When people think of physiotherapy, they often think of athletes who've sustained injuries on the field, ice or track. Truth is, physio can help most anyone who has suffered an injury and even those who want to prevent one. Physio touches the lives of people from all walks of life.
Erin is Royal City Physio's prima ballerina and this is her story.
Where do I begin? Well, I'm a pro ballerina who had the devastating injury of an Achilles rupture last June. :( My whole life changed in a second. I had surgery 4 days after the injury not knowing if I would ever be able to dance again. When I was finally allowed to start some physio, I was referred to Royal City Physio by a family friend. That was when I met Karen, the person who would convince me and push me to not only walk and get back to normal again but to dance again, too. I went to RCP daily for months and became good friends with everyone there. The happy, healthy atmosphere was exactly what I needed to get back on my feet, or in my case, back on my toes. I was determined to make it back in the spotlight so after being guided and motivated by Karen, I was able to make it back into the studio a relatively short time after and then back onto the stage exactly one year (to the day) after my injury. On June 23rd, 2014, I returned from completing the ballet program at Jacobs Pillow in Massachusetts where I was one of 11 girls in the world who were invited to attend. A dream come true because at a 3% acceptance rate being accepted wasn't even in the cards a year ago. Dance is my life and without it I don't know what I would do. If it wasn't for Karen and the rest of the RCP team, my dreams and what I have worked for all my life would have been over. I have always loved what I do, but now I love it and appreciate it even more. I made friends at RCP that I will have forever and I always pop in just to see everyone and say hi. :)
This photo was taken at Jacobs Pillow at the back of the Ted Shawn theatre by Christopher Duggan.