Physiotherapy in Darley Abbey – Sports Injury & Massage Clinic Near Derby

Rachel set up Impact in 2000 and has loved 25 years of working within a great team.

As well as her commitments with Impact Physio, Rachel works with the Sport Rehabilitation & Physiotherapy undergraduates at The University of Nottingham as an Assistant Professor.

We’re delighted to offer opportunities for these students from Nottingham as well as The University of Derby Sports Therapy students who support us every year at our local events, the Robin Hood Half Marathon and the Derby 10k raising funds for local charities and good causes.

Chris has been part of our team since 2010. He has a holistic approach to patient-centred care and an interest in lifestyle medicine.
His clinical role includes working as a Musculoskeletal First Contact Practitioner within the Erewash Health Primary Care Hub.

He is a Tai Chi, Qigong and Yoga teacher, also a certified Barefoot Movement Coach. Chris is trained in a variety of rehabilitation and manual therapies, also providing some complementary therapies to support wellbeing, including Reflexology, CranioSacral Therapy and Indian Head Massage.

In his spare time, he also enjoys stand-up paddle boarding, trail running and open water swimming.

“I like to understand the mechanisms which prevent an injury from recovering and use a variety of treatment techniques to correct any contributing factors, whilst targeting the source of the pain.”

Alan is based at both our Long Eaton and Derby Arena clinics and also part of our FCP team, based at Littlewick Medical Centre.

After qualifying as a chartered physiotherapist in 1999 Alan spent the best part of 15 years in the NHS covering a variety of specialities before settling into out-patient work in GP practices in Leicester. He spent over 10 years in the GP physio team, becoming Clinical Team Lead before relocating to Derby and to private practice.

In recent years Alan has worked in Occupational Health teams around the East Midlands focussing on keeping staff fit and working, or assisting them to return to work as soon as possible. He has a side-interest in performing arts medicine. Alan now works with us full-time at Impact, part of our FCP team and in clinic.

Based in Long Eaton & Pride Park offering physio and Pilates, Fiona is also currently studying a masters degree at Keele. Fiona also offers acupuncture for pain relief as part of her treatment.

Fiona qualified from Newcastle upon Tyne School of Physiotherapy in 1983 and then worked in Australia specialising in sports injuries and back and neck problems.

She worked at the Nottingham City Hospital as a senior before heading into private practice and joining Impact Physio in 2007.

Fiona is also a qualified Pilates Instructor at Pilates Body and performs acupuncture for pain relief.

“I enjoy updating my skills and relish a challenge”

Gregor graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy and specialises in MSK injuries and conditions.

Gregor comes from a background of competing internationally in Triathlon and applies his knowledge of elite sports with relevant patients. Since graduating, as well as working in the NHS Gregor has worked in a wide variety of sporting environments including premier league hockey and supporting international ultra-marathons with swimming clubs.

Alongside working Gregor is also completing a master’s degree in advanced clinical practice MSK management, which is widening his knowledge of assessment and treatment methods.

Improving the quality of life and self-management of pelvic health problems is of paramount importance to me. I know the impact pelvic health problems can have on your overall well being, so there’s no greater satisfaction when I’m able to share my knowledge and experiences to help you take back control.

With over 16 years of experience in this specialist field, I am able to treat a large range of pelvic health conditions. My specialist interests lie within chronic pelvic pain and lower bowel dysfunction. I also work for the NHS for Leicester Pelvic floor Service, a specialist functional bowel clinic, and teach fellow Physiotherapists Nationally on the POGP lower bowel dysfunction course.

Since graduating from the University of Keele (2003) with a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy, I attained a Post Graduate Certificate in ‘Continence for Physiotherapists’ from the University of Bradford (2011). More recently, in 2025, I attained an Internship with University of Lincoln completing a research project relating to bowel incontinence management.

Sheridan qualified in 2007 and completed Junior Rotations at Royal Derby Hospital including Trauma and Orthopaedics, Elderly Medicine. Stroke and Outpatient Physio.

It was after completion of the MSK (Musculoskeletal) Outpatient rotation that she knew this was her passion and has worked within the NHS ever since progressing to her current Enhanced Physiotherapy Practitioner in MSK Triage and also working in FCP (First Contact Practitioner) in local GP surgeries.

She has completed several post graduate qualifications including Masters modules in Radiology and Advanced Clinical Practice and FCP qualifications.

Sheridan also teaches Pilates and is APPI trained.

She has been a very sporty person all her life, she currently plays club level hockey and has completed the London Marathon and also several triathlons.

Pete is a physio with over 20 years experience, he has spent most of his career working in a musculoskeletal setting for the NHS.

Pete has also worked in a variety of sports settings. He worked with us originally setting up our service at the University of Derby.

He then moved to The University of Nottingham working with our colleagues at the Sports Injury Clinic for a few years. Pete has also worked in Occupational Health and recently finished working as a First Contact Physiotherapist in a GP practice.

Currently Pete’s main role is in a Chronic Pain Team, working with people with long term and often very debilitating pain, as well as assessing patients referred to the Spinal Interface Service. Pete has recently rejoined our team to offer a clinic on a Monday night in Long Eaton, Home Visits in the Nottingham area and is part of our Pilates team.

In his spare time, he is a grassroots football coach (with his son’s team), and if he’s not ferrying his kids around to various sporting activities, he will be out running with his running group (or the dog).

I have a specialist interest in hand therapy and am aware of the importance that being able to use our hands independently has on our level of function.

I qualified with a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy from the University of Birmingham in 1996. I have worked in the NHS since then, initially at QMC in Nottingham.

After completing the core rotations at QMC I then worked as a locum at various locations for 2 years before starting as a rotational MSK physiotherapist at LRI in Leicester in 2002. I have worked in the MSK outpatients department at LRI for 2 years and then specialised in hands, burns and plastics in 2004.

I am still based at LRI as a clinical specialist in hands, burns and plastics. I am qualified to use acupuncture and have also completed many courses in hand therapy. I am keen to use my specialist knowledge in upper limb pathologies to provide a valuable service. Due to the links with plastic surgery I am also interested in post op care for those following breast reconstruction after a mastectomy and also in care and rehab following neck dissection for head and neck cancer.

George comes from a background of competing internationally in Rowing. He has a keen interest in endurance based activities and uses this knowledge in relevant patient groups.

George graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BSc (hons) in Physiotherapy. Since graduating George has worked mainly in the NHS in a range of settings. This has given him experience with providing excellent care to patients with upper limb and spinal, lower limb, rheumatological and post operative problems.
George is a keen advocate for always utilising a holisitic approach to treatment and patient experience.

George is passionate about helping people get increasingly active and working collaboratively with patients of all levels in order to achieve their personal goals.

Toby graduated from the University of Nottingham with a 1st class BSc (Hons) in Sport Rehabilitation and MSc in Sport and Exercise Medicine. He joins the clinic as a Graduate Sport Rehabilitator and Sports Massage Therapist, with a strong interest in injury rehabilitation and athletic performance.

His degree included training in soft tissue therapy, allowing him to practise at and beyond the level of a Level 4 Massage Therapist through his BASRaT registration. Toby also offers sport injury assessment and treatment and 1:1 strength and conditioning sessions at our Long Eaton clinic.

He has worked with the Nottingham Panthers’ medical team as well as the University of Nottingham Rugby Union and Hockey teams. He currently also works with the Notts County Football Club Academy.

With a sporting background in football and futsal, and having run the Robin Hood Half Marathon, Toby brings his personal insight into injury management taking a person-first approach to his practice.

Sara graduated from Brunel University in 2007 with a BSc in Sports Technology, she moved to Loughborough and completed a MSc in Sports Biomechanics in 2009.

She has since qualified in Sports and Remedial Massage Therapy level 5 and is a full member of the Institute of Sports and Remedial Massage, ISRM.

Jo qualified in Complementary Medicine in 2002, gaining a distinction in anatomy, physiology, pathology and massage at ITEC diploma level.

Jo has lectured in an array of Complementary Therapy modalities (Remedial Massage, Lymphatic Drainage, Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Pregnancy Massage, Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology) for nearly 25 years in further education and private academies and as a practitioner working in various clinics and her own practice.

Jo has extensive knowledge of working in emergency medical dispatch for the Ambulance Service managing staff and emergency care and helping staff as a TRiM (Trauma risk incident management) Practitioner for nearly 10 years with a focus on person-centred care.

Jo’s passion, experience and knowledge is looking at how stress, anxiety, burnout and tension affects the body’s system especially muscles, lymphatic, nervous and hormonal systems.

Jo practises an array of techniques and therapeutic modalities from: deep tissue, MET (muscle energy techniques), pressure point release, lymphatic drainage and, nervous and hormonal homeostasis. Jo enjoys helping people feel and move better than when they came in and is passionate about making a difference to the health and holistic well-being of the people she treats.

Rachel offers visits to the home for those who are unable to attend our clinics and also is based part-time at our Long Eaton site.

Rachel graduated from Cardiff University in 2000. Since qualifying she has worked within both the NHS and private sector to treat musculoskeletal conditions, this has allowed her to gain a wealth of experience when treating people with a variety of conditions. She currently works treating musculoskeletal conditions in an out patient setting and rehabilitating people post injury / post operatively both immediately in a ward setting and in an out patient rehabilitation gym.

In recent months she has taken these skills and is able to offer home base domiciliary treatment for those people that would prefer treatment in the comfort of their own home.

Maya is a Chartered HCPC registered Physiotherapist, her experience as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist for the last five years has allowed her to handle a wide array of patient cases, honing her assessment and management techniques as well as previously gaining experience in a wide range of settings in the NHS to ensure she is a well rounded clinician.

Maya is dedicated to providing the highest standard of care, regardless of the injury, illness, or condition. She tailors her approach to meet each patient’s unique goals, whether it’s achieving a pain-free life, managing a chronic condition, improving function, enhancing fitness, changing lifestyle habits, or returning to high-level sports.  Her clients frequently commend her for being thorough, kind, and skilled.

Maya’s rehabilitation strategies are personalised to ensure long-term benefits, focusing on restoring pain-free function, preventing injuries, and managing chronic conditions.

Maya utilises a combination of manual therapy, spinal manipulation, medical grade acupuncture and massage techniques to reduce pain in the short term as well as exercise therapy utilising her knowledge as a physiotherapist, physiotherapy Pilates instructor and a level 2 qualified fitness instructor to ensure long term relief from pain.

Maya is confident and competent to take on any case but has a particular interest for pelvic health, post- trauma rehabilitation, returning sports personnel to their sport, tendinopathy management and aiding post surgical patients to return to full function.

Outside of her professional life, Maya enjoys playing field hockey for a local club, strength training in the gym, spending time with friends and family, and indulging in her passions of travelling, cooking, and fashion.

With Maya, you’re in good hands, ensuring a holistic and tailored approach to your physiotherapy needs.

Mariangela is a qualified Hatha Yoga instructor with a 15-year teaching experience.

Mariangela practised initially in Italy as an Iyengar Yoga instructor, highlighting her attention to alignment and precision during the practice. She came over to England and joined our team 6 years ago.

Mariangela has always thought that Yoga shouldn’t be only for an “elite”, but it should be integrated in everyone’s everyday life. Therefore, she worked for 15 years to bring Yoga in schools (from nursery to high school) and to seniors, making sure that the practice was fit for each person and adapted to everyone’s needs. In her years of teaching, she has learned to help people overcoming physical issues (backache, joint pains etc.) and the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

She also worked on the athletic training of junior and master swim team for UISP (Italian Sport Union) in Orvieto.

“I believe that a strong bond between teacher and pupils is the foundation of a successful class, so I’m always eager to establish a connection with my students.”

Danni is an experienced physiotherapist in musculoskeletal physiotherapy with experience in treating spinal pain, arthritis and rheumatological complaints, chronic pain, hand injuries, women’s health, sports injuries and post-operative rehabilitation.

She has worked both in the private sector and in the NHS and is confident in working with specialist consultants, General Practitioners and other health professionals.

She has completed her Masters degree in musculoskeletal physiotherapy and her MACP (Musculoskeletal Association Chartered Physiotherapists) registration.

Pilates

Danni offers Pilates mat work classes at Long Eaton. She combines a masters qualification in Physio with special interest in pain management with Pilates exercise for those who prefer not to use the large Pilates equipment.

“For patients under my care, I have a sensitive approach to your needs but will set realistic goals in conjunction with your aims of physiotherapy to achieve the best results possible.”