Q&A with Danny Kelly

Mid West Physiotherapy is delighted to introduce you to Danny Kelly, who joined our clinical team in May 2024 following a return to Ireland after five years working as a physiotherapist in New Zealand. Learn how he was destined for healthcare career from a young age, his encounter with an All Black, a valuable learning from a patient, and how even physios can find it tough to incorporate exercise into daily life!

1. What led you to a career in physiotherapy?

I was always interested in healthcare and as a curious child loved to mess around with the first aid kit. An early childhood memory is one of feeling very disappointed when my brother wouldn’t let me cut the thread after he got stitches, even though the doctor said I could after seeing me stare intently. When looking at CAO options, physio stood out to me as a great career so I put it top of the list in UCD.

2. Describe your career to date?

I started out working in a number of nursing home and residential facilities around the Limerick/North Cork area for about 18 months before moving to New Zealand. I spent just over five years in New Zealand, working in a number of private practice clinics across Auckland before moving home in 2024 and joining Mid West Physiotherapy. Sports physiotherapy has also been a big part of my career; I’ve been fortunate to work with a large number of rugby, GAA and soccer teams at both club and representative level. 

3. What has been the highlight of your career so far?

I have two; (1) getting to manage a clinic in New Zealand with Physio Connect for two and a half years, and (2) doing shots with a former All Black on a backroom team night out. Both equally professional. 

4. What is the best thing about your job as a physiotherapist?

I really enjoy helping people to get more confident with movement and exercise. I’m a firm believer in our bodies’ resilience despite pain and injury so I love to see people getting comfortable doing exercise again – even if it means starting with something very small. I do enjoy meeting people and mostly chat throughout each session, so it’s nice to have a job where I meet lots of people and communication is so important. 

5. You’re meeting a patient for the first time, what is your approach?

I definitely like to get to know people and start to build that relationship early. This goes hand in hand with physio in finding out what people do for work and what they might like to get back doing pain free. I often like to explore more around people’s work and exactly what they do, as I am genuinely curious. This conversation helps to show that I am interested in each person I see. Usually I’ll try to crack at least one joke in the first session, which hopefully eases any nerves. Lastly, I always aim to have a person leave the clinic feeling reassured and educated on the cause of their concern.

6. What is the typical patient journey like with you?

A typical patient journey for me will start with aiming to get their pain under control and get them back doing some basic movements. A lot of the early exercises focus on getting the patient working on their issue at home so that they can feel more in control of their problem, and hopefully give them some tools to get themselves out of pain or discomfort. Next, I would progress to more strength-based exercises and focus on addressing the gaps between a patient’s current capacity while injured, and their goals. I explain to the patient that the smaller we can make this gap between what they can do and what they want to do, the less likely it is that the injury will reoccur whenever they get back to exercise or sport. I also explain that my approach involves a person working on themselves at home, aided by some manual therapy in the clinic, to help them feel a bit better.

7. What are your clinical specialities and why do they interest you?

I have particular interest in acute injury management and sports injury rehabilitation as a result of my experience working with sports teams. My key areas of interest would be shoulder, lower back and knee injuries. 

8. Tell us about an interesting case that you’ve treated lately.

An interesting case I had recently was with a low back pain patient. Though not a particularly serious injury, the patient had been advised to rest up and avoid physiotherapy for a few weeks to allow the pain to settle. After being told this, the patient developed a fear of movement or doing any physical activity, believing they could upset their back pain with the slightest movement. This patient had a positive experience with physiotherapy in the past, and so she decided to book in to get my opinion. Aside from treatment in the clinic and a home exercise programme, the main thing this patient got from our first session was the reassurance that it was safe to move, and that although pain might be present, they were safe to practice small amounts of exercise. The patient’s pain didn’t improve rapidly but she did return to her next appointment with a much improved confidence, having been able to go for short walks and do small bits around the house, which helped her progress significantly. I found this case interesting as it showed how well-meaning advice can have a different impact to what was intended, and it has made me think twice about some of the advice I give.

9. What is it like to work at Mid West Physiotherapy?

It’s fantastic and I’m really enjoying my time here. Having worked in a few different clinics, this is by far the best. One of the main things I notice here is the emphasis on making sure that all the staff are happy and ensuring that we all develop our clinical skills. Senior staff are always willing to share their opinion and I’ve learned more in my time here than I have in much longer roles previously. 

10. How do you incorporate movement/activity into your own life?

Sporadically to say the least. I’ve always struggled with consistency with exercising. I love getting my exercise through sport and currently play tag rugby on a Thursday night which is plenty of hard work! I’ve also just made the big comeback to junior hurling after about 7 years away, which hurt afterwards but was brilliant craic. I like going to the gym when I can make time for it. I’d like to get better at running but knee pain has been holding me back lately… could you recommend a physio?!

11. When should someone seek physiotherapy?

People can come for physio when not injured, although most who attend have some ache or pain. For those without injury we mostly share advice on exercise, injury prevention, workplace ergonomics and provide reassurance when someone has a concern. If you are injured or a new pain develops, it’s never too early to get physio, particularly for advice, reassurance and early rehabilitation.

12. How can I book an appointment with you? 

You can book an appointment with me through this link – I would love to help you to achieve your movement goals. Or alternatively you can contact our Clinic Reception on 061-201444 or emailing info@midwestphysio and our Reception team will gladly help you out.