Claire Robertson 2015-04-01 Person 5 5 0

I saw Claire initially at the end of 2013 as a result of a very badly swollen knee, an MRI that showed I have very little cartilage left and my knee cap was not aligned correctly. This effectively meant there was bone rubbing on bone in my knee and hence the continual swelling in my knee. I play tennis for GB Veterans so being told by the Dr (that referred me to Claire) it was unlikely I could continue playing tennis at the level I was playing was soul destroying. From the initial appointment Claire was very honest and open with me yet also gave me confidence that if I did what was being asked and focused on continual 'maintenance' I could continue playing ....... just not as often and I had to listen to my body better! After 2 months of correcting the alignment, building up the muscles around the knee cap and ensuring the IT band was as loose as possible (not so easy as it sounds!) I was allowed to start (slowly) playing again. The end result is I successfully made it through playing for GB in the World Team Tennis Championships 45s age group in Florida (April 2014) and more recently Turkey (March 2015). The team won bronze in 2014 and gold in 2015 (first time ever the GB ladies in 45s have won gold!). In 2014 I practiced and played matches 8 days in a row, won 4 out of my 5 matches which included 3 doubles and 2 singles. In 2015 I practiced and played matches 9 days in a row, won 6 out of 6 matches which included 5 doubles and 1 singles. I stuck to all the things you have shown me and really enjoyed playing! So many, many, many thanks for all your help and advice. You showed me how to manage my practice more effectively, be more aware of my knees and how to take the pressure off my knees by using the muscles around them more effectively ...... and it worked!