Lucy Thomas

Dr Lucy Thomas is a Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland. She is a registered Titled Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist with postgraduate qualifications from the University of Sydney and an honorary position at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. She is affiliated with the Centre for Innovation in Pain and Health Research (CIPHeR).

Her research focuses on safety in cervical spine manual therapy, including red flags for neck manipulation, differential diagnosis of headache/neck pain, and validation of clinical screening tools. She has led the development of the Clinical Guide to Safe Manual Therapy Practice in the Cervical Spine, widely adopted internationally.

• Key article trends: Cervical arterial dissection, headache management, manual therapy safety, temporomandibular disorders, and autonomic dysfunction post-concussion.
• Subfields: Cervical spine biomechanics, clinical decision support tools, sensorimotor dysfunction, stroke prevention, and musculoskeletal assessment.

She teaches in undergraduate and postgraduate physiotherapy programs and supervises doctoral students. Her current projects include studies on vestibular migraine, sensitization in chronic headaches, and differential diagnosis of dizziness.