Crocked celebs reckon physio Kirsten Lord is the real star

Kirsten has worked with many celebrities even if she doesn’t always know who they are!

Kirsten Lord has treated the aches and pains of people from all walks of life, from mechanics to an Oscar winner.

Since 1992, Kirsten has owned and run a physiotherapy centre in Edinburgh and it seems the need for treatment is greater than ever.

“The business grew 33% last year,” explained Kirsten, who also has a centre in Glasgow. “When the recession hit, we picked up even more clients than before.

“My theory is people need to be fit to keep their job. If they’re off sick it doesn’t look good.

“The biggest group of people we see is those who sit at PCs every day.

“They suffer from repetitive stress and postural problems – it’s spinal damage at 0 mph.”

Kirsten, originally from

Adelaide, visited Edinburgh during the festival in 1991 and loved the city so much she decided to stay. The following year she opened The Edinburgh Physiotherapy Centre.

And Kirsten’s background helped her find a niche in the market.

“I have a diploma in piano and I taught the instrument for five years while going through university.

“There is so much muscle stress in the music industry. Most are very sedentary activities, often performed in a slumped position.”

In such an artistic city as Edinburgh, Kirsten realised there was the potential to work with touring performers who were appearing in theatres like the Playhouse.

“It all started with Riverdance, when we treated a number of performers, and we’ve worked with lots of productions since then, like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Les Miserables.

“I treated Michael Ball when he was starring in Hairspray,” Kirsten recalls.

“I didn’t know who he was and he joked I should do more research! I’ve also treated Russ Abbot a number of times, but I didn’t know who he was either!”

One client she did know was American actor Adrien Brody, who was in Scotland filming the George Clooney production, The Jacket.

“He had won an Oscar for his role in The Pianist a short time before and it was great to speak to him about his piano playing.”

Kirsten has also worked extensively with golfers, and found that not only was her treatment helping their pain, but also their game.

It led to her launching an instructional exercise-based DVD, for which she shot a promotional film in the United States.

Now she’s aiming to help even more people through an online service which is currently being developed.

“People have a good idea of what their problem is due to online research these days 370,000 people in the UK look up back pain online every month,” she explained.

“We’ve designed a self-assessment system to enable people to access the right information.

“We have an agreement with the NHS in Wales to do clinical health trials, as we have to make sure the information a patient would receive is comparable to that which they would get from a professional.

“We can only see one patient at a time, but to have an impact on people 24 hours a day through digital means is a thrilling prospect.”

Physiotherapy relieves pain using techniques such as joint manipulation and mobilisation, muscle and soft tissue myofascial release, and acupuncture.

Kirsten (right) said: “I remember when I was younger I asked my mum what a physiotherapist was.

“When I realised I could change someone’s life by alleviating pain, I decided it was what I wanted to do.”

Not only does it help with muscle, joint, back and neck pain, but also migraines, headaches and jaw pain.

Kirsten laughed: “I’ve been really mean to a lot of people, but they always thank me for it afterwards.

“If you look after your body and you’re supple, you do look younger.”