Meet The Team

Simon Carley-Smith

Specialist Climbing and Sports Physiotherapist | Extended Scope Practitioner | BSc Hons MSOMM MAACP MACPSEM MCSP HCPC PGDip

Simon is a highly experienced specialist physiotherapist, practicing at the highest clinical levels in both sports and NHS Physiotherapy. He is a founder and Director of RISE and leads the clinical team. Having a special interest in finger, elbow and shoulder injuries, his passion and knowledge around diagnosis and treatment of all climbing related injuries is unrivalled in the South West of England, and he regularly treats and advises climbers operating and competing at the very highest levels.

Simon is also proud to be working with the English Institute of Sport, supporting Womens Artistic Gymnasts on the British Gymnastics team with weekly prehab, rehabilitation and performance focussed therapy. He has a broad experience of top level sport, from working in Premiership Football to supporting athletes at the World Half Marathon Championships and Olympic training camps.

In the NHS he is an Extended Scope Practitioner, providing advanced diagnosis and second opinions on complex cases, delivering injection therapy and making decisions on appropriateness for surgical intervention.

With his diverse clinical background Simon has the assessment skills to get you an accurate diagnosis, and the hands on therapy and rehabilitation expertise to keep you in your chosen sport and return you to form in the minimum of time. His practice involves a combination of exercise therapy, deep tissue massage, myofascial release, acupuncture, joint mobilisation and manipulation.

For more complex or serious injuries his in depth knowledge of NHS and private healthcare processes ensure you get a thorough and honest opinion of your appropriateness for rehabilitation and other options open to you for management of your condition.

Trystan

Specialist Climbing and Sports Physiotherapist.
BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, BSc Sports Rehabilitation, MCSP, HCPC registered.
BASED AT BLOC & REDPOINT Bristol.

With degrees in both Sports Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Trys brings a wealth of specialist knowledge and a passion for strength and conditioning to the team.

He has spent over 7 years working in musculoskeletal settings including the military, private, NHS and fracture clinics. More recently, Trys has been working in an extended NHS role, advancing his skills in diagnostics, medical imaging and injection therapy. He effectively combines this to provide a client specific focus to the rehabilitation of all MSK injuries.

Trys is an avid boulderer and links his passion for climbing movement with his advanced clinical expertise to help other climbers overcome their injuries.

He feels strongly about an educational approach; empowering client involvement in executing a structured rehab plan. In addition, Trys has spent the last 6 months developing a climbing strength and conditioning programme, focused on injury prevention.

Whilst Trys’s experience qualifies him to treat all sports injuries, he has a specific interest in the management of hip pain.

Trys has a love for the mountains and the sea, and is dedicated to helping you get back to doing the things you love.

Sarah Hammer

Specialist Climbing and Sports Physiotherapist | Sports and Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist

Sarah Hammer is a new and hugely valuable addition to our team at Rise. She has a great depth of experience across elite sports physiotherapy, private practice and in NHS musculoskeletal and orthopaedics clinics. She joins us from the southern hemisphere and brings expertise in contact sports, trauma and strength and conditioning, as well as having a specialist interest in hip, pelvis and lower limb injuries and wrist dysfunction and injury.

Her previous roles have included pitchside support in first grade Australian rugby, and she was head Physio for the Australian Mixed Ultimate Frisbee team, working at the highest international level competitions.

Sarah is herself an elite level, internationally seasoned Ultimate Frisbee player, a keen runner, a cyclist and a new but passionate climber, so she is no stranger to the weird and wonderful injuries that can keep you from doing what you love.

Sarah focuses her practice on expert assessment, hands on treatment and the delivery of the most up to date rehabilitation techniques to help her patients reach their goals - whether they are focussed around a return to sport or as basic as wanting better posture and less pain in daily life. She uses deep tissue massage, mobilisation, manipulation and dry needling for pain relief and symptom modification and exercise therapy to build strength and resilience.

“My favourite part about physio is problem solving and people, so we will have fun getting to the root cause of why this injury has happened and how we can best safeguard against recurrence so you are back doing what you love as quickly as possible”

George Williams

George has 8 years of MSK experience working within a variety of settings. He works as a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist within the NHS treating patients with acute and chronic conditions as well as post-operative rehabilitation. Within this role he utilises his experience and knowledge to train and develop junior and student physiotherapists. Alongside his work within the NHS, George has several years’ experience working as a sport physiotherapist with Welsh Premiership and academy Rugby sides working pitch side managing acute injuries and utilising up to date rehabilitation in return to play.

This wide range of experience allows George to provide accurate diagnosis and develop an appropriate rehab program taking you from the acute stage of an injury all the way to returning to sport and activity. He uses taping, manual therapy, sports massage, and exercise therapy techniques to accelerate your recovery and support you in achieving your goals.

A sports fanatic, when not helping sports people, George can be found climbing, surfing, mountain biking and generally enjoying the outdoors. Not only has this led to plenty of experience managing his own sports injuries but also an understanding of the demands climbing and outdoor sports on the body and how to best support you in reaching your potential and prevent injury.

Kate

Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist 

Kate is a lover of mountains and the outdoors, is a mum of twin toddlers, a keen hiker and skier and a fan
of all things yoga. She is here to help you get back to doing all the things you love.

Anthony Withington

Senior MSK Physiotherapist & Personal Trainer

Tony has dedicated 8 years to developing his expertise as an MSK Specialist Physiotherapist. He has an array of experience across the board, working within both sports, private and NHS physiotherapy settings, including mentoring and training Student and Junior Physiotherapists. Over the last three years he has supported the Bristol City Football Club as their Academy Physiotherapist as well as maintaining a Senior MSKP role in the NHS. His breadth of experience means he is fully capable to treat any body region and is as comfortable managing acute traumas as over-use issues in all age groups.

He brings critical diagnostic skills together with expert strength and conditioning knowledge to create rehabilitation programmes that get his clients back to their chosen activity as fast as possible.

He also works as a personal trainer and holds additional training and courses in manual therapy, sports massage and taping, so whatever your injury and needs, you are in safe and experienced hands.

Jack

Sports massage therapist 

He has been working with, treating and studying the human body for the last 6 years and alongside his accomplished soft-tissue work he continues study to become a chiropractor.Like our whole team, Jack has a passion for activity; running, rock climbing, jiu-jitsu and rugby. His key aim is helping his clients function at their highest level; aiding recovery, relieving pain and tension, and improving mobility from head to toe.

Stefani Carley-Smith

Stott Pilates Advanced Matwork Instructor

Pilates Equipment Reformer and Cadillac Instructor

Stefani directs our Pilates offering at RISE. A highly experienced instructor she gained her skills working in a variety of clinics, studios and private settings, and has now realised her dream of leading her own studio as a Pilates Reformer and Equipment instructor.Stefani has experience working with a diverse range of clientele including high level athletes focussed on performance, the general public looking for improvements in flexibility, poise, posture and body confidence, low back pain sufferers needing core conditioning and strength, and specialist groups such as pre-natal and post-natal pilates classes.Stefani is an athlete herself; a former international gymnast, skier, surfer and recent convert to triathlon. She has used Pilates to help support her own return to fitness from injuries and bounce back to form, recently completing a Half Ironman just 10 months after the birth of her third child.Her Pilates teaching emphasises quality movement, posture and flow, with a focus on building strength and fitness no matter what level you start from.

Tom Ashfold

Pilates Equipment Instructor

Tom came to Pilates after struggling with back problems for several years. It made such a difference to his physical and mental wellbeing that in 2017 he decided to undertake a comprehensive teacher training programme with the Physiotherapy and Pilates Rehabilitation Centre in Clevedon, North Somerset. This course was run in affiliation with the world-renowned Alan Herdman - the man credited with introducing Pilates to the UK in the 1970s.

Since qualifying, Tom has taught in various Pilates studios, physiotherapy practices and gyms across Bristol. He has experience of working with individuals with a range of conditions and rehabilitation needs, including back/neck pain, postural problems, scoliosis, osteoporosis, neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's, and genetic disorders such as muscular dystrophy and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Tom is a calm and empathetic instructor who believes Pilates has something to offer everyone, regardless of age or fitness.

Gabrielle Lee

Equipment and Matwork Instructor - PPRC / Alan Herdman 

Gabrielle discovered Pilates a decade after undergoing corrective surgery for scoliosis in her late teens. Despite having always been a sporty and active individual, she often felt stiff in her back and somewhat limited in her physical abilities after the surgery. Upon discovering Pilates, this completely changed, leaving her feeling stronger and more agile than at any point during her twenties!

This revelation, paired with a lifetimes interest in sports and physiology, lead Gabrielle to pursue a dream to teach.

The training was highly remedial, covering all aspects, from mat work to advanced equipment work (Reformer, Trapeze, Ladder Barrell and Combo Chair) and knowledge of physical and postural conditions, such as slipped disc, Scoliosis, and pregnancy, as well as neurological conditions, such as Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

Since qualifying Gabrielle has worked and assisted in a variety of studios encompassing 1:1 and group equipment classes, mat classes and faster paced group reformer sessions.

Gabrielle brings energy and enthusiasm to her teaching and is on a mission to help others improve their physical and mental health. She believes through purposeful practice, connecting body and mind, that everyone, bar none, can improve their posture, mobility, strength, and wellbeing.

Chloe

Yoga Instructor

Chloe’s classes are a fusion of understanding our need for mobility, strength and flexibility for a functional body, alongside the vast philosophical teachings of Yoga encouraging a feeling of spiritual well-being to bring about holistic health and happiness. She brings energy, joy and a thoughtful approach to each class with the goal of sending you away feeling lighter and lifted. She has over 10years of teaching experience which includes teaching yoga and meditation to the Women’s GB hockey squad, supporting the NHS with meditation classes during lockdown, hosting retreats and wellness events in the UK and Europe, and she is trained in sound meditation and TCM as well as hatha, vinyasa, yin, yoga therapy and children’s yoga.