The SHINE Series features individuals who I meet on my travels or through my network who inspires me through their mindset, actions and/ or heart to flourish.
Holidaying isn’t fun with wonky knees. That was what happened to me when I was holidaying in Aviemore, Scotland. Speaking with a local (who will always know the best recommendations!), she kindly referred me to Dave Shirley “go see Dave and he will sort it out. He helped me lots with my back.” Indeed!
He was able to accurately diagnose the issues that caused the pain and discomfort in my left knee. More importantly, he was able to resolve it. Besides his professionalism, expertise and immense knowledge, he was also warm and has genuine care for his clients. He does what I termed in my book Freedom Embraced as heartwork vs hardwork. You know when you meet professionals with heartwork – their service and attitude is remarkably different! Here is Dave’s story of what inspired him to be involved with physical therapy.
Dave Shirley – Founder of Dave Shirley Sports Therapy, Scotland
What inspired you to start your journey?
There were a number of things that inspired me to become involved in physical therapy, I suppose. From an early age I was very active, and participated in many different sports and activities, especially at secondary school. I played several sports and was a reasonable runner. I got on with my PE teachers well and they encouraged me a lot. My father was also a big influence on me. He was an active hillwalker, skier, and cyclist, as well as a sailor, and introduced me to all of those activities throughout my childhood and teen years. Between my father and PE staff I learned and took part in a lot of sports and outdoor activities. I was interested in all aspects of exercise; training, correct techniques, and the skills and strength required for performing well in any given activity. The one thing I hadn’t really thought of was injury, and how I would deal with that. When I was in my early twenties, I was skiing with some friends one day at Glenshee, in Perthshire, and fell heavily on a steep slope, quite seriously injuring my left knee. I hadn’t experienced a serious injury before, despite my active lifestyle. It was painful to move or walk on it, so a couple of days later I made an appointment to see a physiotherapist. I lived in South Lanarkshire, and went to her clinic in Hamilton, south of Glasgow. I hobbled into her clinic in great pain, and came out – not quite skipping, but hugely improved – an hour later! I was astonished by the improvement in mobility and reduction in pain in one treatment, and was fascinated about how it was achieved. I decided to look into it more and see if I could become involved at some level with these skills. So really it was that experience of the first treatment on my knee injury that ultimately inspired me to investigate and train as a Sports Therapist.
What challenges, if any, did you find at the beginning of your journey and how did you overcome them?
The main challenges I experienced to begin with were two, well, three-fold really. The first barrier I experienced was that there were very few Sports Therapy courses around in the 1980s, and none in Scotland. The alternative was to travel to London to do one of very few Massage Therapy courses available, but I was advised by an academic body that if a course and it’s qualification was worth doing then a financial grant would be available and the award would be nationally recognised. This was not the case for these courses. The second hurdle was that for courses that were normally recognised at that time (i.e., a five – year Physiotherapy degree course) my academic qualifications didn’t meet the entry requirements. The third consideration was financial. I had a full-time job as a buyer for an engineering company, and like most people, I couldn’t give up work to study. In 1994 I noticed an article in a newspaper about courses being run by Coatbridge College, just outside Glasgow. One of these courses was the first Sports Therapy course to be run in Scotland, and it started in September that year. It was recognised by The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), or their equivalent at that time, and was a grant-funded course. By this time, I was self-employed, selling and maintaining sports equipment, which meant I could be much more flexible in the hours I worked. So, I applied straight away, and was offered a place on the course. My career as a Sports Therapist had begun…twelve years after I had first taken an interest in the subject!
What daily habits do you use to help you succeed?
I read a lot on the subjects of physical therapy, mental health, and pain and the perception of pain, and what links these, as well as other subjects affecting people’s lives, together. So, on a daily basis I make a point to listen to what clients say in great detail not only about the thing (usually pain or dysfunction) that has ultimately brought them to the clinic but other historical or existing things that have happened or are happening to them and those around them. Sometimes I’ll ask clients questions about things that seem entirely unrelated to the back or neck pain they came in with, as often (usually) there is a complex jigsaw involved in otherwise inexplicable pain or dysfunction. If someone had fallen off a ladder or down a stairs, or has injured a leg in a tackle playing rugby, the cause is obvious, but significant numbers of clients can’t describe a specific incident that caused the injury or dysfunction, the pain or immobility insidiously working its’ way into their lives. I always listen, and ask lots of questions!
Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?
Hindsight and experience are the great wonders of growing older! Would I do anything differently….It’s hard to say. One of the facts about changing as we grow older is that the world and everyone else changes too, often faster than we do! Physical therapy is an entirely different industry to what it was thirty years ago, and I’m entirely different too, hopefully both for the better. On the surface, and considering how my therapy treatments have changed through experience, constant education, training, and studying, I think if I’d known then what I know now, I would have tried to study and qualify as a Sports Osteopath. Their training, knowledge, and skills constantly fascinate me, so all things being equal (which they never are of course) I would have chosen and tried that route. I think!
How did you persevere through the tough times?
Like life in general, and I’m sure most other industries, tough times come and go in the therapy industry, and that can be on a personal or industry-wide level, such as the recent Covid-19 epidemic. Being a self-employed therapist is a surprisingly lonely job. You see lots of clients, so you’re not “alone,” but when it comes to making day to day, or particularly longer-term decisions, there are limited people to turn to. My partner is a constant source of advice and realism, and she keeps my feet on the ground by seeing my circumstances from outside the industry, which is far more use usually than were she seeing the issues from the same perspective. I also have one or two other therapists and trainers I’ve worked with over the years whose opinion I value, so I know I can rely on some good advice (normally!) from them. The other thing I try as far as possible, is to anticipate how things may change in the short, medium and long term…this might be caused by the economy, politics, weather, holiday times, and many other factors. The results are sometimes great, but often I’m miles off the mark!
What would you like to achieve next?
There are a couple of things in mind that I’d like to achieve in the medium to long term, (watch this space!), but at the moment my focus is on continuing to improve the assessments and treatments I provide on a daily basis. I’m pleased with how things are going, but I’m sure they can be better.
What may be one or two memorable experiences you’ve had while running your business?
I’ve had quite a few over the years, some very funny ones, some very interesting, and some quite humbling ones too. When I started out in the 1990s I was a very keen and active cyclist. The road-racing side of the sport captivated me, and I was training several time a week. I never competed, but enjoyed training and the physical challenges and effort that required. (As a side note, I initially got involved in cycling in the early 80’s, as part of the rehabilitation for the ski injury that sparked my interest in physical therapy). As a result of my interest, I got involved with various race teams, and also a large training camp organisation in Spain. For a few years I spent several weeks or months of the winter and early spring there. I met and worked with a large number of cyclists from the UK and across the world, from weekend warriors and club competitors, right up to World Tour and Olympic level riders. It was hard work but good fun, and a huge opportunity to meet and treat such great athletes and get an insight into their world. A more recent one that I easily recall was an email I received from an American lady who had been working in Scotland a few years ago, and had to return to the US when Covid appeared. She had a number of persistent issues and injuries the cause of which had been elusive to her previous therapists both in the US and here. I was fortunately able to resolve them over a few treatments whilst she was working locally, and her email to me after she returned home was very humbling, but also very complimentary and inspiring. When you receive that kind of appreciative positive feedback it really is what makes therapy feel very worthwhile, and very satisfying.
What is your favourite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
I suppose my favourite aspect of being an entrepreneur is being in charge of my diary! That said, the hours logged in the diary are less than half the total time you spend either preparing for or planning treatments and running the business generally. The other aspect I like is planning other ways to enhance or improve the business, and how to keep up with changes in practice. How and when those changes take place are ultimately up to me, and, although the business doesn’t change that much, that often, it is still my decision.
Any favourite quote that inspires you to keep going?
There are obviously loads of quotes that people use to motivate them or guide them each day but there are three that I refer to regularly. The first is recognised ( or should be) throughout the therapy industry and is right at the heart of what I believe we should all be doing. “First, do no harm!” This really sums up the primary thought we should have whenever we lay hands on, or even start talking to a client or patient. It’s very easy to start a treatment or history-taking process and say or do something that causes discomfort or pain to the person we’re trying to help. The other important aspect of this is being capable of recognising the limitations of our therapeutic ability, and having the confidence to refer clients to more qualified /appropriate and experienced therapists. “Where the pain is, the problem is not!” – Dr Ida Rolf. Dr Ida Pauline Rolf was an American Biochemist who established that symptoms of pain and immobility were rarely experienced at the site that the actual cause of the pain or immobility was located. I use this approach every day ( often several times per day) in my practice. Part of the challenge of successful treatment and rehabilitation is establishing how to treat the cause, rather the symptoms, and this can involve treating areas of the body distant from the area of those symptoms. “Every day is a school day!” This is a commonly used quote in many circumstances, but one used in particular by a trainer and mentor I work with for much of my professional development. In my case it feels particularly relevant, as my enquiring mind means I’m constantly reading about all kinds of things, including anatomy and physiology, therapy, pain and psychology. I prefer factual accounts and documentaries to fiction, so my “schoolwork” has to be correct!