When I was 16 and starting to make my career choice, my mother suggested I would make a good Physio. Like all teenagers the moment my mum suggested something I dismissed it. On her 50th birthday my brothers and I gave her the ‘bumps’ and as a result she developed a ‘frozen shoulder’! I went with her to her Physiotherapy appointments and was soon fascinated and totally sold on Physio for my career.
I started Physio on the River way back in 1993. I worked as a Physio in the NHS for the first 13 years of my career but quickly became tired of the red tape and impersonal nature of the work.
I had always wanted to run my own business. Driving through Barnes one day I commented to my husband how much I would like to set up a clinic in Barnes. I’d observed what a community feel the village had and also how blessed the area is with sporting facilities and outdoor spaces.
My monthly Physio journal always featured one or two clinics for sale but they could be anywhere in the country. The very next month – a tiny clinic behind River House in Elm Bank Gardens was advertised for sale – and hence Physio on the River (or Barnes Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic as it was called back then) was born! It seemed that fate had played a part.
It was a great starting point for my clinic and after 12 years I was ready to expand to much larger premises and moved to The Old Ticket Office in 2005. My husband, Andrew, bought me a whole year’s worth of flowers to get me started!
What really gives me a buzz is working in a community where I often see all members of one family and have got to know them over a long period of time. Some clients have brought families up alongside my own family’s journey and it’s that personal connection that makes working in private practice so much fun.
It’s also a deeply rewarding role. No two clients are the same and there is nothing like being able to help someone to recover after pain or injury.
I’ve now grown my team to 20 with the aim of gathering together in one place all the different skills and therapies necessary for rehab and promoting good physical health.
We feel very privileged to help those in our local area improve their fitness and recover from set backs.
Barnes village is very much a community and its inhabitants reflect all stages of life from young families to professional workers and those who have retired. Our clinic aims to provide all the services of a family practice – catering for serious and leisure sports players, office workers, mums, teenagers and senior citizens.
What is special about Physio on the River?
- We put great store on the calibre of our staff – going to great lengths to find practitioners who are both highly qualified but also with years of experience behind them.
- Our treatments are based upon up to date research and evidence where available.
- We feel that customer care is very important and we try to be friendly, welcoming and approachable. Where possible we go the extra mile for our clients because we genuinely care about their progress and results.
- In 2012 we were voted ‘most loved Physiotherapy clinic in Richmond Borough’ through a campaign run by The Best of Richmond. In March 2020 we will have been serving the people of Barnes for 27 years!
Our breadth of services and the great communication we have between our practitioners means that we can give you a really good, all round joined-up service.
