The North Wales Spine Clinic is more than just an individual; it’s a new and advanced total health concept with a whole array of skills aimed at long-term solutions for muscular and skeletal pain. In ‘Our Story’ you wont find personal biographies stating how ‘good’ we are as individuals, our focus is your health not our own ego’s. Experienced health practitioners know it takes a range of different skills to fix complex physical problems like back or neck pain. Any enquires regards accreditation as Registered Healthcare Professionals can be satisfied by reading Our Clinical Focus. As leading clinicians we pride ourselves on quality, not slapdash therapy.
Our story is about growing tired of being offered poor standards, sick of short-term patches and relapses in pain that seem to be the norm today. Ours is a story of determination, tenacity, radical thinking and creation. A story of people who want to offer something new – to be the best they can be!
It all began many years ago with an injury……..
Our Story begins with a member of the Royal Marines Commandos. He had represented the country as a swimmer and played Rugby for North Wales in his youth. After joining the Royal Marines and attaining the Kings Badge for the best all-round Marine during Commando selection he became the Commando Units Welterweight Boxing Champion with 62 undefeated bouts. However whilst working for Special Forces in Arctic Norway he sustained an injury which prevented him walking more than 100 metres without having to stop due to the pain.
This injury was the catalyst for the journey two people went on in search of credible solutions to muscular and skeletal problems. Conventional treatment just didn’t work and no one, no matter how ‘official’ had any answers. He was 22 years of age with a monumental sporting history in a super physical role, yet had no answers as to why he couldn’t walk, was about to lose his job and was housed in the British Military’s largest and best-equipped hospital.
He left the Royal Marines Commandos and began to search for answers as to why he was still in pain and no one seemed to be able to help. Eventually in desperation he tried a Chiropractor. Unsure what to expect in what was then considered an ‘alternative’ approach he found solid examination procedures, a diagnosis and information regarding his future with the injury – a prognosis. This was the first glimmer of progress he had seen since the injury. After some time under treatment he improved considerably, and could now walk for long periods pain free.
He then underwent a 3-year Degree course in Neurology and Psychology at the University of Wales, Bangor searching in earnest with some of the best research in human psychology and physiology for answers. He found that despite the Chiropractic treatment he often relapsed and knew he was causing even more damage when this occurred.
Was this to be his lot? Every six to eight months floored by back pain for the rest of his life? The future looked bleak.
Searching for more solutions he attended a 5-year Medical based Masters course in Muscular and Skeletal Science taught at the world’s premier Chiropractic School – The Anglo-European College of Chiropractic and became a registered Doctor of Chiropractic. Here he found more answers as to why he and many others had ongoing pain destroying their quality of life. However he still recognised the uncatered for chasm in creating a robust muscular and skeletal system that didn’t keep relapsing and cause even more irreversible tissue damage.
Enter the other half of this revolutionary partnership.
The Postural and Corrective Exercise Specialists. She had spent years during her Degree course at Bournemouth University looking at human movement and form and now had the advantage of being the manager of a very busy David Lloyd Health Club. Trained by the world famous National Academy of Sports Medicine and The C.H.E.K Institute for Advanced Exercise Education, world leader in the field of muscular and skeletal rehabilitation – she was at the top of her game. The Ex Marine was a member of her gym and during one wet and windy trip to the Prologue of the Tour de France in Normandy, surrounded by the pomp and splendour of the most difficult sporting event on the planet, the idea of the pain relieving and neurological effects of Chiropractic was combined with the highly skilled ability to investigate the damaging movement patterns of the body and use corrective exercises to change the incorrect way we move for the long term, specifically and carefully taught – no half measures, no paper handouts, just quality for people who wanted to get better for good.
They took this model and left conventional approaches for the history books.
Sports men and women flocked to their clinic and our Ex Marine was a Sale Sharks Official Chiropractor he also worked for the Sale Harriers Athletics Squad. The England Lacrosse Team asked him to be their Chiropractor and they both worked in Consultancy for UK corporates such as The Royal Bank of Scotland, The Royal & Sun Alliance, Deloitte International, Virgin Active Health Clubs, and Bannatyne’s Health Clubs.
They then left the UK and moved to New Zealand where they worked at the Millennium Institute of Sport home of New Zealand’s Olympic Squad along side Drs John and Simon Mayhew the All Blacks and the New Zealand Rugby League side – the Warriors, team Medical Doctors. Whilst in New Zealand they developed their model for injury recovery and future prevention with the help of Alex “Grizz” Wyllie – Ex All Blacks Captain, New Zealand All Blacks National Rugby selector and Coach of the World Champion All Blacks side.
However North Wales was calling them back and as one of our partnership was from the region and they both loved the rock climbing, mountain and road biking that the amazing Welsh highlands had to offer they couldn’t resist any more. They recently returned to open The North Wales Spine Clinic situated in the beautifully restored 1865 Victorian Oxford Arcade on Pant Yr Afon in the town centre of freshly renovated Penmaenmawr where as well as offering relief for injuries and help with joint problems they run in-clinic health educational seminars on:
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The North Wales Spine Clinic is also proud to offer one to one cutting edge personal training at the in-clinic functional training gym and when the weather gets better again ‘Beach Boot Camps’ for those who like to exercise outside and want to get in shape for summer.
Success breeds success they say and in this case it stands as within 3 months of being home The North Wales Spine Clinic is to open the UK’s first Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) in conjunction with Iain Runcie a Professional of 36 years experience and one of Wales only TPI registered Golf Professionals. They are also working closely with Bangor University Occupational Health Officer Joe Patton to help reduce occupational injury in the North Wales area.