Karen – Your Outdoor-Loving Sports & Health Therapist with Energy to Spare
I began my journey in Sports Therapy in 2006, training with Active Health Group in Manchester, where I continue to study each year and am currently completing their Integrated Health Coaching programme. Now a Level 5 Sports & Rehab Therapist, I draw on a wide range of therapies — including Pain Therapy, Stroke Survivor Rehabilitation, Movement Therapy and Health Coaching — to support clients of all ages and abilities. My practice is built on experience, continuous learning, and a genuine passion for helping people move well and live without pain.
Living in the Peak District means I work closely with runners, cyclists and outdoor athletes who rely on their bodies to perform and recover. I also support the older generation in staying mobile and pain‑free, help workers manage back and neck tension, and work with stroke survivors as they rebuild strength, coordination and confidence. Whether someone is struggling with stiff joints, tight muscles, injury recovery or simply wants to improve their health and fitness, my goal is always the same: to help them feel better in their body.
Before becoming a therapist, my life was shaped by adventure, endurance and movement. After leaving school, I trained as a water‑sports and ski instructor, spending eight years travelling the world and even running my own business in France. My love of cycling evolved from touring to mountain biking, leading me into triathlons and the Polaris Challenge, where I discovered a talent for endurance and navigation.
At 28, I became a full‑time firefighter with Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade, competing internationally in mountain biking and earning podium places at European and World Firefighter Championships. I later represented Team GB in the Camel Trophy in Mongolia — the only British woman ever to do so — before moving into event work, team selection coordination, and eventually organising the Polaris Challenge.
Sport has remained central throughout my life: adventure racing, ultra‑running, UTMB, the UK Ultra Grand Slam, Gran Fondo road racing for Team GB, Audax ultra‑distance cycling, Everesting, and countless Peak District challenges. These experiences shape how I understand movement, resilience and recovery.
Today, I bring all of this — the therapy, the sport, the coaching, the lived experience — into helping people feel stronger, healthier and more capable in everyday life.
Ready to meet Karen?
If you’d like to know more about Karen’s services, see her website.
And if you'd like to find out how the team at Bank on Movement could help you move better, feel stronger and get back to the things you enjoy, we'd love to hear from you.
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