Dr Dougal Middleton

Dougal is a Senior Sport and Exercise Physician Registrar based in Brisbane, Queensland.  

Dougal grew up in Tasmania before moving to Perth where he completed a Bachelor of Physiotherapy. He completed his medical degree in Brisbane before moving to Cairns to continue his training, predominantly in Orthopaedics where he worked as an Orthopaedic Registrar.

Dougal started his specialty training whilst in Cairns under the supervision of Dr Kira James (FACSEP) in private practice as well as in Australia's first public hospital Sport and Exercise Medicine clinic.

Dougal has furthered his education by completing a Masters in Trauma (Orthopaedics) through the University of Newcastle, and a Diploma in both Musculoskeletal Medicine and Exercise Medicine through the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. In 2025 he has been accepted as a Diplomate member of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine in the UK.

Dougal has experience in a wide variety of elite sports and has worked as the team doctor for the Australian Mens/Women Hockey 5s, Cairns Taipans (NBL), Northern Pride (QRL), North Cairns AFL as well as the medical lead for endurance events including the IRONMAN Cairns, The Ultra50 Marathon, The Great Pyramid Race and the Reef to Reef Mountain Bike Race. He is a club Doctor with the Redcliffe Dolphins QRL and Brisbane Bullets NBL in 2025.

Dougal has played representative hockey and cricket for Tasmania and has a passion for a wide variety of sports with his sporting highlight being part of Tasmania’s first gold medal winning team in the Australian Hockey League in 2014.

Dougal enjoys and performs interventional procedures including hydrodilatations, bursal, hyaluronic acid and PRP injections.

Special interests:

• Bone stress injuries/fractures

• Contact sports

• Endurance athletes

• Acute traumatic injuries - fractures, dislocations, soft tissue

• Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport

• Female and adolescent health

• Shoulder pathologies including Adhesive Capsulitis/Frozen shoulder

• Complex knee, ankle and foot injures

Current Appointments:

• Club Doctor – Redcliffe Dolphins QRL (2025 - current)

• Team Doctor - Brisbane Bullets NBL  (2025 - current)

• Match Day Doctor - Rugby Australia (2025 - current)

• Match Day Doctor - Queensland Cricket (2024 - current)

Career Highlights & Past Affiliations:

• Match Day Doctor - NZ Warriors NRL (2025)

• Match Day Doctor - Hawthorn AFLW (2025)

• Team Doctor – North Cairns AFL (2024)

• Team Doctor – Northern Pride QRL (2022 – 2024)

• Team Doctor – Hockey Australia, Hockey 5s World Cup, Oman (2024)

• Medical Lead – Cairns IRONMAN (2024)

• Medical Lead – Reef to Reef Mountain Bike (2023)

• Medical Lead – Green Island Open Swim (2023)

• Medical Lead – Confraternity Cup, Rugby League (2022-present)

• Medical Officer – Cairns Ultramarathon (2022)

• Medical Officer – Cairns IRONMAN (2022-2023)

• Match Day Medical Officer – Cairns Taipans NBL (2021-2022)