How to be your own Physio: The 4-Step Pyramid Method From Pain To Peak Performance

Author: Nell Mead

Price: £9.99 (via Amazon: p&p may apply)

ISBN: 9798343418958

This book is aimed at members of the public who want to gain an overall view of how to support their body and reduce musculoskeletal injuries – and it certainly offers the reader valuable insights into how to do this.

Physiotherapist Nell Mead (pictured above) has created a ‘health and performance pyramid’ model to illustrate how anyone can improve their health, wellbeing and boost performance.

The foundation layer of the pyramid consists of information about the value of good hydration, nutrition, sleep and stress. The next layer is the health one. This explains how alignment, biomechanics and control support efficient movement and injury prevention. Next, the performance layer uses strength, flexibility and endurance to build resilience. The final ‘sports-specific layer’ works to optimise performance in sporting endeavours.

The idea is to educate individuals to build strong foundations before moving on to the higher layers as a method of reducing injuries or developing performance.

The writing style is very accessible and logically set out – with links to resources from a website that accompanies the text. Examples are drawn from the wealth of experience that Nell obviously has, to discuss aspects of the pyramid and highlight the importance of each section of the pyramid.

‘Nell certainly has the ‘X-factor’ with her clients, and this comes across strongly in reading the book’ [Nick Worth]

Nell’s very impressive career gives her a wide range of experiences from which to draw. These include working in the military, the sports arena and in private practice physiotherapy. Certain concepts are borrowed from other courses that the author has attended or used within her practice. The book is the culmination of her knowledge and experience condensed into words.

The knowledge that Nell shares in the book is a lot of common sense advice and isn’t always that technical, such as the benefits of good sleep health and eating sensibly. This makes the text very accessible to all. It would be easy to adopt some of the advice and apply it to anyone who is wanting to make some positive changes to their lifestyle and behaviours. There are some concepts in the book that may be more anecdotal than scientific evidence, but that doesn’t make it any less beneficial to the reader.

Within the book, there are numerous questionnaires or assessments for the reader to identify where improvements can be achieved in their health.

‘Release, Stabilise, Move’

Nell frequently refers to the Integrated Systems Model, as developed by Diane Lee, and has taken this further by developing her own model called the RSM model. She uses a ‘Release, Stabilise, Move’ pattern to educate her clients about the priorities for physiotherapy management. This helps to explain to the reader the relationship between body systems. When one system is not functioning correctly, the solution may lie in a different area.

‘The book would be an ideal one to recommend to those patients who like to understand how their body and health works’ [Nick Worth]

At times, when reading this book, I felt that Nell underestimates the ‘magic’ that she personally brings to her clients. The case studies that discuss frustrated clients who are struggling to recover from their issues are often resolved by Nell taking a holistic view of their condition and coming up with a plan to resolve this. This often comes from finding a ‘less obvious’ management plan. That is where an experienced clinician holds their ‘X-factor’.

The importance of ‘trust’ and ‘faith’

The trust and faith that comes from the relationship between patient and clinician goes a long way on the path to recovery and peak performance – even before any treatment is administered. Nell certainly has the ‘X-factor’ with her clients, and this comes across strongly in reading the book.

Conclusion

The book would be an ideal one to recommend to those patients who like to understand how their body and health works. It contains lots of practical and straightforward advice that can be utilised by everyone looking to start their health and performance journey – or to build on their own health foundations to optimise their sporting performance.

Nick Worth is a physiotherapist who runs a private practice. He is the chair of the Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine (SOMM). For more information about SOMM, see: https://sommcourses.org/

X: @Nickworthphysio

To read an exclusive PhysioUpdate Q&A with Nell, published in January 2025, see: https://physioupdate.co.uk/physiotherapist-clinic-owner-and-author-nell-mead-talks-about-her-unique-career-her-exciting-new-book-and-her-new-year-resolutions/