Gillian Sheffer

Osteopath

Qualifications and registration

BSc Osteopathy, College of Osteopaths (2005). Registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC).

Gillian came to osteopathy the way a lot of her patients come to her: through pain. She was already working as a massage therapist when she hurt her back and found herself in an osteopath's treatment room for the first time. The experience changed everything. She could see how much more was possible when you combined hands-on treatment with a deeper understanding of how the body is put together, and so she went back to university and retrained. She qualified with a BSc in Osteopathy from the College of Osteopaths in 2005.

That background in massage still shapes how Gillian works. She brings a structural, methodical approach to her practice, taking time to understand not just where something hurts, but why. Over more than twenty years in practice, she has treated a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, from straightforward back pain to more complex or persistent problems. She also offers shockwave therapy for stubborn tendon and soft tissue issues that are not responding to manual treatment alone. If you are wondering whether orthotics might help with your problem, she is happy to talk it through, though she no longer prescribes them directly.

Outside the clinic, Gillian is happiest in the garden or out on her bike. There is something fitting about that: someone who tends things carefully and knows that real progress usually takes patience.