Kathleen Walker
(she/her)
BSc (Hons) MSc PhD (Cardiff) FHEA
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Kathleen Walker
Lecturer
Overview
I am a chartered Physiotherapist with a special interest in the prevention and treatment of running related injuries.
I qualified as a Physiotherapist from the University of Hertfordshire in 2002. I went on to work in the NHS for 10 years before moving into the private sector in 2012. In 2017 I was awarded an MSc in Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy from Cardiff Univeristy. My dissertation focussed on the potential barriers that prevented women in Wales from participating in running.
In 2018 I was successful in applying for a KESS2 funded PhD studentship at Cardiff. My project is focussed on the prevention of running related injuries and is in partnership with KESS and Welsh Athletics/Run Wales.
Publication
2025
- Walker, K., Phillips, N. and Sheeran, L. 2025. Exploring the use of digital technology for injury prevention and self-management among recreational runners. Physical Therapy in Sport 71, pp. 85-91. (10.1016/j.ptsp.2024.12.004)
2024
- Walker, K. 2024. Run Healthy, Run Strong: The development of a digital running-related injury prevention and self-management intervention. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
2021
- Walker, K., Phillips, N. and Sheeran, L. 2021. Recreational runners’ attitudes towards running-related injury prevention, self-management and the use of digital technology to prevent and self-manage injury. Presented at: 2021 IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury & Illness in Sport, Monaco, 25-27 November, 2021.
Articles
- Walker, K., Phillips, N. and Sheeran, L. 2025. Exploring the use of digital technology for injury prevention and self-management among recreational runners. Physical Therapy in Sport 71, pp. 85-91. (10.1016/j.ptsp.2024.12.004)
Conferences
- Walker, K., Phillips, N. and Sheeran, L. 2021. Recreational runners’ attitudes towards running-related injury prevention, self-management and the use of digital technology to prevent and self-manage injury. Presented at: 2021 IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury & Illness in Sport, Monaco, 25-27 November, 2021.
Thesis
- Walker, K. 2024. Run Healthy, Run Strong: The development of a digital running-related injury prevention and self-management intervention. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Research
As a physiotherapist and a keen runner I am particularly interested (and passionate) about preventing running injuries. The focus of my current research is preventing running related injuries and helping runners to self manage injury.
The current study is called Running Healthy, Running Strong and with the engagement of the running community, clincians and KESS company partners, I hope to better understand what works in running injury prevention for runners.
Supervisions
I am a physiotherapist and have experience in qualitative methods, survey methods and mixed methods research.
My areas of interest are:
- running, running injuries and running injury prevention
- sports injuries and injury prevention
- physical activity
- exercise and physical activity promotion among perimenopausal and menopausal women
- development of digital interventions for exercise promotion and injury prevention
- physical activity for children and adolescent
Current supervision
Rana Alnajimi