18-year-old Maddi is a Trampoline Gymnast, specialising in Double Mini Trampoline (DMT). She is a member of the Senior Women’s Great Britain squad and has a demanding training schedule.
Selected for Team GB at the age of 13, Maddi has competed all over the world. She has won four individual medals and three team golds, including an individual World Age Silver medal in Tokyo in 2019 and Senior European Team Gold in Rimini, Italy, this year.
Earlier this year, Maddi began suffering with pain in her lower back that began to affect her ability to train. Concerned that this would impact her performance in the British Championships in September, she saw Consultant Physiotherapist and Director of Clinical & Rehabilitation Services, Dr. Neil Langridge, at Health Sciences University.
“I had been suffering with lower back pain for a few months. My training schedule can be pretty hard on my body. My back pain had started to affect my training and my ability to compete at my best.”
“I went for my first appointment with Neil in July; he examined me and identified the exact location of the pain. My back was painful on impact, when I landed. We discussed my training and competition schedule – my next major competition was the British Championships in September.
“Neil recommended that I take six weeks of rest from training, to allow time for the inflammation to reduce and the injury to heal. Although time off from training is never ideal, it was necessary if I wanted to be fully fit.
“Neil also referred me for a scan at the upright MRI scanner at Health Sciences University to rule out a stress fracture. Thankfully the MRI showed no stress fracture or any other issues, which was very reassuring.
“I had a follow up session with Neil who gave me advice about ensuring my training schedule allows enough rest and recovery time.”
“When the six weeks was up, I returned to training and started to build up gradually. A couple of bouts of tonsillitis meant I couldn’t train as much as I wanted to in the run up to the British Championships, but I still managed to win fourth place.
“It felt as though there was a lot of support to help me get back to fitness. It is comforting to know that the help is there if and when I need it. It also felt really good to be able to train at full capacity again.”
Neil added: “It’s fantastic to hear that Maddi’s lower back has healed fully and that she is able to train without pain. A big part of rehabilitation for elite athletes can be recommending that they don’t train for a period of time, to allow injuries to heal or inflammation to reduce. It’s never what they want to do, but it can be crucial to regaining full strength. It was also great to see that there weren’t any complicating issues on the results of her MRI scan. I wish her all the best for the future!”
Now that she is back to full strength, Maddi has exciting ambitions for her career:
“The 2023 World Championships will be held here in the UK in Birmingham and it would be amazing to be part of the senior GBR team. I would love to win a team world medal in front of a home crowd. I will be working very hard over the next year to try to secure my place on the team.
“Looking further ahead, I have a long-standing ambition to join the amazing Cirque du Soleil after I finish my competitive career.”
Study rehabilitation at HSU and help people get back to feeling their best. Applicable in a sporting context and in a broader physical health sense, rehabilitation is the science of helping people physically and mentally to get back to living healthy and happy lives.
Our patient stories demonstrate the impact that our students and clinicians in our on-site clinics can have on the lives of patients.
In 2017, Paul Lambert suffered three consecutive strokes and his life changed beyond recognition overnight. He lost the ability to move the left side of his body, experienced constant headaches, and struggled to sleep due to constant pain.
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