Therapist Focus with Physiotherapist Nim Ragbir

Nim Ragbir talks to us about how she came to be a therapist, what inspires her and how she can help other people…..

My name is Nim Ragbir and I am a Chartered Physiotherapist. I have been a health professional since 1998. Yes, for those who have done the maths, that is a long time.

My inspiration to become a health professional came from being injured on a tube train and, more importantly, the treatment I received. This injury completely changed my life.

What happened? The train was packed with early morning rush hour commuters. It hit an emergency brake and came to a sudden stop which caused those who were standing to fall. Some of them fell on to me. I was also standing but couldn’t move my feet so as they fell and I took their weight I twisted my spine resulting in a lower back and pelvis injury.

Why is this good for you? I know what you are going through… The experience of going through years of recovery from my injury has given me an amazing amount of knowledge and empathy. I know what it is like to live with pain, to have life impacted as a result of an injury that has gone from an acute to a chronic stage, to not be able to do basic movements, to be depressed and frustrated, to not want to do exercise programs, to gradually change my perspective, and to come out on ‘the other side’ free of injury and pain…

It took four years to completely recover from my injury. I am totally better now, even better than I was before my injury both physically and mentally, but it was a challenging time. I had a few therapists help with my recovery, all of whom I am eternally grateful to. I saw an Osteopath, a Chiropractitioner, a Sports and Remedial massage therapist, and a Physiotherapist. Without their input at key times I know my recovery would have taken a lot longer.

What happened next? I was totally inspired to help people the way I had been helped. Once recovered I immediately changed my career path from being a support worker in a day care centre to being a health professional. I trained as a massage therapist, then as a sports and remedial massage therapist before progressing on to Physiotherapy.

How does this help you? I have combined the knowledge and empathy I gained through my recovery with the knowledge and experience gained as a health professional. This has given me a greater understanding of injuries and rehabilitation, and a tendency to have a holistic approach to treatment as, we all know, the mind and body are very connected.

Over the years I have worked with a range of people with various backgrounds and conditions, and a variety of organisations including the NHS, MS Action, Mind, Community Health projects, and private clinics.

My experience taught me a very important lesson in that with the help of others we can be motivated to improve our lives however small the changes are. I am here to help you … let’s get motivated!

We have Nim or to know more about physiotherapy or remedial massage