His role in the clinic focuses on the medical aspects of achieving an adequate diagnosis and management of the sensory components of pain. This is done by utilising the full range of pharmacological and interventional techniques, guiding the emotional, cognitive and physical aspects to be better managed by his specialist colleagues.

It gives him great pleasure to give back to his community where he and his wider family have lived since 1959.

He has been director of hospital-based specialist Rehabilitation Medicine services, on the executive of The Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Australian Pain Society, and the Faculty of Pain Medicine. He has convened several National Scientific Meetings for these organisations, published a couple of papers, and given numerous presentations to specialist and primary care colleagues, and consumers. He has been a keen member of the Spine Intervention Society since approximately 1993, and serves on various of its Committees.

Dr Speldewinde is on the Board of Directors of the Faculty of Pain Medicine, and is a formally appointed Examiner and Supervisor of Trainees.

Areas of interest:

• Spinal pain diagnosis and interventional treatments
• Discogenic spine pain
• Sciatica
• Zygapophysial/facet joint pain
• Sacroiliac pain
• CRPS
• Intractable headaches
• Chronic arthritis
• Chronic sports injuries
• Post-operative pain syndromes
• Post-traumatic pain
• Entrapment and post-surgical nerve pain
• Chronic pelvic and abdominal pain
• Chronic widespread pain syndromes

Therapies recommended:

• Physical and psychological assessment and therapies
• Mindfulness meditation
• Hydrotherapy
• Acupuncture
• Joint injections – cortisone, hyaluronic acid, PRP
• Procedures (using both x-ray and ultrasound) –
  • Spine and joint injections
  • epidurals
  • sympathetic blocks
  • neurotomies
  • discography
  • minimally-invasive disc procedures
  • spinal and peripheral stimulator implants

Memberships:

• Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand
• Faculty of Pain Medicine
• Australasian Faculty of Musculoskeletal Medicine
• Spine Intervention Society
• Australian Pain Society
• Neuromodulation Society of Australia and New Zealand / International Neuromodulation Society
• Medical Association for the Prevention of War
• Doctors for Environment

Research interests:

• Outcomes of interventional procedures
• Role of expectation on outcome of procedures.