Team Member Spotlight – Charlie

Charlie, our expert in upper limb injuries, has just celebrated his one year anniversary at Physio Remedies. We caught up with him to find out how it’s going…

What do you enjoy most in your work?

“We are very lucky to have a mix of patients who see us, with a variety of issues and backgrounds. This makes every day a little different from the last. Having access to a full state-of-the-art gym, Pilates equipment, and a swimming pool, makes the rehab for us and patients more interesting, which I think gets us better outcomes. The team is great! With so much experience under one roof, it’s a great place to learn and develop.”

What are you most passionate about?

“I’m passionate about supporting people on their journey back from injury to doing the sport/hobby or activity that they love. I feel as physiotherapists and health care practitioners, we have a great opportunity and responsibility to promote movement-based activity and healthy lifestyles where possible.”

What is the most frequent piece of advice that you give patients?

“Very rarely would I ever ask a patient to rest completely. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I did! I try to keep patients moving and getting back doing what they love as quickly as possible. The majority of the issues that patients present with, are a result of doing too much too soon. These issues are potentially avoidable by addressing some simple training principles. Focusing on what patients can do, rather than what they can't, is something I emphasise with my patients.”

Have you recently achieved any personal sporting goals?

“Over the summer I managed to get back out on the golf course for the first time in nearly 2 years! Looking back at my scorecards I won’t be entering any PGA tour anytime soon! But I enjoyed it nonetheless.

“I try to prioritise some form of exercise pretty much every day – normally a run, a boxing session, or resistance training.”

Are you developing your physio expertise in a certain area?

“With my background in boxing, I developed (and sustained!) a keen interest in upper limb injuries. Over the last year, I have been attending in-person and online courses focussing on hand and wrist rehabilitation. I have really enjoyed strengthening my knowledge base regarding the engineering masterpiece that is the hand.”

What's the best bit of feedback that you've had?

“I recently worked with a professional boxer who had been having issues with the elbow on his lead hand for many years, since his amateur days. Elbow problems in boxers are quite common and usually a result of missing a punch. As he was preparing for a fight the issue was getting worse, and he had to stop throwing his jab hand (not ideal as it’s the most important punch).

“After working with this patient for three sessions he made great progress and was able to return to full training without having to worry about the elbow issue. He messaged me to say how good it was feeling and didn’t need to come in again, which gave me a real buzz!”

Get in touch if you’d like to make a booking with Charlie by calling 02030 12 12 22.