Dr. Siyabonga Kunene

Siyabonga Kunene is a South African physiotherapy researcher whose work centres on sports rehabilitation, musculoskeletal health, and disability inclusion. Affiliated with leading South African academic institutions, his scholarship addresses health inequities in under-resourced communities, with particular attention to runners and athletes living with disabilities. His research aligns with national and global calls for inclusive, community-oriented models of care.

Kunene’s publications highlight anterior knee pain among runners, examining intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors, lived experiences, and access barriers to rehabilitation. He has advanced community-based rehabilitation frameworks through Delphi consensus and scoping reviews, emphasising practical, low-cost, transdisciplinary strategies. Additional work explores lower back pain in golfers and the biomechanical links between temporomandibular disorders and shoulder girdle function.

Recent studies extend to Paralympians and athletes with disabilities, identifying systemic barriers, facilitators to participation, and proposing structured models of care. This body of work demonstrates strengths in mixed-methods research, stakeholder engagement, and implementation science, contributing meaningful evidence to sports physiotherapy and disability-focused rehabilitation in the Global South.