Sally Lygo

BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, BSc Sport and Exercise Science

Sally has more than 20 years’ experience of treating sports injuries, first as a sports therapist and later as a physiotherapist. She has been helping sportspeople from grassroots level right up to working with top-level professional rugby teams in Britain.

During her military career she was inter alia the Officer in Command of the Rehabilitation Centre at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, one of the most prestigious officer training establishments in the world. She has also worked in Britain’s National Health Service, specialising in trauma and orthopaedics.

Working with such varied patients over the years has exposed Sally to a wide range of conditions. “It is important to establish an accurate diagnosis at the outset in order to ensure a timely recovery,” she says.

Working in the military and pitch side has given her solid experience of dealing with acute traumatic injuries, but she has also dealt with the likes of people who have had back pain for 20 years.

“My experience has really made me assess what makes a patient tick, what their real issues are, and how to overcome them together, whether that be the injury itself, the fear or injury, or persistent pain. I pride myself on taking a holistic approach, helping my patients move forward with their physical and mental wellbeing,” Sally says.

“Whether you are 80 and have had a hip replacement or 18 and want to play high level, my approach is the same: Finding out what is important to you and working out how we can move forward by breaking down any barriers to recovery.”

Sally has always led an active lifestyle, horse-riding and running while growing up. She has represented her region in cross country and athletics, but her main sport was rowing, in which she represented Great Britain for several years.

On a recreational level, she has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro – at 5,895 m / 19,341 ft the highest mountain in Africa. She has also cycled the 1,407 km Land’s End to John o’ Groats route, from mainland Britain’s south to its northernmost point.

Now she likes to keep fit by enjoying CrossFit, running, and Hyrox. “I know what it means to be fit, but also just to be healthy. I have had multiple injuries over the years, and they are not fun and really interfere with everyday life. Having two children under three and a bad back is quite challenging!”