Shoulder rehabilitation and an elite climber’s recommendation

Shoulder rehabilitation can be complex, especially in over head athletes and climbers who put their shoulders through the grind day in day out. Although Ellie treats all musculoskeletal conditions, she has a specific clinical interest in shoulder rehabilitation within the context of functional movement patterns – so it’s easy to see why she loves working with climbers as their sport lends itself to whole body rehabilitation approaches!

Her interest isn’t just casual, she is actively involved in research and is currently the lead author on a pending publication regarding the role of the kinetic chain in shoulder rehabilitation.  When it comes to the shoulder – as with all conditions – making the patient’s personal and sporting demands and goals central to rehabilitation planning is key and it’s feedback like this which makes this approach so worthwhile.

“Ellie’s expert care and knowledge got me back climbing after three shoulder operations. I’ve had treatment from several physiotherapists (all of them good) due to the surgeries, Ellie however is exceptional and came along at just the right time. I met Ellie after shoulder operation number three and was finding it hard to imagine climbing ever again. Ellie set me back on track with an excellent and achievable rehabilitation programme. She is both professional and creative, and adapted the exercises to take into account climbing movement. Ellie has an innate talent for knowing when to push on and when to take a step back during a rehabilitation programme. Her expert eye ensured I was doing all the exercises correctly and I always left our sessions with the confidence to do the exercises on my own at home. It is thanks to Ellie that I returned to climbing again.”

Becky McGovern, Rock Climber

Altius leading the way in upper limb and sports specific rehabilitation by working with the best shoulder specialists and having Ellie Richardson on board brings even more experience to our amazing team.