Guest Teacher
Rachel is offering free initial 20-minute virtual consultations on Wednesday Afternoon/Evenings & Saturday Mornings to discuss how she could help you in the following areas….
Physiotherapy
Are you managing a long term condition without your usual support or is COVID restricting your usual routine? Do you want to join an online or face to face class, but feel you need some 1:1 guidance and advice first?
Work from Home Assessment
We have all had to make changes. Many people are now finding themselves working from home. Many people are also finding themselves with new niggles or old issues resurfacing after hours spent at laptops. Assessment could help:
You can book with Rachel using the appointment calendar on this page or email rachel@connectionsphysio.com to arrange a mutually convenient time to discuss how she can help you.
See Rachel’s video “Pain in a Pandemic” on energyflowfitness.tv
Biography
Rachel is a specialist neurological physiotherapist with 15 years of international, NHS and private sector experience. Working for herself, she loves having the flexibility to work on a range of projects. It means she can offer individuals treatment at duration and frequency which is optimum for them, consult on research projects and contribute to professional networks. Rachel really enjoys collaborating with other professionals, especially Pilates instructors! While living in New Zealand, she worked in a Pilates practice. It was here that she first experienced the real benefits of a combined Physio/Pilates approach by integrating mat work and equipment into her treatment sessions. As a physio and a Pilates enthusiast, Rachel is a huge fan of the energyflowfitness Pilates approach.
Rachel is committed to maximising the potential of the people she works with. She does this using an individualised approach to assessment and treatment, with a focus on movement analysis. She gives time to listen to and understand the person and their needs, not simply the diagnosis and its profile. A thorough assessment identifies movement inefficiencies and what influences them, so together – you can challenge them!
Rachel passionately believes there is potential for positive change whether you have a new diagnosis or are coping with more complex movement challenges. She works with individuals, families and carers to identify problems, provide solutions and achieve goals. This can include modifying aspects of a task or activity or the environment in which it occurs. As such, sessions take place where needed; in the gym, workplace, park, pool, home or care environment.
Rachel treats:
- All neurological conditions including Stroke, MS, Parkinson’s Disease
- Chronic Movement Dysfunction (she loves unpicking long standing, nagging musculoskeletal issues that seem to stop you progressing with activities and exercise)
- Chronic pain presentations
- Functional Movement Disorder
Testimonials
Rachel was recommended to me by Alexandra and Sarah a year into practicing Pilates at the Energy Flow Studio. This past decade I have seen a variety of highly specialist physios and doctors in the UK and in Greece, but Rachel was the first professional to look at my issues in a holistic and integrated way, taking into account my physiology, medical history, exercise regime, and day to day life requirements incorporating work and personal circumstances, all the while also considering my aspirations for what I’d like to achieve. Rachel is an experienced physio who possesses an astute understanding of the human body, experience of working with tricky or covert issues which she is keen to resolve, and great deal of empathy and positive attitude which make her very easy to trust. I would not hesitate to recommend her, and in my experience pairing her sessions with the Pilates studio sessions can achieve wonders.
I saw Rachel after I sprained a muscle in my shoulder. I couldn’t understand why I’d done it at all. I hadn’t been lifting weights and had simply moved my shoulder to remove a light rucksack and was confused. I do regular pilates and my teacher Sarah Hudson-Jones recommended Rachel especially as she does pilates herself. As soon as I met Rachel I liked her. She has an intelligent, kind manner, and talked in depth about her holistic approach to physio and how she believes the nervous and muscular systems are linked – therefore also mind and body. This really spoke to me as I have a long history of chronic back issues and had a spinal fusion eight years ago. My flare ups are caused usually by stress, not physical factors. Rachel understood that – and my personality – immediately. She looked at my shoulder and assessed it was probably to do with the way I held myself posturally in order to try and compensate for my back. This made utter sense. Not only did she then tailor treatment to this effect, she also worked with me and my pilates teacher to ensure I was doing the correct things in my pilates sessions. We had a joint session with Sarah and it was brilliant. I had regular sessions with Rachel for a while but it didn’t take long for my shoulder to return to normal. I have been incorporating her instructions into my pilates sessions since which has really seemed to work. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Rachel and have done to several people since!