Megan's back making a splash after pioneering treatment

15-year-old Megan Alikhanizadeh has suffered from back pain ever since an accident in the gym, resulting in a three-year enforced break from her sport. Despite intensive treatment from various therapists and specialists, Megan’s back pain remained unsuccessfully treated. But her luck changed when she visited Huddersfield-based physiotherapist Georgie Oldfied and enrolled on the SIRPA recovery programme.

Megan was thrust into the spotlight after winning the ASA Elite Junior National Diving Championship in 2007. The youngster then had to cope with the pressure of being spotted for Olympic training. This, on top of the pressure she put on herself to succeed in other areas of life, was found to be the actual cause of her pain. By following the SIRPA Recovery Programme, Megan was able to eliminate the pain and return to her previous activities within just one month.

Expressing her gratitude, Megan's mother, Lorraine said: "I can't thank you enough. Keep doing what you're doing. I believe you can really make a difference to so many people."

The SIRPA recovery programme, based on work pioneered in the US over the past 40 years, addresses the underlying emotional and stress-induced cause of chronic pain. The non-hands-on programme, developed by Georgie, shows a 70 per cent success rate, often in those patients for whom other treatments have proven to be ineffective.

Previously, the cost of Megan's treatment through both NHS and private services had amounted to more than £5,000 in the attempt to find a cure for Megan's discomfort, yet the cost of the appointment with Georgie Oldfield cost Lorraine just £135.

Geogie commented:  “As is common practice, all Megan’s treatment was directed at a physical cause, yet despite the obvious muscle spasm and pain Megan presented with, the cause was stress related. This is actually a very common cause of chronic pain and other unresolved symptoms yet if it is not addressed, patients will continue to have their pain just managed rather than resolved.”

“The potential for this work is enormous, not only in the field of chronic pain, but when looking at occupational illness or in sport, especially when you consider the pressure on competitors with the Olympics coming up. Screening for stress illness before going down the physical approach could provide huge cost benefits as well as enable people to return to work and their sport more quickly.”

Georgie now treats patients from UK and Europe at her clinics in Yorkshire and London, and has started training other health practitioners to work in this field. This month saw the launch of her new company, SIRPA (Stress Illness Recovery Practitioners Association) at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.