Is pain holding you back from doing what you love?
If you’re managing persistent pain, recovering from injury, or navigating a progressive condition like arthritis or Parkinson’s, our physiotherapist at The Ashgrove Clinic gives you a clear path to moving better and feeling stronger.
Physiotherapy is a science-based healthcare profession focused on restoring movement and function when injury, illness, or disability impacts your daily life. It is suitable for people of all ages and can treat a wide range of issues, including sports injuries, back pain, post-surgical recovery, arthritis, and certain neurological conditions. At Ashgrove Health Clinic in Higham Ferrers, our experienced physiotherapist tailors every treatment plan to your unique needs. Techniques may include:
Hands-on therapy to mobilise joints and muscles.
Targeted exercise programmes to build strength, flexibility, and balance.
Postural advice and ergonomic guidance to prevent recurrence of injury.
Your Assessment
Every treatment begins with a systematic, 45-minute assessment:
Clinical history & goals: looking at your symptoms, daily challenges, and what matters most to you. That might be easing constant arthritic pain, returning to sport, or enhancing mobility with Parkinson’s.
Functional movement analysis: you might be guided through activities like sit-to-stand, walking, or balance tasks, to assess how pain or neurological changes impact everyday movement.
Together, we establish a working hypothesis of what’s causing—or maintaining—your symptoms.
If you’re looking for expert physiotherapy in Higham Ferrers, our Chartered Physiotherapist at The Ashgrove Clinic can help.
Our specialities
Arthritic pain (e.g., hip, knee, shoulder.) Our approach supports joint lubrication, muscle strength, and load distribution to relieve pain and improve movement quality.
Sports injuries (e.g., tendonitis, sprains, strains). We integrate manual treatment with progressive exercise to restore tissue resilience and prevent recurrence.
Chronic pain syndromes (e.g., back, knee and shoulder pain.) Through movement re-education, neural desensitisation, and graded loading, we aim to retrain your pain response and enhance function.
Parkinson’s disease rehabilitation. Specialised exercise and movement strategies help reduce stiffness, maintain independence, and support quality of life.
Evidence Based
Based on our findings, Pierre will co-create a structured program that may include:
Hands-on manual therapy – To reduce stiffness and improve mobility.
Tailored exercise prescription – From isometric stability to dynamic strength and balance exercises. All chosen to match your personal stage of recovery and condition.
Movement retraining – Techniques to modify movement patterns, and support safe, efficient motor control.
Education & self-management strategies – Including posture advice, pacing techniques, pain education, and condition-specific guidance.
Why us?
Clinical excellence: Pierre is a Chartered physiotherapist with specialist training in Parkinsons, chronic pain, and neurological rehab.
You-centred care: Every plan is personalised to your needs, goals, and lifestyle.
Holistic integration: Seamless collaboration with our pther therapists when needed, for a truly integrated care experience.
Accessibility: Free parking nearby, Saturday appointments, and a welcoming environment.
Pierre Bonnaud says:
“Don’t wait for rehab to come to you from nowhere. Get the exercises you need now; get better faster!”
Conditions we can treat...
Arthritic pain
Back pain
Whiplash associated disorder
Parkinsons
Cramp
Stroke
Sports injuries
Muscle spasms
Elbow pain/ tennis elbow
Neuralgia
Joint pains
Sciatica
What our CLIENTS SAY:
“After I suffered an avulsion fracture to my ankle in January 2019, I was keen to resume my previous active lifestyle as soon as possible. After 4 sessions of physiotherapy over a 3 month period, I am now back to country walking, aquarobics and low impact zumba, which is pretty good for a 71 year old!”
K Dicks
Techniques our physio might use when working with you:
Mobilisation
Exercise programmes
Taping of joints and injured muscles
Postural assessment and advice
Soft tissue techniques
Stretching
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens at the first appointment?
On your first visit to us we’ll take your medical details. We need to know all aspects of your health. We will ask about your previous injuries, surgery, illnesses, and we will want to know if you’re taking any medication.
We will then ask you to perform a few simple movements so we can see what’s happening in the area that is injured, and in the areas around it.
Unless we need further information about your condition we would normally treat you on your first appointment.
You will normally be asked to undress to expose the injury so that we can assess what’s wrong, but if you don’t feel comfortable undressing, just tell us – we can work around that. We want you to enjoy your treatment, so tell us what we can do to make that happen.
If you’re a bit nervous about coming why not book a Free Consultation first? Come and meet us – we won’t put any pressure on you to have treatment.
What should I wear?
It’s really helpful to us if we can see the area of the body that we are treating. Normally we ask patients to undress to their underwear, but if you want to wear a T-shirt and shorts, or if you just don’t want to get undressed, that’s fine with us.
And you can always bring pair of shorts and T-shirt with you to change into.
Ruth says: Ladies, please don’t wear sports bras – they cover your spine and we can’t see what’s going on! A strappy vest top is much better.
How long are the appointments?
Your first appointment will be between 30 and 40 minutes. Follow-up appointments are about 20-30 minutes long.
What happens during treatment?
Once we’ve made a diagnosis, and we are satisfied that it is safe to treat you, we can use a variety of methods to fix your pain.
We will explain what we are doing throughout your treatment to ensure you are happy with what we are doing.
Decisions about treatment, here as in any other medical practice, are entirely yours. We will never use any technique or procedure on you without your consent; so you can ask questions at any time.
Most patients really enjoy treatment, have a look at our testimonials if you need reassurance.
Pierre says: It’s important for us to find out whether there was an underlying cause to your problem so we can treat that, as well as the injury.
Can I bring somebody with me?
Of course you can! We are very happy for you to have somebody in the treatment room with you. We are quite used to families coming together or parents bringing kids with them.
Incidentally, if we are treating children under the age of 16 we insist that a parent or guardian accompany them. We also ask that if you’re bringing any children under the age of 16 while you are being treated yourself that they join you in the treatment room and are not left to sit in the waiting room unaccompanied.
How many appointments will I need?
The number of appointments you need depends on what’s wrong with you, the cause of the injury and how long you’ve had it. It also depends on what you want to achieve.
Some people come to us because they just want to get out of pain. Other people want to prevent the pain occurring again and want to find ways to maintain the mobility they have achieved through treatment.
Our aim is always to make the pain go away and stay away.
Do I need a GP referral?
No, you don’t need a referral unless you have private healthcare and your provider requires you to have a referral. Physiotherapists are trained to identify when a patient needs to be referred on to another healthcare professional. Similarly, GPs refer patients to physiotherapists where they believe treatment would be beneficial.
So you can call us any time, or book online, without having to wait for a GP appointment.
Although referral by a GP is not necessary, you are encouraged to keep your GP fully informed so that medical records are up-to-date.
If you have private medical insurance you need to check your cover as some companies specify that you have to have a GP referral.
What are osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists?
The short answer to this question has two parts:
1. The important thing is that the person you see is registered and works in a way that suits you.
2. In the our clinic the big difference is that Pierre, our chartered physiotherapist, uses more coaching and rehab techniques than the osteopaths. The osteopaths tend to be more hands-on.
The good news for you is that we only pick very knowledgeable practitioners to work at the clinic, and if we think a different therapy will be more effective we’ll recommend it.
If you’re not sure who to see, or who will fix you, just call us and book for a free 20 minute consultation – we’ll help you work out what should work for your specific problem.
Can I claim on my insurance?
Once you’ve got the Ok from your insurance company we ask that you pay us after each appointment and then claim the money back from your insurance company yourself.
You might need to check whether you need a GP referral before coming to us. Most insurance companies don’t require a GP referral, but some do.
Important: due to AXA and Bupa being rather dictatorial about physiotherapy and osteopathic treatment our physiotherapist is not registered with either company.
What training do physiotherapists have and are they regulated?
Physiotherapy is a three year degree course. Physiotherapists are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council.
After qualifying physiotherapists have to do 30 hours a year continued professional development.
The owners of The Ashgrove Clinic, Claire Short and Steven Bruce, also run the Academy of Physical Medicine, which provides postgraduate training for osteopaths, physiotherapists and chiropractors around the world. This means that the practitioners in the clinic attend courses with some of the most famous consultants in the world. So you can be sure that our practitioners are staying up-to-date and improving their technique beyond the normal requirements.
