When Life Gives You Lemons: The Physiotherapist

Forty-five-year old Brit Zoe Queally became a Barcelonian in the scorchio summer of 2003. She runs her business, Fisioplus Pilates, out of the Barcelona Well Woman Center near Plaça Tetuan and lives with her husband and two furry feline companions in the Eixample. 

What do you do? 

I’m a back pain and sports injury specialist and get very excited about optimizing movement patterns to quickly and efficiently reduce pain. I use a mix of manual techniques, Neurokinetic Therapy and Pilates to get the job done. Most of my clients are young professionals between 30-55. I also teach qualified Pilates instructors and physiotherapy university students about biomechanics and movement optimization.

What lemons has COVID-19 given you? 

Before this, I used to see everyone face to face: individual clients, Pilates classes, teaching courses around Spain and the physiotherapy students at the university. I would work one day a week at the university, three full days with individual clients, teach two to three Pilates classes and often travel on Fridays to teach for one to two weekends per month around the country. I had been doing some virtual mentoring for a few peer movement specialists but that was just a few hours a month!

When the quarantine hit, 100% of my clients and courses were cancelled from one day to the next.  

Are you making lemonade? 

Yes. I’ve had to quickly reinvent myself—scary times for a technophobe! I’ve started an online program of clinical Pilates classes incorporating learning about the body and specific injury tendencies as well as giving a variety of topic-focused movement classes. I’m also designing a virtual training program for my Pilates instructor clientele and neurokinetic therapy followers. I’m so grateful to everyone who is supporting my new virtual project and giving me such positive feedback.

How’s that lemonade stand working out for you? 

There are some brilliant virtual tools out there but one of my main skills involves touch, muscle testing and manual therapy. This is impossible virtually! I feel very grateful that a large part of my specialty skillset involves movement analysis, observation and exercise prescription. I fortunately have a very refined eye for compensation patterns and can still help people without touching them. I have colleagues that are not so lucky. Most people will be in the same position as I am and Pilates professionals are all going virtual but other manual therapists cannot do that. It will mean zero income for most.

Any sugar out there to sweeten things?  

I believe there is a loan for autonomos in my position but it’s still a loan so it will need to be paid back and is only available to people still paying their full autonomo fees! Help! I really hope those fees will be suspended until we can all get back on our feet. I’m lucky that I can get a tiny bit of income virtually but it won’t be enough to even cover basic expenses, let alone the rent of the center I currently cannot use, my central Barcelona apartment and anything remotely fun beyond a month. We need financial government help, and quickly.

How are you coping otherwise? 

I’m very concerned about my family back in the UK, particularly vulnerable relatives that, in worst-case scenarios, I may never see again. This is horrifying to me. I’m also worried about how people who use the services of physios and similar therapists are going to get by without us. I’m fearful about what is going to happen to the economy in general, as well as my own situation. 

I also love being outside; that’s one of the big positives of living in Barcelona. Being close to the mountains, parks, beaches and generally just being out and about with friends is what I love about life in general. At the moment, although I’m connecting with friends and family virtually, I can’t get out on my bike or walk the hills of Collserola.

Are there any silver linings?  

Yes! I’ve been talking for about a year about creating a virtual element to the teaching side of my business. Who knows how long it would have just been talk, but now I’ve had to act and jump in at the proverbial deep-end. No time for trials and getting things perfect and polished. I just need to do it and learn as I go like everyone else right now, completely out of my comfort zone. 

Another positive is that now I have to show more on camera so I practice three hours of Pilates a day! My posture already feels stronger and my back niggles were reduced considerably after only a week. 

How can people connect with you?  

Anyone wanting to know more can book a 1:1 movement assessment, or sign up for a free trial class online by emailing me at fisiopluspilates@gmail.com or WhatsApp me at +34687033017. Let’s move together!

Kate Williams is a freelance writer, editor, translator and Director of The Writer Stuff. She left her native England for Barcelona in 2003 and never looked, or went, back. When she isn’t writing or discovering all the cool stuff going on in the city, she enjoys hiking in the Catalan countryside, kayaking on the Costa Brava, and volunteers at a local animal sanctuary. You can read more by Kate here.