Sheffield Sports Medicine has invested £100k in a brand new clinic and it will take on 20 new staff as a result of the move. Established in 2009 and headed by Dr Michael Lee, a Consultant Physiotherapist in Sports and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, the clinic has relocated to Graves Health and Sports Centre in the Norton area of the city.

Sheffield Sports Medicine specialises in Sports Medicine, Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation, Podiatry, Sports Psychology, Sports Massage and Sports Science. Its new clinic was officially opened by Kate Allatt, who was rehabilitated by Dr Lee after she survived a huge brain stem stroke and subsequent locked-in syndrome in 2010.

“It was an honour to have Kate come ‘home’ and officially open our new clinic. There’s something extremely poignant about Kate returning to open our new premises,” said Dr Lee.

“This new clinic will help us take a giant leap forward into a new era, and further enhance the award-winning service which we offer to clients. It’s a significant investment for a business of our size but a necessary one, too. This is a fantastic opportunity to display and develop our forward-thinking mentality to execute life-changing treatments to all of the patients that we meet. We’re so excited about what the future holds,” he added.

Kate suffered a massive brain stem stroke in February 2010 and was told by doctors that she would never walk, talk or even swallow again. However, she became the first person in history to make full recovery from locked-in syndrome and credits Dr Lee for her recovery and rehabilitation.

“When I got the call to ask if I wanted to come and open Sheffield Sports Medicine’s new clinic it was a no-brainer. Mike (Lee) gave me a new lease of life,” said Kate. “The mindset I had after the pure chance meeting with Mike – an incredible meeting – I now invoke and pass on around the world. I couldn’t have wished for a better place to spend my birthday – Mike helped create the ‘new me’. Sheffield Sports Medicine is going to go from strength to strength.”