Spine Universe Editorial Board

Allan Besselink is the Director and Founder of Smart Sport International and the Smart Life Institute. Allan is a physical therapist / physiotherapist with 20 years of clinical experience. Allan has a unique voice in the world of sport and health care, one that has been defined by his experiences as physiotherapist, McKenzie practitioner, coach, educator, patient, and athlete.

Allan is one of approximately 300 practitioners internationally that have attained the Diploma in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy from the McKenzie Institute International in New Zealand, the highest level of achievement in the McKenzie method. The McKenzie method emphasizes a mechanical assessment process for spine and extremity disorders, and active patient involvement and education in the management of their treatment. It develops the patient’s self treatment skills in a cost- and time-effective manner while promoting the body’s potential to heal itself without medication, heat, cold, ultrasound, needles, surgery, or a physical dependency on the practitioner. He completed his Diploma training in 1998 and has been a Certified McKenzie practitioner since 1996. He served as the Chief Editor of the McKenzie Institute USA Journal from 1998 - 2005, and was the Chief Editor for the inaugural International Journal of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy in 2006.

He is a graduate of Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. In his final year at Queen’s after working with the men’s varsity basketball program, he was awarded the Hal Dunlop Shield – one of the seven highest athletic awards at Queen’s - for significant contribution to athletic therapy at Queen’s University. While still in Canada, he developed an athletic injury prevention and rehabilitation program intended for recreational and high school athletes and coaches. He has been in Austin since 1990.

Allan is a specialist in sport- and fitness-related injuries and injury prevention for both the recreational and elite level athlete. He has extensive experience with athletes in track and field, cycling, duathlon and triathlon. In his 20 years of clinical and on-site experience, he has served as a physical therapist at several international sporting events including the medical team for track and field at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, the 1996 USA Track and Field Olympic Trials, the 1995 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, and the 1988 World Junior Track and Field Championships in Sudbury, Canada. He worked with the United States National Track and Field team at the 1994 World Cup of Athletics in London, the 1997 World Cup Racewalk in Prague, and the 2001 World Half Marathon Championships in Bristol. Allan has been a rehabilitation and performance consultant to a number of world-class athletes.

Allan's approach to both physiotherapy and coaching involves a significant foundation in client education. As the saying goes, "knowledge is power" - and Allan truly integrates this belief into his approach. Not only does he implement a high level of teaching into his clinical and coaching practice, he is also involved in the educational process in other venues. He is an adjunct assistant professor in the PT Assistant program at Austin Community College and has been a guest lecturer for more than 10 years at Texas State University in San Marcos. Allan is also involved in the continuing education of his peers, having developed the program "Sports Science Solutions for Rehabilitation and Training”, a continuing education program for physical therapists, physicians, chiropractors, and massage therapists.

Allan is the author of "RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach to Injury-Free Running". This book provides the running community with an innovative perspective on injury prevention and performance optimization.