Shropshire therapist launches membership to help people with chronic pain

Katie Rothwell, a former RAF Physical Education Officer, who runs her therapy business from Bridgnorth, said her business has recently attracted people from all over the world including New York and Canada.

After launching Katie Rothwell Therapies last year, Katie has helped people with an array of conditions when they have felt they had no-one else to turn to and exhausted the medical route, including back pain, arthritis, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia and long Covid.

Katie, who is a SIRPA (Stress Induced Recovery Practitioner Association) informed therapist and working towards becoming a practitioner, said her business has seen a huge spike in clients due to people struggling to get the answers they need.

She launched her business after suffering back pain herself which was caused by her personal situation, including becoming a parent for the first time, her husband serving in Afghanistan and the change in her career.

The BEAT Pain Circle Membership model now offers a Facebook group membership, weekly pilates and group coaching for pain education.

Katie uses her own ‘BEAT pain’ approach which incorporates the mind-body concept of healing. Many of her clients have lost access to pain management clinics due to NHS cutbacks, yet Katie says “pain management could reduce the NHS expenditure."

“I had back pain when my first child was one and I couldn’t pick him up. I was in the RAF as a PE instructor at the time and went through the medical system and had the obvious scans and I was given the medication which resulted in me being unable to function and I knew that wasn’t the answer.

“An osteopath then recommended a video which sparked my interest in pain education and I was then able to stop correlating between the scan results and my pain and my ability to move.

“My husband was in Afghanistan at the time and I was a solo parent so life was tough. My whole back and neck were in spasm and everything was hugely stressful,” Katie said.

“Through therapy it came out that I was experiencing anger and resentment towards my husband due to the circumstances as I had been forced to give up so much I love, including my career due to the pain.

“I then went to cranial sacral training and I had an emotional release and haven’t had that back pain since. That emotional component of chronic symptoms is massive and so unrecognised.”

Katie said her clients could relate to some elements of her story and are now working through their pain and their own story in one to one and group sessions with her.

“My clients can relate to my situation in so many ways - parenting and the difficulties that can bring, long distance relationships with a partner working away, the burden and the huge desire to be perfect as so many want to be. It can be so painful at various stages of life.

“Medicine doesn’t always have the answer but we are so used to turning to the NHS and other medical professionals. More and more people are now recognising the bio-psycho-social model where the biology, the psychology and the social factors all play a part in chronic conditions.”