Testimonials

Tony Jeffries Olympic Bronze Medallist (Boxing).

It was just before the Olympic qualifiers when I had a bad hamstring injury and this stopped me from running. I saw about 4 different "top" sports physios who where well respected in the GB set up and none of them could sort me out, through this I ended up getting kicked off the team. I was devastated, a few weeks went by and this injury was still there, I went to see Penny and in 2 or 3 session she sorted my hamstring out and I could run again so I phoned the GB coach to tell him I was fine. He said I had to prove my fitness to him before he let me back on the programme, so I organised a fight to show him I was back fighting fit, I trained hard for 4 weeks won it, I got picked for the Olympic Qualifies, qualified, went to Beijing and won a Bronze medal and its changed my life. I don’t think I could have achieved this if it wasn’t for Penny's expertise. I would recommend her to anyone and everyone; she's the best physio I have worked with bar none!

Joanna Jackson Olympic Bronze Medallist (Swimming)

Penny Macutkiewicz was my physio when I trained in Gateshead. I had many injuries throughout the period here and Penny was a great help and seeing her prevented me having time out the water. Penny didn't just treat me; she did pilates sessions with me and gave me rehab work which helped me with my swimming. She did so much more than I expected a physio to do and was so positive with everything and so easy to get along with. Penny was definitely one of the best physios I have ever seen and would recommend anyone seeing her. If I still trained at Gateshead I would still be seeing her now. Penny was one in a million and the treatment and service is the best.

Ottis Gibson England Bowling Coach, PCA Player of the Year 2007, 2007 Durham CCC Bowler of the Year Award, Player's Player of the Year Award and Special Recognition Award (Cricket).

The maintenance treatment received from Amy through the 2007 season really helped my body stay at the competitive level it needed. Durham won two bits of silverware in 2007 (Friends Provident Trophy and the Natwest Pro 40 Division Two) and it is with the work of the full team, including Amy, that this was possible. Although one of the more mature players at Durham CCC I had an excellent season, finishing off by getting the Professional Cricketer Association (PCA) Player of the Year!

Chris Cook Double Commonwealth Champion, 2x Olympian (Swimming).

Throughout my international swimming career I used many different physiotherapists to help aid my return the pool when injuries sidelined performance. However, upon meeting Penny in 2005 my whole philosophy changed as we began working together on a regular basis towards developing a physio programme, that not only helped to prevent injuries but also empowered me to take control of my performances in training and competition. In a very short space of time we began to see consistent results and I began to harness the potential that physiotherapy has to improving personal athletic performance. The results speak for themselves, within 8 months I went from being an 'also ran' to being crowned Double Commonwealth Champion, British & Commonwealth Record Holder & European Bronze medallist. Penny assisted my physical development in the sport, providing me with a healthier training philosophy and in the process she opened my eyes to the impact that a 'World Class Physiotherapist' can have on World Class Performance.

Andrew Bridge Vice Captain, Newcastle Eagles (Basketball).

I think Penny's interpretation of curing pain is to inflict you with more! When you're being treated by Penny you never get the easy option but you feel like she's done everything within her power to improve your situation.

Penny's treated me for many different types of injury but as a professional athlete she understands that by Friday night I may have 1 or 2 games to play within 48 hours and without her there is no way I would be able to do that for 40 weeks a year without her, she is one of the people I trust totally with my career and I would never do anything that might affect it without consulting Penny first. I believe she has not only helped me get in the best shape of my life but also put me in a position to extend my career by another 3-4 years and for that I will always be grateful.

Chris Boddy & Bob Hewitt GB Rowing Team.

Over the last few years I have developed from a good club-athlete to rowing for my country at the top level. During this time I received physiotherapy support from Penny - with her immaculate attention to detail and depth of knowledge I always had complete confidence in her diagnoses, and subsequent training guidance. One of the most important things with a physio is to know that they care - and with Penny there was never any doubt about this, she regularly went out of her way to ensure I was able to get the most out of my training and improve myself as an athlete.

John Robertson Paralympic Gold Medallist (Sailing).

Having worked with Penny for a number of years her quality of treatment and care for me has been fantastic over and above what is normally delivered by sports physio's. I would recommend her to any athlete who requires top quality treatment and recovery advice. She is World Class.

Michael Di Venuto Durham CCC & Tasmania Coach (Cricket).

As cricket has become more and more professional in the modern day, sports massage has become an important part of the professional cricketers needs. Not only is sports massage an important part of a cricketers recovery process but it also a way of injury prevention.

Australian state teams have been using sports massage in their programs for quite a while now. A contracted player is expected to have a sports massage at least once if not twice a week. The masseuse will be available during home games on a needs basis and most states take a masseuse away with them. In Tasmania, we don't have a travelling masseuse but we have a company in each state we visit that comes in at the end of each days play to service the players who need work.

We are very lucky here in Durham to have one of the better masseuses going around in Amy Woolstenholmes. An area we can definitely improve though is to have her around when we travel. With the county cricket schedule as busy as it is and the amount of time we spend travelling on a bus I think she would be a huge asset, not only to help with recovery but also injury prevention especially to our fast bowlers who are extremely important to our team.