exercises Physicians, Dr Young is also a member of:
- The Spinal Intervention Society
- The United World Academy of Pain Medicine
Dr Mark Young is a Medicare recognised Specialist physician with extensive experience in non-operative spinal medicine. He receives referrals from GPs, Specialists and all allied health providers. Mark has been trained to investigate patients using diagnostic algorithms, which requiring detailed clinical assessment, radiology investigation and sometimes minimally invasive injections. These include local anaesthetic and or/cortisone injections, to the epidural space, thoracic and lumbar nerve roots, facet joints, medial branch nerves and sacroiliac joints.
Mark understands the indications and limitations of injections in spinal conditions – and has been trained by Radiologists in Brisbane and colleagues at Metropain in Melbourne. He also understands the importance how exercise rehabilitation within the team approach often provides the best outcomes.
This is a unique skillset in Brisbane and fulfills an unmet need in non-operative specialist spinal care.
