A centre of excellence...
Employing cutting-edge physiotherapy and hydrotherapy practise, our carefully appointed team of experienced health professionals will offer a bespoke care plan designed to restore your strength and mobility at the earliest opportunity.
Recharge your batteries
Let us guide you through a personalised rehabilitation programme that includes up to two treatments per day – one physiotherapy and one hydrotherapy – available everyday.
With a combined total of over 140 years of clinical expertise in orthopaedic, neurological, respiratory, hydro, and trauma-related rehabilitation therapies, our highly-skilled team are focussed on putting you back on the road to recovery ─ restoring your confidence and supporting you every step of the way.
Physiotherapy
Selecting the right blend of physiotherapy treatments, in harness with the correct measure of complementary exercise, will be an important factor in your recovery.
In our dedicated physiotherapy suite with adjoining gym facility, you will find the latest in cutting-edge technology, enabling us to provide the very best in rehabilitative care.
The sophisticated HUR gym equipment works in gentle increments, employing air resistance technique to eliminate unpleasant and unproductive jarring, while the targeted GAME READY ice treatment ─ as used on elite athletes ─ may be utilised to reduce swelling where required.
Additionally, the bespoke outdoor gym space offers a further opportunity to measure progress. Supported by an experienced therapist, patients are guided through a set of achievable challenges comprising a series of slopes, humps, cobbles, uneven steps and a stability mat, representing any possible obstacles to mobility one may encounter on returning home and thereby helping to establish confidence and restore function.
Prehabilitation
Before having your surgery we would like to offer you a personal physiotherapy programme. This will help to prepare you for the surgery as well as reducing the time is takes to recover after surgery.
We can design a programme that focuses on strengthening the muscles around your joint to be operated on whilst also strengthening muscles in your hip, ankle and unaffected leg. Physiotherapy will also include the maintenance of the range of movement in your affected joint and ensuring that it is in an optimal condition to facilitate a more successful surgery.
Hydrotherapy pre operatively is an ideal medium to exercise in when your affected joint is very painful. The warm water off loads painful joints and allows movement and muscle strength to improve with less pain.
This will ensure you are in the best possible place to ensure you are well prepared prior to surgery. We recommend, where possible, this is started at least six weeks prior to your operation date.
And then following inpatient treatment at The Clavadel, you are also welcome to return in an outpatient capacity to continue your treatment, should you wish. These sessions can be booked in blocks of six before you check out.
What are the benefits of Physiotherapy?
- Ice treatment may be employed to reduce swelling.
- Soft tissue massage can reduce post-operative muscle tightness.
- A specially tailored exercise plan assists in the restoration of full joint range and muscle strength.
- Walking practice encourages the body to return to correct patterns of walking, thereby reducing the risk of further injury and future pain.
- Balance work helps to prevent the risk of falls.
Hydrotherapy
Housed in our purpose-built treatment centre, we are proud to be able to offer a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool. Its underwater treadmill, parallel bars, and specialist massage jets help to stimulate movement and assist in recovering mobility.
The pool’s fully adjustable floor may be raised and lowered, thereby enabling walk-in access at poolside level and avoiding the need for a hoist. By lowering the floor, even the tallest user can feel ‘weightless’ as the water relieves pressure on joints. This can then be adjusted as fitness levels improve.
Meanwhile, pool users may feel completely safe in the knowledge that an experienced hydrotherapist will accompany you throughout your treatment, to provide constant guidance, support and assistance.
What are the benefits of Hydrotherapy?
- Warm water heated to 34° assists pain reduction and muscle spasm.
- Reduced weight-bearing through the joints facilitates mobility resulting in an increased range of movements.
- Muscles can be worked harder by employing water resistance.
- Assisted muscle movement is achieved as a result of buoyancy.
Game Ready
A combination of Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE) has long been used to treat acute and chronic injury, and assist in the recovery and rehabilitation after Orthopaedic surgery. By simultaneously delivering both adjustable cold therapy and intermittent compression, the Game Ready system takes the strain out of the two most difficult-to-manage aspects of RICE.
The ‘right stuff’
Developed using NASA space suit technology, professional sportspeople ─ such Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes DBE ─ have experienced the effects of Game Ready first hand, and clinics, military rehabilitation centres and sporting organisations worldwide have come to rely on its positive outcomes.
Now our talented team of physiotherapists have another string to add to their bows, and our clients are coming to recognise why Game Ready is rapidly becoming indispensable on the journey back to good health.
Meet our physiotherapy team
Lead Physiotherapist
Fiona Rushmer
Fiona qualified in 1982 at St Thomas’s Hospital, London. Possessing a wide-ranging experience in management and clinical rehabilitation in both the NHS and the private sector, she also has extensive experience in post-operative orthopaedic rehabilitation, general rehabilitation following multi-trauma, long ITU / hospital stays, and post-fall rehabilitation of the elderly. In addition, Fiona is a respiratory specialist and an enthusiastic hydrotherapy practitioner.
Deputy Lead Physiotherapist
Jane Doherty
Jane qualified in 1984 from Queen Margaret College Edinburgh. She has extensive experience treating orthopaedic and neurological conditions and has worked in rehabilitation of the complex older person, with expertise in falls management.
Physiotherapist
Matthew Setter
Matthew graduated from Bournemouth University in 2010. He has worked in both the NHS and private sector, where he has specialised in orthopaedic rehabilitation since 2018. Matthew’s particular interest is in the use of hydrotherapy in the rehabilitation process.
Physiotherapist
Jane Tomes
Jane qualified in 1985 from Oswestry Orthopaedic Hospital and has since worked across the UK and Canada. With over 30 years of experience in both the NHS and the private sector, Jane specialises in the treatment of pain management and employs acupuncture and hydrotherapy, within a range of treatment options, as part of her holistic approach.
Physiotherapist
Alex Kitsakis
Alex completed his studies in Athens, Greece. Following graduation in 2011, he has worked extensively in both Greece and the UK where he specialises in orthopaedic rehabilitation. Alex also has a particular interest in employing massage during rehabilitation.
Physiotherapist
Ioanna Gkouzouma
Ioanna undertook her training in Greece, where she graduated in 2011. She
proceeded to work in the private sector for the next five years – focusing onsport injuries and orthopaedics – before undertaking a further year of study at the Dr Vodder School International in Austria, whereupon she specialised in treating lymphoedema.
In 2017, Ioanna moved to the UK to resume her work in orthopaedics and
utilise her knowledge of hydrotherapy in helping children with special needs. She joined The Clavadel in 2018.
Physiotherapist
Emma Barraclough
Emma possesses a wealth of clinical experience in acute and community
settings in both the NHS and the private sector.
Specialising in orthopaedic rehabilitation, she also employs her additional
training and experience in the provision of hydrotherapy, falls prevention,
neurological rehabilitation, and clinical Pilates to help clients reach their full potential and achieve personal goals.
Physiotherapist
Rose Mann
Rose attained her qualification at Brunel University in 2003, before spending 10 years with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust where she worked across all disciplines – focusing on orthopaedics, elderly rehabilitation, and amputee rehabilitation.
Since leaving Imperial, Rose has worked in numerous private orthopaedic
hospitals, treating a wide range of elective and complex trauma patients by
employing a holistic approach to rehabilitation in helping patients achieve their maximum potential.
Physiotherapist
Jo Henao
Jo (Joana) qualified in 2006 at Cali University, Colombia and subsequently
specialised in orthopaedic rehabilitation. Her extensive experience – both in Colombia and the UK – encompasses a multi-disciplinary approach that
includes hydrotherapy and acupuncture. Her principal areas of expertise are in orthopaedics and rehabilitation, alongside a keen interest in pain
management.
Physiotherapist
Kirsty Llewellyn
Kirsty qualified in 1996 at Southampton University before beginning her NHS
career in Guildford. She then transferred to private practise via outpatient clinics where she treated a variety of conditions including acute orthopaedic complaints, sports injuries, arthritis, and spinal pain – specialising in manual therapy, exercise prescription and acupuncture.
In 2019, she joined the team at The Clavadel where she has now added
hydrotherapy to her skill set.
Physiotherapist
Katie Macateer
Katie completed her training at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington. Specialising in
musculoskeletal disorders, she has worked in both the NHS and the private
sector treating a wide variety of conditions from orthopaedic joint
replacements to soft tissue injuries.
Over the ensuing ten years, she continued to broaden her knowledge by way
of an extensive range of postgraduate courses, leading to a special interest in
muscle imbalance and training as a Pilates instructor.
You will not regret spending a week in The Clavadel to aid your recovery from surgery or prolonged hospital stay.
Intensive tailored physiotherapy in and out of a custom-built hydrotherapy pool, attentive care, comfortable accommodation and wonderful food, all combine to speed up your recovery greatly. As a surgeon myself and a recent patient, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Your hydrotherapy pool facilities must be state-of-the-art in the UK – certainly it was the main reason I chose The Clavadel … the investment has paid back.
Thank you for an absolutely brilliant stay in your 5 star recovery unit. Your physio and hydrotherapy facilities are excellent and your staff throughout and in every department are so very kind, welcoming and helpful. I did so benefit from my stay.
I would like to say thank you to the nurses, physiotherapists and all staff for ensuring my steady improvement and comfort during my stay. As a result I have been able to manage by myself since my return with the help of my Zimmer frame, crutches and grab sticks. Please pass on my thanks to all involved.