Winchester physio students help ease the pain for London marathon runners

24 Apr 2023
Line up of four physios in blue t-shirts

Lucky runners in Sunday’s London Marathon went home feeling a lot less sore than they might have done thanks to the efforts of some University of Winchester students.

Four students from the University’s physiotherapy course were on hand to give post-race sports massage as well as offering general recovery advice. 

The students, under the supervision of Liam Newton, manager of the University-run Winchester Health Clinic, had been recruited by the charity Parkinson’s UK which had 200 runners in the race.

As a thank-you to its runners, the charity had set up a massage room in the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms.

Liam said: “The opportunity provided valuable exposure for the students to support individuals who has completed such a fantastic physical challenge. 

“We saw about 70-80 runners and as the day went on and the less-fit started to come in we saw some people who were limping and hobbling.

“Everyone we helped was very appreciative of our efforts and said they felt better for our help.”

You don’t need to run 26 miles to get the benefit of Liam and his team’s help. The Winchester Health Clinic, set up by the University in 2021, provides high-quality physiotherapy assessment and treatment to the local community.

Undergraduate students on the University of Winchester BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy degree programme work alongside Health and Care Professions Council-accredited (HCPC) Physiotherapy practitioners in the Clinic during placements as part of their studies.

The clinic is based at Winchester Sport & Leisure Park in Bar End Road. Bookings for appointments can be made at Winchester-Health.co.uk.

Pictured: The University of Winchester physio team for the London Marathon (from left) Robert Salvi, Liam Newton (Winchester Health Clinic manager), Emily Jones, Sean Thomson and Khushi Pancholi.

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