Meet Nicola – Clinical Skill & Outdoor Energy
I am Nikki, a Physiotherapist at Bank On Movement in Hope, Derbyshire.
I had always been fascinated by Human Biology when I was at school and increasingly so when I became very involved in competitive running as a teenager. It was not routine to see private physiotherapists then and it was not until I was heavily engaged in running training at Loughborough University and trying to adopt the same training schedules as some of England’s top athletes that I found out what shin splints were and realised that such things as orthotics (or orthoses) and physiotherapy clinics existed. I had found that GPs seemed to give very general advice on improving fitness or waiting to grow out of the problem. Consultant referrals seemed to result in offers of invasive treatment that would put me out of action for a while. What I actually wanted was to carry on being active without a pause. I was impressed by the interest the physiotherapists showed and the fact that they would give me hands-on treatment there and then and an exercise program for home that remedied the problem and allowed me either to continue training or modify my training slightly rather than give up. I have always been extremely impressed by Physiotherapists and have always seen it as a very positive career.
Different treatment approaches work differently for different patients and problems but I favour a combined hands-on and exercise approach which I have always found to be the most satisfactory. I often like to incorporate other modalities such as shockwave, ultrasound, cupping and acupuncture where this is likely to be effective.
I have worked for this clinic, first under the name of Activ Physiotherapy then under its new rebranded name of Bank On Movement, since early 2025. Now that it is a totally independent clinic, it should be easier to tailor its services to the local community.
After leaving Loughborough University, my main sport was trad rock climbing and I worked mainly teaching outdoor activities and then as an NHS Paramedic until beginning a Physiotherapy degree at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2016, a career I had been contemplating since first beginning sports training in my teens.
Just before my Physiotherapy degree course started, I undertook a Remedial Massage Therapy diploma at the Northern Institute of Massage as I had already decided I wanted to be a very hands-on Physiotherapist and then, after my degree, I briefly worked for the NHS as a Physiotherapist before deciding to move into private practice. During Covid, I returned to my Paramedic career before resuming my Physiotherapy career.
In 2024, I decided that I could treat patients more effectively if I employed acupuncture which is a very effective and complementary adjunct to more traditional treatment so I became qualified in that and it has paid dividends, helping people overcome problems beyond the obvious musculoskeletal ones. I have enjoyed helping people to return to full participation in their sport when overuse, muscle imbalance or traumatic injuries have prevented this. However, at least as important has been treating people either at the clinic or in their own home to enable them simply to carry on enjoying their everyday lives and living independently. It is a much wider-ranging career than I originally realised and one in which I constantly develop my own skills.
Ready to meet Nicola?
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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