So! After 4ish years of being asked nicely, cajoled and pleaded with by the one and only Tim Button, I have finally found time in my hectic schedule to take a crack at something very dear to all of us at Cleve Chiropractic and Next Step……Tim’s Blog!!
If you have ever heard Tim refer to “Keith the Physio”, well that is me, so Hello from me at last. I have known Tim from the heady days of working with Bath Rugby and then our paths crossed again working together for the London Olympics in 2012. Not long after that, we had a chance meeting and Tim asked me if I knew anyone who could manage and work in his brand spanking new physiotherapy practice that he was building in Mangotsfield. Sometime later I finally understood that was a subtle “Would you like to….” sort of question, and Next Step Exercise & Performance was started. That will be a little over 5 years ago now and many of you will now have heard of or met our wonderful team: Chris – physio and Pilates extraordinaire! Sian – one of the best physios I have had the good luck to work with (and Chris of course!) and what she does not know about feet, particularly those belonging to dancers, is probably not worth knowing. More recently Darren joined us over this summer to help out while I worked pre-season with Bristol Rovers, and we hope to see him again when he finished his prescribing qualification – good luck Darren.
Some of you will know that I have had the honour and privilege to be Head of Medical Services at the mighty Bristol Rovers for the past 3 seasons, and after long chats with my two bosses, Tim and of course Mrs G, we have all agreed that now is the time to leave Rovers and come back to Next Step at this amazingly exciting time now we are moving to our new premises in the very near future. Tim HAS mentioned the new clinic right??! Leaving a Lead position in a professional sports club is never an easy decision, nor can it be taken lightly. When I delivered the news to Graham (manager) and Martyn (CEO) back in May, they gave me their full support and were kind enough to allow me to time my leaving date in order to give the new practice my full attention. For that, I shall always be eternally grateful to them both and wish them and the lads the very best for both this season and all future endeavours.
It is a very exciting time at Next Step and Cleve Chiropractic as we continue to plan for our new clinic and all the opportunities that come with that. Staying in Mangotsfield we will have at 2-3 clinic rooms, so those of you who thought Chris and I were never seen in the same room together meant we COULD be the same person can rest easy. Chris will be continuing his super popular Pilates sessions in the new, larger gym and I am currently twisting his arm about giving us a couple more sessions to satisfy the Pilates minded among you and get rid of the dreaded waiting list for those sessions. We are also looking to start a yoga class so watch this space!
Regular blog readers will have seen the exciting announcement that Luke has joined us from Bristol Rovers, and if you have not yet experienced those talented hands, you should really get booked in to try the treatments that professional athletes take for granted. If you are lucky, Luke might treat you to some of his life experience stories that include competing at World Championships, climbing Kilimanjaro and flying a plane! He really does get about!!
Now we have secured Luke’s hands and banter, he and I will be working hard to bring something new to the Next Step repertoire and indeed new to most of the Bristol area. We intend to start running “Return to Play” rehabilitation on a local sports field in the very near future. In professional sport the bulk of the rehab is done out on the grass, with a ball and some cones and poles, covering distances and at speeds designed to match your actual playing experience. Though we can guide rehab from the treatment cubicle, nothing can beat the “pitchside” experience in both quality of rehab and in getting the athlete ready psychologically for Return to Play. We take it for granted when working in pro sport and now we are planning to bring that experience to you and deliver it locally. We truly believe that this will be a one of a kind service, and if I tell you that this was Luke’s favourite role at Bristol Rovers then you know you will be getting the full Return to Play experience just like the professionals have every day.
In the meantime, I will be helping plan for the new clinic (Tim HAS mentioned the new clinic?) and keep developing our exciting injection service, offering steroid and Durolane joint injections have been a really rewarding new service. Meeting some lovely people who just want to get a head start on their arthritis, impingement or frozen shoulder and so on, it is really a privilege to be able to offer them something that can help straight away and do away with the need for long waits elsewhere.
Well, that is enough for me for one blog, and it has been pretty cool getting to talk to you all instead of reading Tim talking about us for a change. As always, if you are wondering if I or any of the Next Step and Cleve Chiropractic team can help you in any way, then give our fabulous reception team a ring and book in on 0117 957 5388. The new Super combined clinic should be open in October…
