I am a musculoskeletal physiotherapist with more than 20 years experience in this field.  But what is the musculoskeletal system?  Well, your bony skeleton provides the framework for the attachment of muscles and other soft tissues, such as tendons and ligaments.  These structures, working together, allow us to move – to stand up, to sit down, to walk, to run, to cycle, to swim, to bend, to stretch etc.  And these movements are conducted by the nervous system, which orchestrates the co-ordination of our activities.  Alongside nerves, the musculoskeletal system includes bones, joints, cartilage, muscles, discs, tendons and ligaments.  Whilst usually not life-threatening, musculoskeletal problems can be hugely life-impactful, stopping or reducing your capacity to work and/or do the activities that provide meaning, enrichment and enjoyment to your life.  

I treat problems including back pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis, hip pain, greater trochanteric pain syndrome, knee pain, meniscal injuries, ligament injuries, runner’s knee, jumper’s knee, ankle sprains, frozen shoulder, rotator cuff related pain, tennis/golfer’s elbow and more besides!  At the initial appointment, I’ll go through a comprehensive assessment, and we’ll come up with a diagnosis and treatment plan.  Sometimes patients need the right education, exercises, advice and guidance and can self-manage having just had the one appointment.  Sometimes patients need a little more input to get them on the path to recovery – everybody is different and every body is different.

Having graduated in 1998 from the University of Liverpool with BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, I have worked in musculoskeletal physiotherapy since then.  In 2017 I completed my MSc in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy at Manchester Metropolitan University.  My paper, The Effectiveness of Digital Health Interventions in the Management of Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Systematic Literature Review was published in 2020 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32501277/).  I have always worked in the NHS and continue to do so.  I currently split my NHS role, working as an Advanced Musculoskeletal Practitioner for Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust and as a First Contact Practitioner (FCP) for Rainford Health Centre.  I have worked in private practice since 2008, initially at Sandy Mount Physiotherapy Centre in St Helens, and then at my own practice, Physio Barn, which I established in February 2014.