The Staff at the Abbey are friendly, helpful and efficient

Jennifer Douglas - Client for 3 year

A year ago I was considering a forced career change. Severe back and neck pain and increasingly restricted mobility meant that I could not do my job – as a professional fencing coach – properly. The pain was impacting not only on my professional life but my family and social life too. I was tired all the time and didn’t have the spirit or enthusiasm to do a great deal outside work.
I went to the Abbey Clinic as the first port of call. There I was treated by the physiotherapist, Bridget Burleigh. I knew I was not going to be a quick fix case – I had posture issues from ballet training in my youth and a serious accident 4 years ago had exacerbated these and other over compensation muscle problems. To be honest I wasn’t sure how much anyone could do for me. I just wanted to be not in constant pain. So I was hugely relieved and surprised that within the first few sessions the pain was not only immediately reduced but actually went away for quite long periods at a time.
Over the last year Bridget has worked thoughtfully and kindly to not only get me pain free but to restore my mobility to a remarkable – almost unimaginable degree. This was a “long haul “because she appreciated that I still needed to work and that the repetitive actions involved in my work had become part of the problem. So sometimes it felt like three steps forward and one step back; but at least I could tell that I was increasingly stepping forward. She was very clever in devising a strategy of treatment that allowed me to keep working and exercises I could easily incorporate into my schedule. Within 8 months I even felt well enough to take part in a competition again – something I had never thought to be able to do again.
I genuinely feel better than I have done in years. I have an exercise routine that suits me and keeps me flexible and pain free – and which I find easy to keep up. I choose now to see Bridget every three months or so purely for “maintenance” visits and because amazingly my mobility and flexibility are still improving.
I would and do recommend Bridget and the Abbey Clinic to anyone – whether involved in sport or not. The Staff at the Abbey are friendly, helpful and efficient and make it a positive experience and a pleasure to attend sessions. And I should possibly point out that I am not a spring chicken but in my mid fifties and I suggested to Bridget and the Clinic that I am a really good advert for just what they can do.

Jennifer Douglas
England Tomorrows Achievers Coach