RGU Physiotherapy Society Podcast

Karen graduated from RGU in 1998 she then worked in the NHS for 5 years and started SPEAR Physiotherapy in 2001. In 2003, she started work at RGU as a lecturer, working part-time whilst also staying in private practice. In 2008, she went with her private practice and has seen the company grow significantly over the last 21 years.

In 2002 she started working with the National Golf Squads and from 2005-2014 was the Lead Physiotherapist for Scottish Golf. Golf is her main specialism and the mainstay of her workload. Karen works with both injured and non-injured golfers to keep bodies in shape and on the golf course across all levels from weekend warriors to European Tour Players. Outwith Golf she was the Physio co-ordinator for the Grampian Institute of Sport from 2008-2013 supporting elite local athletes and in 2011 was one of the 10 strong medical team that travelled to Delhi as part of Team Scotland for the Commonwealth games. 

In this episode Karen talks about:

• Her early days in business.

• Making the transition from clinician to business owner.

• Navigating the uncertainty of private practice during covid.

Dr Amanda Johnson has carried out a variety of posts, at junior and senior levels in hospital, initially in London and then back in Manchester. 

Amanda has always been involved with sports teams initially swimming and then athletics and worked as a physiotherapist to the England athletics team. She has worked as a physiotherapist in several sports at a high level including Great Britain Aquatic teams particularly swimming, synchro swimming and 10 years with the GB diving team. She has travelled extensively with the England Athletics Team to international camps and competitions.

Lately she has been focused more on football, starting her career in football at Bury football club as the first team physio and then later moved to Altrincham, a semi pro club. Serving for 5 years as the England Women’s Football team physio and as a senior lecturer for the Football Association. In addition, to spending 10 years as the senior physiotherapist at the Academy of Manchester United before becoming the lead physiotherapist at Aspire Academy for 8 years. 

Amanda has also spent some time in India setting up a Football Academy in the Punjab before joining Manchester Metropolitan University as a lecturer at the physio school. Her research interests and PhD are related to issues and injuries suffered by developing youth athletes in all sports. This has led to her presenting at many international conferences on youth development, maturity and injury.

In this episode Amanda talks about:

• Her Interest in Youth development

• Growth-related injuries and maturation.

• Assessment and treatment process for growth-related injuries.

Resources discussed:

Dr Claire Minshull is one of the most highly respected and research active rehabilitation and conditioning specialists in the UK. She has worked in the field of sports medicine and health for over 20 years as a Senior Lecturer, Researcher, Consultant and as a Practitioner. She has designed, led and managed major clinical and nonclinical research trials, supervised several PhD students, and has published over 30 research papers in leading peer-reviewed sports medicine journals. She is regularly invited to speak at national and international academic and professional symposia, writes for sports magazines and, serves as expert reviewer for many scientific peer-reviewed journals. 

Claire’s research and teaching interests include the influences of exercise, training and rehabilitation on dynamic joint stability, neuromuscular and musculoskeletal performance. Her work also focuses on assessing neuromuscular function optimally and developing specialised rehabilitation protocols for enhancing function and performance. Claire’s area of expertise means that she uniquely spans the gap between the physiology of conditioning and physiotherapeutic rehabilitation.  She founded her company Get Back To Sport to enable the transference of research findings into enhancing clinical practice, and has developed the teaching portfolio that has an international reach.

In this episode Claire talks about:

• The uptake of strength and conditioning principles by therapists.

• Applications and perceived barriers in clinic.

• Her education platform.

Resources discussed:

*The views expressed in this episode are those of Captain Michelle Jilek and do not represent those of the United States Air Force or the Department of Defence* 

Captain Michelle “Twitch” Jilek is an embedded Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) within the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, USA. Captain Jilek developed one of the first-ever unique active duty embedded DPT position in the United States Air Force to offer services specifically for fighter pilots within their own squadrons on the flightline. She has been working closely with Air Combat Command in developing the Optimizing Human Weapon System (OWHS) program for fighter pilots, and works closely with contract personnel including Athletic Trainers, Strength Coaches, and Licensed Massage Therapists.  Captain Jilek specializes in treating high G-induced spine injuries in fighter pilots, and is currently developing research projects to reduce the chance of high G injuries sustained in F-22s and other fighter aircraft. Captain Jilek graduated from University of New Mexico School of Medicine with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2017, completed an orthopedic residency in 2019, and became a board certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) in 2020. She has conducted award-winning research in spine and shoulder, and has been using her special skills for the United States Air Force since 2018 when she commissioned.

In this episode we talk about:

• Common Injuries within fighter pilots.

• Setting up an embedded performance programme within a fighter pilot squadron.

• Her prehab and rehab process.

• How she is tracking performance.

Resources discussed:

Eiméar is a mental health occupational therapist, life coach and mindfulness facilitator. She is also a specialist mental health mentor, working with university students all over the country supporting them to manage their mental health and navigate their academic studies. 

Eiméar has over 12 year experience working in the NHS and well-being sectors. She works with people who feel anxious, stressed or overwhelmed & provides them with the tools & techniques to feel happy, confident and in control. Her approach is down to earth and relaxed with even a bit of humour mixed in. 

Eiméar wants to help people feel good about themselves and know that their feelings of stress, anxiety & overwhelm aren't their fault. Her motto is ‘if you have a brain some of this stuff is inevitably going to come up. The good news is I have the tools and skills to help you manage it!’

In this episode Eimear talks about:

• The prevalence of burnout in the health professions.

• Her personal story of burnout.

• Recognizing the signs and symptoms of burnout.

• Steps to minimise burnout.

Resources discussed:

Lee is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Rehabilitation, at the University of Salford; where he is the programme leader for the MSc Sports Injury Rehabilitation course. Lee has a technical lead clinical role with the English Institute of Sport and acts as a consultant physiotherapist to a number of premiership & championship football and rugby union clubs. Lee also worked as part of the Team GB medical team at the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Team GB medical team for the Baku 2015 European Games. He has previously worked with British Swimming, Great Britain Women’s Basketball, Wigan Warriors, and Great Britain Rugby League teams. Lee's research interests are the treatment and rehabilitation of sports injuries, specifically: anterior knee pain; hamstring muscle injuries, and rehabilitation following knee surgery (principally ACL reconstruction), along with work into the swimming and rugby shoulder, resulting in him publishing over 200 research papers. Lee is the editor-in-chief of Physical Therapy in Sport and on the editorial board of The Knee journal and Journal of Sports Rehabilitation.

In this episode Lee talks about:

• ACL assessment and predictors of injury.

• Outcome measures within the rehabilitation process

• Surgical vs non-surgical interventions.

Resources discussed:

Judith has over 18 years of experience as a physiotherapist working across a wide range of environments from the NHS to performance sport and the performing arts. She currently holds the position of teaching fellow at University of Birmingham and is a contract physiotherapist for the Royal Opera House, Elmhurst Ballet School, and Birmingham Royal Ballet.

In this episode Judith chats about:

• How she got involved in working within the performing arts.

• How her approach differed from her previous experience in performance sport.

• The demands faced by performers.

• Integrating her rehabilitation with the company director and wider multidisciplinary team. 

Resources discussed:

Mike is a physiotherapist, researcher and visiting university lecturer with over twenty years experience of helping people to overcome pain. Mike is a dedicated practice-based educator who is passionate about providing evidence-based education to a wide variety of health professionals. He teaches across elite sports, and is an advisor on pain management to the International Olympic Committee. Mike has a Masters degree in Education and is planning a PhD focusing on pain and communication. His published work has received international praise from the leading names in neuroscience.

In this episode Mike talks about:

• Creating patient buy-in.

• Addressing patient beliefs.

• Discussing patients pain.

Resources discussed:

* The views expressed in this episode are those of Richard Sutherland and do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Air Force or Ministry of Defence*

Rich Sutherland is a former Royal Marine Commando. Also, he is currently a serving military Physiotherapist Officer that is in an executive leadership role as the Officer Commanding Rehab Division at Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Stanford Hall. He is also the professions lead for 38 full time and reservist RAF physiotherapists.

He is also a leadership development consultant outside of the military and will be launching a leadership coaching programme in early 2022 to help AHPs, doctors and dentists develop their personal, professional and leadership skills.

In this episode Richard talks about:

• His decision to join the military.

• How he manages 160 Allied health professionals.

• His approach to leadership.

Resources discussed:

Stephen is a Professor in Applied Exercise Physiology & Performance. He is currently the Director of the Centre for Applied Performance Sciences and course lead for the Professional Doctorate in Strength and Conditioning. He has published 70 peer-reviewed research papers. He joined St Marys in 2009 having previously graduated with a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from Napier University, Edinburgh before completing an MSc in Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise from Strathclyde University in Glasgow. He then moved to Loughborough University where he completed his Ph.D. specializing in the responses and adaptations to exercise with blood flow restriction.

In this episode Stephen talks about:

• Where his interest in BFR came from.

• What are the key benefits of BFR.

• Resistance and aerobic training protocols.

• Contraindications and common faults.

Resources discussed:

James Armstrong is a Devon-based Physiotherapist, who is passionate about providing excellent evidence-based Physiotherapy and advice, that focuses on empowering patients to get them back to their very best.

James graduated from the University of Plymouth with a 1st Class BSc Hons in Physiotherapy and a passion for the profession! prior to this he studied a BSc Hons Biology degree and spent several years working in management before moving to physiotherapy. 
He is currently a core member of the CSP South West Regional Network, a former Chair of the South West and Wales CSP Student Meeting, and a former member of the CSP Student Representative Group (SRG).

He also hosts his own YouTube channel that provides tips and advice for physio students as well as interviews with expert clinicians.

In this episode James talks about:

• Where his interest in physiotherapy came from.

• His advice around maximizing placement experience.

• His advice on preparing for band 5 interviews.

Resources discussed:

James is a private practice physiotherapist with over 13 years of experience, previously in the NHS with rotational experience whilst spending the later years in seconded musculoskeletal positions.

He has been in his current job for 7 years at SPEAR – a private sports specialist physiotherapy department looking after  Scottish Institute-supported athletes in a multi-disciplinary team. Highlights have been multiple experiences abroad with traveling teams securing gold, promotion, and success. Locally supporting athletes through their progression into senior sport has been a top achievement.

He has also supported Tuvalu in the role of lead physiotherapist during the 2014 Commonwealth Games and supported Scottish squads in the preparation for the Gold Coast and Glasgow games.

He works with a host of running athletes where his job is injury prevention and performance enhancement. Looking at the way the individual moves and trying to get the best out of them.

In this episode James talks about:

• What are the most common forms of injuries he sees in the clinic.

• What his assessment process is and what key information he is looking for.

• What does his treatment and rehab process looks like for runners.

Resources discussed: