Meet the Team

Sion Gwydion Jones

Sion Gwydion Jones

Head of Care

We are proud to have Siôn leading our team of clinicians as Head of Care and Senior Physiotherapist at Align.

Siôn is from Wales, UK. He gained his BSc in Physiotherapy from the University of Plymouth, UK, and has been practicing for 10 years. Seven out of those 10 years have been spent working and living in the UAE. He has acquired experience treating a broad spectrum of injuries and illnesses, specializing in sporting injuries and return to sport.

Outside the Clinic Siôn also participates and coaches crossfit, where he promotes correct movement. He has a background in many sports such as rugby, swimming, and horse riding. Siôn is also passionate about surfing, hiking, and travel which he tries to do as often as possible.

Skills:
  • Sports injuries
  • Manipulation
  • Acupuncture and Dry Needling
  • Pre and post-operative rehab
  • Degenerative conditions
  • Taping and Kinesiotaping
  • Myofascial and trigger point release
  • Exercise therapy
Languages: English (Native)

Konstantinos Kounas

Konstantinos Kounas

Physiotherapist

Konstantinos joins us as an experienced physiotherapist from Athens, Greece where he has worked in rehabilitation centres and physiotherapy clinics alike. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy from the Technological Education Foundation of Physical Therapy T.E.I of Athens in 2009.

Konstantinos specialises in the prevention of injuries, muscular balance enhancement and range of motion development as well as sports-related and degenerative disorders of the knees, shoulders, hips, elbows and spine. He has a breadth of knowledge in dealing with post-surgery rehabilitation, particularly in relation to the knee, spine, shoulders and ankles.

A competitive swimmer in his past, Konstantinos has been able to transfer his enjoyment of sport into his work, having worked with the female national handball team of Greece, a number of football teams and paralympic athletes. These experiences have increased his knowledge of assisting in the rehabilitation of athletes, dealing with the prevention and management of injuries and enhancing competitive performance.

Skills:
  • Sports injuries
  • Pre and post-operative rehab
  • Taping and Kinesiotaping
  • Hydrotherapy
  • Sports massage
  • Exercise therapy
  • Deep tissue massage
  • Manual therapy
  • Manipulation techniques
  • Dry needling
  • Myofascial release
Languages: Greek (Native), English (Fluent)

Fernando Tassi Salati

Fernando Tassi Salati

Physiotherapist

Fernando joins us at Align in Abu Dhabi as a Physiotherapist from Sardinia, Italy. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy from the Catholic University of Valencia (UCV) and later obtained a Master’s degree in both Structural Osteopathy and Naprapathy.

Fernando specialises in different manual therapy techniques. He has experience in the treatment of vertigo, dizziness, motion sickness and other disorders related to the field of vestibular rehabilitation. He has experience in women’s wellness during pregnancy and post-partum (abdominal diastasis, etc). He has also worked with elite and olympic level runners at the Valencia Marathon and has experience in sports injuries and post-surgery rehabilitation.

He is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian and has a good understanding of French. In the past, Fernando played basketball for top-level youth teams, even moving to Arizona during high school to pursue his basketball dream. He is a fan of mixed martial arts and Formula 1 and likes outdoor activities such as hiking.

Skills:
  • Spinal, visceral and fascial manipulation
  • Vestibular rehabilitation
  • Sports injuries
  • Pre and post-op rehab
  • Therapeutic exercise
Languages: Italian (Native), Spanish (Fluent), English (Fluent), French (Conversational)

Erika Treszl

Erika Treszl

Physiotherapist

Erika has a Diploma in Physiotherapy from Semmelweis University, Budapest Hungary (2006). Following graduation she started working in the Rehabilitation Department of Hotel Thermal Margitsziget and later on in David Spine Clinic in Budapest, where she treated different types of musculoskeletal issues; degenerative joint and spine conditions; acute orthopaedic injuries; and post-surgery cases.

In 2011 Erika relocated to Abu Dhabi where she has worked at the German Medical Centre, Healthpoint Hospital and the Canadian Medical Centre. In 2021 she joined Perfect Balance Rehabilitation Centre as a Women’s Health and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, treating women with different ranges of pelvic floor issues, including pre and post-natal assistance. She has studied visceral manual therapy and scar treatment and different manual therapy techniques which she integrates in her womens’ health approach.

She is a certified Rehabilitation Pilates Trainer (APPI), which she uses during her treatment sessions for exercise therapy.

Erika is a mother of two girls. She participates in spreading the knowledge about healthy feet and teaches Pilates classes. In her spare time she does yoga, aerial yoga and boxing to keep herself fit. She enjoys travelling and hiking especially in the Alps.

Skills:
  • Exercise Therapy with Rehabilitation Pilates and Fascia Training approach
  • Women’s Health Physiotherapy
  • Manual therapy techniques including Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Visceral manual therapy and Scar therapy
  • 3D Scoliosis Treatment (Schroth method)
  • Kinesiology Taping, Dry cupping, Fascia distortion technique and dry needling.
Languages: Hungarian (Native), English (Fluent), German (Conversational)

Joni Shanta

Joni Shanta

Physiotherapist

Joni joins us from Scotland, having recently moved to Abu Dhabi with her family. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2010, following this she worked in a hospital in Glasgow covering orthopaedics and surgical wards before moving into the musculoskeletal outpatients department.

Joni then moved into high performance sport which she has worked in for the past 10 years, working for the Institute of Sport in Scotland. Joni has been the lead physiotherapist for multiple national programmes such as golf, netball and triathlon. Here she gained vast experience in elite performance, injury prevention and rehabilitation and has thoroughly enjoyed supporting athletes in training and at major competition. More recently Joni has also developed her knowledge around supporting females and scar therapy.

Joni loves to keep active and lift in the gym or run outdoors. She has a young family who love travel, sport and nature.

Skills:
  • Sports injury rehabilitation
  • Scar therapy (post c-section, oncology)
  • Exercise therapy
  • Pre and post operative care
  • Fascial release
  • Acupuncture
Languages: English

Moataz Elbadrawy

Physiotherapist

Moataz Elbadrawy is an accomplished physiotherapist from Egypt. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Physiotherapy from Cairo University in 2015, laying the foundation for his career in the field of physical therapy.

In 2021, Moataz achieved his Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, specialising in sports injuries. His dedication to excellence led him to pursue numerous courses in various physiotherapy specialties, further enhancing his expertise and knowledge. His extensive skill set empowers him to provide comprehensive care to his patients, promoting their well-being and recovery.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Moataz is an enthusiast for an active and balanced lifestyle. He enjoys going to the gym and also enjoys activities such as running and swimming. Moataz is an avid reader, committed to continuous learning, and honing life skills, further exemplifying his dedication to personal growth and well-roundedness.

Skills:
  • Manipulation techniques
  • Soft tissue release
  • Dry needling
  • Sports rehabilitation
  • Exercise therapy
  • Sports taping
  • Dry cupping
  • Deep tissue massage
  • Chronic musculoskeletal problems
Languages: Arabic (Native), English (Fluent)

JENA

Dr. Jena Barnawi

Chiropractor

Dr. Jena Barnawi earned her Doctorate from Northeast College of Health Sciences, USA. after receiving a BSc in Biology with a concentration in pre-medicine at Xavier University, USA.

Dr. Jena is deeply committed to your well-being. She performs an array of treatments that focuses on your musculoskeletal conditions such as chronic pain occurring in your back, shoulder, neck, and spinal conditions. She also treats a variety of sports injuries and has a keen interest in the rehabilitation of runners.

She holds a postgraduate education certificate in Webster’s Technique for prenatal care (pregnancy), Post-Surgical Spine Rehabilitation, and is currently in the process of obtaining a Chiropractic Sport Physician certification from American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians.

Skills:
  • Chiropractic treatment
  • Manual soft tissue and fascia release
  • Sport injury rehabilitation
  • Webster technique
Types of conditions:
  • Sport Injuries and Rehabilitation
  • Acute and chronic pain (neck, mid-back, lower back and shoulder pain)
  • Disc Herniations (spine related pathologies)
  • Nerve entrapments (i.e., Thoracic outlet syndromes)
  • Prenatal / postnatal
  • Pediatrics
  • Headaches
  • TMJ and Jaw Pain
  • Nerves system regulation and wellbeing
Languages: Arabic (Native), English (Fluent)

Katie Venables

Katie Venables

Business Administrator

Katie is originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, although she has spent the last 8 years living in Turkey, France and now the UAE. She has a legal background, having studied law at Durham University in the UK and going on to work as a senior associate with international law firm, Taylor Wessing specialising in property finance.

A mum of three young kids, Katie enjoys spending time outdoors, travelling and experiencing new cultures and cuisines. She has always had a keen interest in fitness, running competitively as a child and then rowing for her university. Since arriving in Abu Dhabi she has rediscovered her love for health and fitness and developed a keen interest in CrossFit.