darren_prohealth_physio

29/11/2025

The future physiotherapist won’t just “treat injuries.”
They’ll be a hybrid operator. A clinician. A coach. A strategist.

The profession is shifting fast — and if you’re not evolving with it, you’ll be left behind.

Tomorrow’s physio will:
• Blend hands-on skill with health coaching — guiding clients through behaviour change, not just exercises. Helping them sleep better, eat better, train smarter, and stick to the process when motivation drops.
• Use data, not guesswork. Sports tech, force plates, wearable sensors, velocity trackers… objective metrics that cut through opinions and reveal what’s actually happening. Strength deficits. Asymmetries. Fatigue patterns. Return-to-play readiness.
• Understand performance as much as pain. The physio of the future won’t just rehab. They’ll build athletes — whether that athlete is a runner, a weekend warrior, or a 65-year-old who wants to stay strong enough to live freely.
• Master soft skills. Communication that lands. Curiosity that digs deeper than the symptoms. Goal-setting that gives clarity and purpose. These will separate average clinicians from elite ones.
• Partner, not preach. The best physios will coach, collaborate and empower — not dictate.

The future of our profession is smarter, more human, more data-driven and more impactful than ever.

And the ones who lean into this evolution?
They won’t just treat people…
They’ll change lives.

&C

26/11/2025

Great energy
Great show

The power of community…..

Worth a watch if able to see the boys

16/11/2025

This lady has been an absolute superstar…..words can’t describe how amazing you have been over the last few weeks. Inspire and impress me daily x

Love you

15/11/2025

Life is fragile.

And when someone you love is hit by something unexpected — a diagnosis, a sudden change, a moment that makes the world stop — it strips everything back. It shows you, brutally and clearly, how insignificant all the day-to-day nonsense really is.

It’s tough to watch someone you love go through the loss of their mother.

Unfortunately has had to endure the slow decline of her mum, until her passing this week. ❤️

The challenge in knowing I couldn’t do anything for her, besides a comforting arm, a shoulder to cry on, and acknowledge that I’d sit in the difficult time with her, endure the s**t time together.

What matters is the people who make your life warmer.
The ones you laugh with.

The ones who stand beside you in the mess.

The ones who don’t need explanations because they simply know you.

She lives on through her kids and especially through my better half,

Her presence made the room lighter.

Her kindness made the hard days easier.

Her humour cut through tension.

She was the type of person who reminded you — without ever saying it — what actually matters.

That’s the real currency.
That’s the return worth caring about.

Don’t wait for a scare or a loss to realise this.
Live it while you have the chance.
Share the meal.
Make the call.
Take the trip.
Show up.

Phone your parent now and tell them if you are lucky enough to still have them around.

We don’t get unlimited time.
But we do get choices.

Choose the moments that make the story worth telling.
Choose the people who make the journey meaningful.
That’s how you honour someone like her.

RIP Dawn 🙏

14/11/2025

06/11/2025

Huge news.

Pro Health Physio: proud to be associated with top notch gyms in the north east

Pioneer performance + Confidence Coach Gyms.

Seeing pioneer take a HUGE leap forward with their recent expansion.

We’ve always backed South Gosforth… and now we’re proud to see Confidence coach open up in North Shields. 🚀🔥

Top class facilities.
Top class coaches.
Top class environment.

This is where results will be built for 2026 and beyond.
This is where they double down on community, accountability, and performance.

This is where high standard becomes the baseline.

If you’re serious about better movement, better training and raising your personal ceiling… you’re going to want to follow along closely.

Check out Pioneer performance and Confidence coach

More events. More education. More collisions with high performing humans & community.

Tag someone who needs to see this 👇

03/11/2025

5 years in clinic years is basically 25 years in small business years.
Let’s not pretend otherwise.

Pro Health Physio turns 5 this week.

5 years of graft.
5 years of insane learning curves.
5 years of backing ourselves even when the path was murky.
5 years of community, connection, doubt, breakthroughs, hope, breakthroughs again.

And here’s the truth — most small health businesses never make it here.
We did… because of the people.
Clients. Team. Friends. Supporters. The ones who trusted us before it was “safe”.

I’m massively grateful.
Not performative grateful — genuinely deeply grateful.
This place has given me purpose, direction, a mission bigger than just physio.

We’re only warming up.
The next 5 years — we go bolder, go heavier, and raise the bar again.
Performance, purpose, wellbeing, and building something that lasts.

Here’s to year 5… and here’s to year 10 coming fast. 🎉💚

Thank you.

31/10/2025

Reflections from Essential Skills Part 2 – Dublin 🇮🇪

This week, I had the privilege of running a workshop with Paul Stevens at the Essential Skills Part 2 Conference held in the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

It was a fantastic day that brought together some of the most curious, collaborative, and forward-thinking physiotherapists/sports medicine professionals across Ireland and beyond.

The discussions went deep — around mindset, performance, and the real-world challenges clinicians face every day. These conversations reminded me why I love what I do: connecting people, ideas, and purpose in our profession.

I’ve written a short piece on my website sharing key insights, lessons, and reflections from the event — including how community and curiosity continue to shape the next generation of physiotherapists.

👉 Read the full article here: www.darrenfinnegan.com

Huge thanks to everyone who attended, contributed, and shared the energy in the room. The future of physiotherapy education is bright — and it starts with staying curious and connected.

Amazing ‘Bualadh bos’ to David Clancy ☘️ & Ciarán Dunne for pulling this event of.

Get your copy of Essential skills if you have not done so…..👇👇👇👇

https://www.uk.elsevierhealth.com/essential-skills-for-physiotherapists-9780443111280.html

All proceeds go to Down Syndrome Ireland 🇮🇪 ireland

27/10/2025

The excitement is definitely building ahead of tomorrow’s Essential Skills Conference in Dublin.

I feel genuinely privileged to be part of this incredible lineup of speakers — people who are leading, inspiring, and shaping the future of performance, sport, and healthcare. The calibre of professionals coming together for this event is something special.

I’ll be sharing my own story — the highs, lows, successes, failures, and setbacks — and what those moments have taught me about resilience, growth, and staying true to your purpose.

It’s easy to celebrate the wins, but it’s the tough lessons that truly shape who we become — both as clinicians and as people.

A massive thank you to the organisers for creating such a powerful platform for connection and reflection. I can’t wait to learn from everyone in the room and hopefully add something meaningful to the conversation.

https://www.essentialskills.ie/

24/10/2025

💭 10 Lessons I’ve Learned from 15 Years in the NHS

After 15 years working in and around the NHS — from my early days with Connect Health, through to countless locum MSK contracts (in Manchester, Oxford, Halifax, Newcastle, Sunderland) and more recently an FCP role across the South Tyneside — it’s fair to say the journey has shaped every part of how I think, lead, and deliver physiotherapy today.

Here are 10 lessons that stuck:
1. People > Systems. The best outcomes still come from relationships, not protocols.
2. Listen first, treat second. The story usually reveals the solution.
3. Never let service pressure dilute clinical standards. Quality care isn’t negotiable.
4. Leadership isn’t about hierarchy. It’s about consistency, accountability, and empathy.
5. Multidisciplinary teamwork works — when egos stay out of it.
6. Change is constant. The clinicians who thrive are the ones who adapt fastest & experiment with approaching their style of consultation.
7. Public health starts in the treatment room. Every conversation is an opportunity to influence lifestyle.
8. Resilience isn’t about working longer — it’s about working smarter and staying well.
9. Data and outcomes matter. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
10. The NHS teaches prioritisation, gratitude, and growth — in equal measure.

Grateful for the colleagues, mentors, and patients who’ve shaped this chapter.

And now, as I step fully into the next phase at Pro Health Physio, those lessons continue to drive how we build, lead, and innovate in private practice.

Exciting times ahead with HUGE changes at Pro Health Physio…..

21/10/2025

🌿 End of an Era. 9 Years in the NHS.

This week marks my final days working within the NHS — a place that has shaped me, challenged me, and given me more than I could ever have imagined.

Nine years ago, I joined Connect Health (now Cora Health) as a Senior MSK Physiotherapist, not knowing the journey that lay ahead. Over the years I’ve been privileged to serve as a Clinical Team Lead, Social Prescribing Lead, and one of the first cohorts of First Contact Practitioners in the South Tyneside region. Each role stretched me in new ways — clinically, personally, and as a leader.

Alongside some incredible colleagues, I had the chance to explore my passion for public health, leading initiatives using Making Every Contact Count and lifestyle behaviour change interventions across a team of 40+ physiotherapists. That work went on to be published in the Physiotherapy Journal — a proud moment that reflected not just my effort, but the collective belief that physiotherapy can (and should) be a vehicle for long-term health change.

This lead to an appearance on the Chews Health podcast, discussing public health interventions with Jack Chew & Becky Inkersole

There were highs and lows — including an intense but ultimately unfinished chapter with the Non-Medical Prescribing course. Sometimes the journey teaches you more than the certificate ever could.

To everyone I’ve worked alongside, learned from, and led — thank you. You’ve made these nine years meaningful.

It felt right; as Pro Health Physio NE approaches 5 years since its launch. 🚀 we are now growing so fast that being pulled in different directions required a decision regards where I spend my time/energy & effort.

As I step into the next chapter, I leave with a deep sense of gratitude for what the NHS gave me: resilience, perspective, stability and purpose.

Here’s to continuing to accelerate recovery, empower performance, and optimise well-being — wherever the next challenge leads.