Dean Clark
Whilst completing my economics degree at the University of Victoria, I became a runner. As a summer job in 2002 I began life as a rickshaw driver in Victoria’s downtown. Riding for eight hours a day pulling 400lbs of tourist “love” led to a quads imbalance. My running started to deteriorate and my distance grew shorter and shorter as I would have worse and worse knee pain. I resigned myself as out of the game; if your knees hurt your body must be telling you something, I thought, and mine was telling me I was not a runner anymore.
Knowing nothing of the human body at the time I enlisted the help of a physiotherapist. Leigh Negin at The University of Victoria Orthopaedic and Sports Physiotherapy clinic beside the campus told me I might not be out of the game just yet. After one assessment and 3 subsequent visits, Leigh’s treatment seemed to be telling my body it WAS a runner again. I was so squeamish at the start; Leigh told me I was the only person she had ever seen faint due to a muscle stimulation activating my VMO! (I’m sure it was low blood sugar). Leigh’s passion for the profession and lighthearted, fun atmosphere lit a small flame within me for physiotherapy.
Upon volunteering for a running clinic in early 2003, I met my wife-to-be. In one of the first conversations with my future wife she proudly pronounced, “I intend to marry a physiotherapist.” She had just returned from a vacation to Australia and said she was going to move there. I wasn’t interested; “EVERYONE goes to Australia I told her.” I was keen to go to a place less travelled like South America. It was there that we met some fellow backpackers from Perth Australia who were doing their physio degrees. My experience with my physiotherapy treatments from Leigh, and the fun- loving Aussies inspired me to apply to Australian Physio school; a year later we moved to Newcastle Australia where I earned my physiotherapy degree.
In the end my wife got both of her wishes – living in Auz and a physio husband; I settled with BEING the physiotherapist…. Not too bad I guess. Some guys will do anything for a girl!