Recovery, Resilience and Performance: Meet Katie

We love celebrating our clients’ stories, especially when they show the real-world impact of the work we do at the clinic.

This month, we’re sharing the journey of 28-year-old Katie, a solicitor by day and an international powerlifter by passion, whose path into elite sport is one of determination, resilience, and expert support.

Katie works at a City law firm near the Wellbeing Centre, specialising in employment, incentives, and pensions. In 2020, during her training contract, she joined Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club, searching for something more meaningful than standard gym machines and routines.

“I had no initial plans to compete – I just craved purpose and progression,” Katie explains. But it didn’t take long before the competitive spark took hold. She entered her first powerlifting meet in 2021, and from there, her ambitions really took off. However, in 2022, Katie faced an unexpected setback when she tore both rotator cuffs in an accident outside the gym. The injury forced her to take a full year off to focus on recovery.

By 2023, Katie was back at it. Slowly and steadily, she rebuilt her strength, confidence, and drive. Her dedication was rewarded in 2024 when she qualified for nationals, placed 4th at the British Equipped Nationals, and proudly represented the UK at four international events across both bench press and full power categories.

This year (2025), Katie won her weight class (under 63kg) at nationals and took gold in bench and silver in squat at the European Championships. What an incredible achievement!

Throughout her journey, osteopathy has been a key part of Katie’s recovery and ongoing training. She works closely with osteopath Simon Chafer, who tailors treatment and rehab exercises specifically to her needs. Simon even tunes into her competitions to better understand the demands of her sport.

“Simon really understands what my sport demands,” Katie says. “He’s helped me build daily neck drills that keep my shoulder flare-ups under control, which has made a huge difference.”

Ironically, Katie added, it’s her desk job that aggravates her injury more than lifting. “Posture really does matter,” she reflects thoughtfully, reminding us that recovery isn’t just about treating injuries but also managing everyday habits to stay strong and ready for whatever comes next.

“Working with Simon gives me the best chance at staying strong, healthy and competition-ready. I compete as often as I can because you never know when an injury might strike again.”

Katie’s story is a powerful reminder that with resilience, the right support, and expert care, setbacks can be stepping stones to even greater achievements.