Overcoming Knee Pain: My Journey to Becoming a Specialist

My Personal Struggle with Knee Pain

I’ve had sore knees for as long as I can remember — long before I became a physiotherapist. As a teenager, I battled Osgood–Schlatter’s disease and patellofemoral pain. Later, I faced patellar tendinopathy, meniscal injuries, and even a patellar subluxation. When standard NHS physiotherapy failed to fix my tendinopathy, I turned to my sport and exercise science background to find my own solution. That experience ignited a passion within me: helping others return to what they love without being held back by knee pain.

Finding My Path Through Biomechanics

My journey began with a Sport & Exercise Science degree. I quickly realised I had a natural talent for biomechanics and human performance physiology. After hundreds of hours in the sports labs, my dissertation explored how tendons respond to eccentric strength training — long before it became mainstream. During that time, the topic of female ACL injuries caught my attention. I can still remember the lecture room where we first discussed it; that conversation significantly shaped my career.

My research won several university awards and was published in Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise. Although I was offered a research post, I chose to gain hands-on experience. I joined the University of Cambridge Physical Education Department, working alongside strength and conditioning coaches. I focused on translating biomechanics into real-world performance and rehabilitation. This led to a role at Cambridge Strength and Conditioning, where I supported rowing and rugby teams.

Transitioning from Sports Science to Physiotherapy

My fascination with how bodies move naturally evolved into rehabilitation and injury prevention. I secured a place in the Physiotherapy programme at Manchester Metropolitan University, while continuing my strength and conditioning work with their sports faculty.

Graduating in 2016, I began my journey in musculoskeletal physiotherapy, working across major NHS trusts and private clinics. My focus never wavered; it was always knees, ACLs, and the science behind recovery.

Blending Strength, Conditioning, and Clinical Expertise

My strength and conditioning background shaped my rehabilitation approach. It helped me earn a role at Norwich City FC, where I delivered elite rehabilitation. Later, I completed a Master’s in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy at the University of Birmingham, graduating with distinction. My dissertation focused on ACL reconstruction and return-to-sport outcomes.

Becoming a Specialist in Knee Rehabilitation

A pet peeve of mine is when people self-proclaim to be specialists. I have patiently earned my title as a knee specialist through a trusted source. Today, I’m proud to be one of the few Advanced Practice Physiotherapists (APP) in knees in the East of England. I have had a specialist interest in knees throughout my career. I have rehabilitated patients to a high standard, but my practice transformed around four years ago when I began working closely with orthopaedic and trauma consultants in a knee clinic.

The role of an Advanced Practice Physiotherapist (knee) differs from that of a typical physiotherapist. I work in an orthopaedic clinic environment, where I request scans, list patients for surgery, and make specialist diagnoses. Additionally, I undertake research, lead complex cases, participate in multidisciplinary meetings with surgeons, and speak at conferences. This means my assessments and understanding of knee symptoms, conditions, and surgery are unparalleled compared to a 'normal' physiotherapy clinic.

I hold an accreditation with the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (MACP), a specialist society for musculoskeletal physiotherapists that recognises my advanced practice skills. This places me in just 2% of physiotherapists across the entire UK. I achieved this through a rigorous placement with other MACP physiotherapists and by earning a Distinction in my second Master's of Advanced Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy.

Why I Built The Knee Physio

I realised that my services could bring a unique dimension to my local community. I often assess and treat people in the NHS who are seeking private physiotherapy or turning to social media for misleading information.

Physiotherapists are not trained to the level you might expect in exercise. I regularly encounter two consistent problems in rehabilitation:

1. Rehabilitation is under-dosed. Too many people are given “safe” and ineffective programmes, or no programme at all, just random exercises.

2. Rehabilitation is guesswork. For a long time, the excuse for guessing rehabilitation has been that we can't afford to train in strength and conditioning, and we don't have the right equipment.

   
   

I built the Knee Physio to offer data-driven, measurable rehabilitation provided by an expert in the field.

Using the latest VALD ForceDecks and Dynamo technology, we can objectively track progress and make your rehabilitation specific, challenging, and effective.

Bringing Elite-Level Rehabilitation to Bury St Edmunds

I chose to base the Knee Physio clinic in Bury St Edmunds, the town I love. This community deserves world-class care close to home.

Whether you’re recovering from an ACL reconstruction, total knee replacement, or simply want to move pain-free again, my goal is simple:

• ✅ evidence-based treatment

• ✅ measurable progress

• ✅ a clear path back to your sport or activity.

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Ready to Start Your Recovery?

Book your Specialist Knee Assessment or explore our ACL Restore, Meniscal Repair, and Total Knee Recovery programmes. Your knee deserves more than guesswork — it deserves data, experience, and a plan that works.

Book appointment now

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Dominic Richmond

Dominic Richmond is an MACP Advanced Practice Physiotherapist who specialises in knee conditions and is a UKSCA accredited Strength and Conditioning Coach.