Personal Statement

I've been treating professional sportsmen for the past 20 years. The last 14 years as head physiotherapist at both Crystal Palace and Portsmouth football clubs. The role has meant that for the last 14 years I've been working 6-7 days a week and on call 24/7.

With so much time spent away from home with the team, every week-end, Christmas, Easter and the other bank holidays as well as being restricted to taking my annual holiday only in the off season, I now feel that the time is right for a change.

With a squad of professional footballers which can sometimes amount to 35 players it can get very busy. As part of the medical team we don't just treat sports injuries. Like many of the general public our players are susceptible to similar problems. A lot of our work is treating:

• Neck problems
• Back problems
• Sports injuries
• Biomechanical problems
• Core strength and stability related issues
• Post operative conditions

And providing:

• Rehabilitation programmes
• Corrective exercise programmes

I was generally the first person to see the injured player. This would lead to the Assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and finally rehabilitation of the player back to training and then playing. I would have to liaise with specialists in a variety of areas of expertise for certain injuries so that we could achieve the desired result.

This is the type of service that I would to like bring to the general public of Portsmouth. No injury is too big or too small. During my time at Portsmouth I had a player with a head injury in Manchester one evening where I had to stay overnight in a Manchester hospital with them, and on numerous occasions I would be cutting dead skin off players feet with a scalpel.

Sometimes it's the niggly little injuries that if not treated or managed would lead to something more severe. If the injury is quite extensive then it may require an initial assessment which could then be followed up by a referral to the relevant specialist. During my time at Portsmouth I've had the pleasure of meeting and using some of the best specialists in the country including:

• Knee specialist/surgeon
• Ankle specialist/surgeon
• Back specialist/surgeon
• Shoulder specialist/surgeon
• Hand and wrist specialist/surgeon
• Sports scientists
• Chiropodist/podiatrist
• Masseurs
• Anthropometry and weight management