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Dr Simon Lack

Simon

MSc Lead (Sports Medicine), Senior Lecturer and Consultant Physiotherapist

Centre: Sports and Exercise Medicine

Email: s.lack@qmul.ac.uk
Telephone: +44(0) 207 882 5012
X: @simonthephysio

Profile

ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1732-9606
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Dr Lack currently leads the Post-Graduate Taught (PGT) Sports and Exercise Medicine programmes.  He completed his PhD in 2017, having investigated the interaction of hip and foot biomechanics in the development and management of patellofemoral pain. During his doctoral studies, he continued to work as a specialist physiotherapist within private sports medicine facilities (Pure Sports Medicine) and with elite scholarship athletes at the University of East London.

He graduated from Queen Mary University in 2011 with a Masters in Sports and Exercise Medicine and has been building his clinical academic career since. His leadership of the Sports and Exercise Medicine MSc programme, combines his clinical and academic experience to help guide the delivery and development of the programme. His main research interests centre on the assessment and delivery of targeted interventions, through a greater understanding of treatment effect mechanisms, for common knee complaints, in particular, patellofemoral pain and patellofemoral osteoarthritis.  

 

Research

Group members

Within the Centre of Sports and Exercise Medicine I am very fortunate to work alongside some fantastic colleagues. This team includes, but is not limited to:

  • Professor Dylan Morrissey
  • Ms Claire Small
  • Dr Bradley Neal
  • Dr Stuart Miller
  • Dr Manuela Angioi
  • Dr Ritan Mehta
  • Dr Nikos Malliaropoulos
  • Mr Trevor Prior
  • Dr Nat Padhiar
  • Dr Markus Laupheimer
  • Mr Osama Aweid
  • Mr Richmond Stace

Summary

The clinical application and implementation of evidence-based medicine is the primary objective of my academic endeavours. I have had the privilege of working with fantastic collaborators both nationally and internationally, producing peer-reviewed publication and translational resources to help achieve this objective.  Research studies completed as part of my MSc and PhD studies have included both laboratory and clinical based measurements, in combination with audit and questionnaire studies, which have been conducted within both asymptomatic and patient populations.  I have secured multiple small project grants to complete these studies and look forward to developing these research ideas to deliver within larger scale, pragmatic clinical trials. 

Publications

  • Bremer T, Lack S, Fearon A et al. (2025). Best practice for patients with gluteal tendinopathy: a qualitative exploration of expert clinical reasoning and management.. nameOfConference


  • Neal BS, Bolgla LA, Lack SD et al. (2025). Prognosis of Patellofemoral Pain: A Systematic Review With Evidence- and Gap-Map. nameOfConference


  • Amos D, Amos D, Tehranchi S et al. (2025). Does artificial intelligence feedback result in different kinematic and muscle excitation patterns compared to physiotherapist feedback during lower-limb rehabilitation exercises?. nameOfConference


    QMRO: qmroHref
  • Zeitlin C, Shepherd M, Lack SD et al. (2025). Blood flow restriction training compared to conventional training in people with knee pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis. nameOfConference


  • Neal BS, Lack SD, Bartholomew C et al. (2024). Best practice guide for patellofemoral pain based on synthesis of a systematic review, the patient voice and expert clinical reasoning. nameOfConference


  • Lack SD, Bartholomew C, North T et al. (publicationYear). The effects of a two-week neuromuscular intervention on biopsychosocial variables in people with patellofemoral pain: an observational study. nameOfConference


  • Neal BS, Miller SC, Goodall A et al. (2022). Variables associated with successful outcome after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in recreational athletes: A prospective cohort study. nameOfConference


  • Neal BS, Bartholomew C, Barton CJ et al. (2022). Six Treatments Have Positive Effects at 3 Months for People With Patellofemoral Pain: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis.. nameOfConference


  • Alsaleh SA, Murphy N, Miller SC et al. (2022). Corrigendum to “Local neuromuscular characteristics associated with patellofemoral pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis”[Clinical Biomechanics 90 (2021) 105509]. nameOfConference


  • Ferreira AS, Lack S, Taborda B et al. (2022). Body fat and skeletal muscle mass, but not body mass index, are associated with pressure hyperalgesia in young adults with patellofemoral pain. nameOfConference


    QMRO: qmroHref
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Sponsors

Collaborators

External

  • Dr Christian Barton (LaTrobe University, Melbourne)
  • Dr Danilo Oliveria De Silva (LaTrobe University, Melbourne)
  • Dr Michael Rathleff (Aalborg University, Denmark)

News

Teaching

Dr Lack leads the teaching across all of the Sports and Exercise Medicine post-graduate taught programmes. Currently there are 5 programme routes that are specific to the student’s profession:

Dr Lack’s teaching on the PGT programmes primarily focuses on the development of clinical skills, specifically in the accurate clinical diagnosis of MSK conditions, the development and delivery of rehabilitation programmes, and the advanced assessment approaches using further investigation tools (e.g. ultrasound and MRI).

Other teaching activities include deliver of professional education courses that he delivers internationally on the topic of Patellofemoral Pain. 

Intercalated BSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine, Queen Mary University of London

MSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine, Queen Mary University of London

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