Testimonials
My new year resolution was to be more mobile, get fit and active. (Whose isn't??) However with arthritis in my back and feet, together with both hips and knees having been replaced, I was not walking well.
I connected to the concept of Movement for Life as soon as I saw it in Simon's newsletter and subsequently enrolled. For 6 months, Simon and Inger have supervised my set of exercises, upgraded them as necessary and encouraged me throughout. They were at pains not to overstretch. They have insisted on the need to do them every day and managed to instill a discipline of that in my daily life, that I will now continue. I am walking much better, I am more balanced and believe I can make further improvement.
You pay for Movement for Life of course but like Weightwatchers principle, that makes you keep up your investment. I am glad I made the investment.
Margaret Tapper - September 2011
Hi Simon,
I am delighted to write my experiences of the Movement for Life Programme.
I initially contacted you experiencing stiffness in the mornings in my hips/lower back. This would ease over the morning and I have always been fit and active. I attributed the stiffness to increasing age and had not been too concerned about it, until I noticed my mother (who seemed to have similar symptoms) becoming almost totally immobile.
Your initial diagnosis was that there was some structural issues that would significantly worse over time and that I really needed to get my posture and walking technique right or I would have long term significant pain and mobility problems.
Since then I have attended the clinic or the gym with yourself or Inger a couple of times per week. If there have been any pain or tightness, a gym session might start in the physio room and then move to the gym. I have particularly enjoyed this flexibility in the programme. In addition to this I have been doing exercises at home on the days where I have not attended the gym, or had an unsupervised visit to the gym. Generally this has taken about 30 minutes per day.
I love Simon and Inger's approach to holistic care of the body. They search for the root cause of pain and not just treat the initial pain area. While on this programme they have treated other injuries as part of the deal and could not have been more encouraging and caring of me. I am making good progress towards being pain-free and am definately much stronger and fitter.
Kind regards,
Pippa Styles - August 2011
I'm in my mid 50's and have suffered back problems since my teenage years. I had a spinal fusion operation some five years ago and I believed I would never fully recover from it, especially as other areas of my spine are compromised. My posture was poor and I have always been a bit overweight. I knew I had to do something about my situation and finally, last August I enrolled at a classy, state of the art gym and engaged a personal trainer to help me gain the strength and flexibility I so dearly sought. I saw this as an essential thing to do as I approach older age. I worked out regularly with my trainer but I was pushed too hard and consequently had various issues with joint pain, neck injury, shoulder problems, hip (bursitis) pain etc etc. December last year I met with Simon at Remuera Physiotherapy to find out more about the Fit for Movement Programme (Egoscue™). I was impressed by his positive and determined approach to managing my issues with gentle exercises and posture improvement. Within 3 months I was pain free and moving more easily. My regular sessions with Inger ensure my technique is correct and keeps me on track.
Focussing on these specific exercises has given me the ability to walk daily and engage in more energetic activities generally. My short term goal is to take up jogging and to be able to participate in the various 'Fun Walks' that Auckland has to offer. My long term goal remains the same; to gain strength and flexibility in my older age. I now feel I am well on the way to achieving this goal thanks to the care and quiet determination of a passionate Egoscue tutor.
Christine Allwood - August 2011
Simon and Inger, thank you for giving me your holistic, in-depth experience and support during these past few months. Your team approach has been so invaluable.
Simon your analysis of my aches and pains was comprehensive and the stretches and exercises you gave me have been so easy to do, whether in your Gym with Inger or in a hotel room!! Inger thank you for your patient approach to making sure I performed the exercises correctly. It is so easy NOT to do it to maximum benefit!!
These past 2 months, I have skied a lot and slept comfortably , thanks to your help!!!!
Name withheld at client's request - August 2011
My Experience with Egoscue™: I have been a competitive athlete & sport mad for all of my life, however about 3-4 years ago I started having issues with my calf muscles’ primarily during running. I had also developed a sore knee & shoulder and needed to see a chiropractor once every few months to ensure I didn’t get a stiff neck. I had additionally noticed that my balance on my left leg was terrible compared to my right side. I spent a small fortune, and a lot of time on physiotherapy, chiropractor manipulation, massage & strengthening exercises. None of this treatment did anything but relieve symptoms for a short period. I was starting to think that I was simply just getting ‘old’ and might not be able to run anymore. I was also at the point where I was nervous to do many activities incase I injured myself. One day whilst doing a small run with a friend it was noted that my right foot was pointing outward whilst running. I did some research about what exercises I could do to rectify this. This is when I came across an Internet site talking about ‘Egosue™’ exercises. I did some further research and brought a book titled ‘ Pain free’ from the Internet outlining the exercises & philosophy. After reading the book and trying some of the exercises I thought it would be good to talk with someone locally about it. This is when I discovered Simon at Remuera physio. Simon's treatment started with a body alignment assessment. It turned out that I was literally crooked. Simon set me a program of stretches & exercises to straighten me out. What came next took me totally by surprise, within 2 weeks I was running again, pain free. My right leg had started straightening up. Over the following 4 months we gradually refined the series of stretches & exercise I was doing to get rid of any niggling aches & pains. I can now honestly say that I feel 10 + years younger, I can run, I get no shoulder discomfort at the gym, my knee doesn’t hurt and my neck feels perfect. This weekend I just completed the first 18km run I have done in years & am now getting mad thoughts about doing a 60km race. I have no doubts that I will now be very active for a long, long time to come. I just feel so good. I do not believe there is anyone who would not benefit from the Egoscue™ techniques that Simon teaches. Regards,
Richard - February 2011
On the first visit, Simon questioned me on the complaint, how long I had been experiencing the pain, what treatment I had received, x-rays and scans etc.
He examined my posture, the way I walked and various other posture movements.
He then worked out a strategy plan best suited to my situation.
To start, he showed me several exercises he wanted me to practise and printed them out for me to follow at home. He put them in folder and asked that I bring them with me each time I visited. Over the following weeks he added more exercises to the list.
The facilities are well-equipped and professionally run.
However, it comes down to you to put in the required work and exercises to improve your present condition.
He also initially tests your body muscle strength and records it on your personal exercise programme file. He can then gauge your progress on subsequent visits.
Simply put, if you don’t do the exercises, you don’t make any progress.
Personally I have never enjoyed exercising, but under Simon’s encouragement, much progress has been achieved.
In myself, I feel far stronger and have built up much needed muscle tone which I had lost as I compensated for the pain and tried to walk differently to reduce the pain which only served to increase the problem.
Name withheld at client's request - February 2011 I came to Simon after finally giving in with putting up with pain while running and after running and playing netball. The straw that broke the camels back was the Auckland Half Marathon in 2010 – where afterwards I could hardly walk as my calf muscles were so tight. A colleague of mine recommended I make an appointment with Simon and I could tell from my first consultation with him that he knew his stuff and was dedicated to getting me back running. In February 2011 I was finally able to start running again with a whole new running style thanks to Simon. It was a hard 3 months not being able to run, but Simon had faith from the beginning and promised me I would be back running without the pain. The work Simon did with me was fantastic, each consultation he would check my flexibility and movements. Any areas that needed work on he would get me out in the gym doing exercises/stretches and also running for short periods of time on the treadmill. It was really beneficial being able to have him there watching me do them as he would tweak me here and there to ensure I was doing them properly. However the speed of my recovery did largely depend on my discipline and dedication. Simon gave me a raft of stretches and exercises that had to be done daily, some weeks I was spending just over an hour doing everything. However every time I went back to see Simon (which on average was every two weeks) he would comment on the changes he saw which was a huge motivator to continue on. He would also change the stretches around or add new ones in to ensure I was targeting the right areas.
Since I have started back running I can say hand on heart – it has been pain free! I must confess, when I am running now I have Simons voice in the back of my head reminding me of the things I need to focus on ‘lean forward, power through with your thighs’. My running buddies have commented on my new running style being far better. There is still more work to be done and I think I will be doing some key stretches for the rest of my life – but from where I was at to now is amazing.
I would recommend the work Simon does to anyone who experiences pain during or after any form of exercise. He knows his stuff and has certainly made a huge change in me!
Kaylene - March 2011 After almost twenty years of a back that continued to behave as badly as John McEnroe, I was resigned to growing old not being able to beat my kids at golf, tennis or any other general physical activity. Having tried Physios, Chiros, Doctors, Specialists and Osteos – I was starting to run out of options (and hope).
So out of some forlorn hope, my wife bought me a Gift Voucher for some specialist Remuera Physio, at a Charity Auction.
Fair to say – “here we go again” I thought BUT
Two months later, a weekly appointment and some prognosis about how to fix this – I was given ideas and solutions that I had never had before
So were we about to make a break though? Damn right
Today I feel consistently better than I have for more than two years, I spring out of bed, I smash a golf ball and I have no lingering niggly pain and I feel great
It has taken some work – up to an hour of exercises most nights– but you don’t seem to mind that when you can see and feel the results.
So yep – you have to do some work but for the first time in years I feel that I have met a guy who has correctly diagnosed my injury and worked to fix it (what were all the other so called specialists doing!!!)
So I’ve just had my 50th birthday, my Tennis and Golf has improved big time(but so have my boys unfortunately) and I feel that I now know what causes my back problems, and sure, it’s early days yet- but I’m pretty confident that I’m on the right track
So thanks to Simon – he listened, looked and worked me out and I’m incredibly great full for the progress so far.
So what next? – I tell everyone that this guy called Simon Klippel at Remuera Physiotherapy is pretty damn good.
Gary Wilton - December 2010 Clifford copes with Parkinson’s and has severe shoulder issues.
Having significant aches and pains and posture that was getting progressively worse, I decided to see if physiotherapy could improve my condition.
I found a website for Remuera Physiotherapy which claimed chronic pain could be eliminated.
Treatment consisted of gentle exercises called Egoscue™ Exercises. From the first treatment my posture was dramatically improved. After the second day most of my niggling aches and pains were easing.
I’m in the second week of a six week course and I am excited about the overall improvement I am experiencing.
C.J.H. Smith - November 2010 Egoscue™ has finally given me some relief to back problems that have nagged me for the last 10 years. 20 years of playing in the front row had left my back in a fair bit of trouble. A lower back injury 10 years ago put pay to my Rugby and started to really limit what I was able to do sporting wise whether playing, coaching or teaching. I have tried every treatment possible. I have tried standard physiotherapy on numerous occasions, visited a chiropractor, acupuncture for well over a year, I even had a highly regarded physiotherapy back specialist tell me that there was nothing else he could do for me. All of these gave temporary relief but didn’t seem to fix the problem, only lessen the symptoms for a short time, before the pain would return while I was running, jumping or trying to show the Year 9 or 10 students how to do a cartwheel, and then I was back to square one. Egoscue™ made sense and I can’t believe more physiotherapists aren’t using this method. It focuses on the cause of problems not the symptoms that arise from the problem. Simon gave me exercises that I initially thought had nothing to do with my back, I was used to physiotherapists using massage or needles in their treatment of me. Simon focused on the reason my back was sore and after the very first session I was seeing huge benefits. Now I have been able to return to all sport that I enjoy, and have an on going maintenance programme which I will do to make sure I never go back to how I was. Egoscue™ makes sense, why wouldn’t you focus on what was causing the problem rather than managing the symptoms? Daniel Mitchell, Kings' College - October 2010