You’re almost there - only a few more steps before you’ve booked your slot for us to help you with your pain, movement or performance journey. Don’t forget, we have a second location - the garden clinic - a step free location, so if you cant see availability in one location, its worth checking the other

Sports Injury Assessments

Exceptional injury analysis allowing reduced injury and enhanced performance. As Injuries are complex and multifaceted, our Initial assessment, will focus on understanding the history and the mechanism of injury and how the bio-mechanical impact your sport / lifestyle places on your body. This is followed by completing a full musculoskeletal assessment, which helps identify the source of the ... Read More

Exceptional injury analysis allowing reduced injury and enhanced performance.
As Injuries are complex and multifaceted, our Initial assessment, will focus on understanding the history and the mechanism of injury and how the bio-mechanical impact your sport / lifestyle places on your body. This is followed by completing a full musculoskeletal assessment, which helps identify the source of the exact issues.
Our assessments, diagnosis and treatments are completed through a combination of methods that may include: manual therapy, manipulation and dry needling; modalities such as IASMT, taping, Cupping, Ultrasound, TENS and exercise prescription. Education plays an important role, and our teams goals are to return you to your optimal function and strength, while educating you about your injury. This allows you to independently maintain a healthy body without the constant supervision of a therapist, which is key in reducing recovery times and optimising performance and movement.

An example of the typical Injuries we treat are:
• Ligament and joint Sprains and Strains
• Muscle Strains and tears
• Tennis / Golfers Elbow
• Running Injuries – Plantar Fasciitis, Shin Splints, Achilies tendinopathies, stress fractures etc.
• Bio-mechanical irregularities
• Illiotibial Band Syndrome (ITB)
• Sciatica
• Pre and Post Operative rehabilitation.
• Rotator Cuff Injuries
• Spinal Disk related Injuries.


Physiotherapy

Approved by major Insurances, our experienced MSK Physiotherapists clinical excellence, provides first class Injury Diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation plans to empower you with taking ownership of your recovery.


Sports Massage Therapy

An amazing array of treatments for any individual or athlete who is struggling with tension, spasms, postural imbalances and firing pattern issues within their muscles. Our experts offer a bespoke service of varying skills and techniques to suit your budget and requirments, from Myofascial release, chronic tension reduction, imbalance correction, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation ... Read More

An amazing array of treatments for any individual or athlete who is struggling with tension, spasms, postural imbalances and firing pattern issues within their muscles.
Our experts offer a bespoke service of varying skills and techniques to suit your budget and requirments, from Myofascial release, chronic tension reduction, imbalance correction, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation (IASTM), cupping, TENS, trigger point therapy, soft tissue release, muscle firing correction and hot stone therapy.

Lets face it, we all push things too far sometimes, and at 8th Element we know a thing or two about movement. Which is where our specialist massage therapy treatments can help.
Its essential in promoting and improving muscle recovery, physical fitness and mental awareness; in turn helping to reduce rehabilitation times and alleviating physical and mental stress levels, promoting excellent performance, health and well being.
Each treatment is individually tailored, in order to help you release tension, relieve pain, improve imbalances and firing patterns through mobilising soft tissues in order to improve performance and prevent injury.
You’ll speed up your heeling process and significantly reduce any discomfort within the muscle fascia or connective tissue by mobilising, loosening, and helping eliminate cramps, spasms, tears and bruising.
Not only that, the increased blood flow and circulation allows significant toxin removal improving the supply of your wonder healing molecule ‘OXYGEN’, improving nutrient supply to the soft tissues. All in all assisting muscular Range of movement, muscle recruitment and recovery.


Shockwave Therapy (R-ESWT)

A revolutionary therapy clinically proven and highly effective for soft tissue tendon injuries and chronic pain. High-tech, non-invasive treatment for chronic soft tissue, tendon and certain bone conditions. Our Radial Shockwave system exerts a mechanical pressure and tension force (high energy pulses), which are applied through the applicator head-on contact to the injury site, and dependa... Read More

A revolutionary therapy clinically proven and highly effective for soft tissue tendon injuries and chronic pain.
High-tech, non-invasive treatment for chronic soft tissue, tendon and certain bone conditions.

Our Radial Shockwave system exerts a mechanical pressure and tension force (high energy pulses), which are applied through the applicator head-on contact to the injury site, and dependant on the site and condition you are treating, its scientifically proven to yield and speed up approx 82% in the healing process through 3-6 sessions.

This mechanical pressure causes cavitation (formation of empty space) in the tissues. As these bubbles collapse, they create smaller secondary energy waves, further assisting in the breakdown of pathological deposits within the damaged tissues. The several thousand shockwaves that are applied through injured tissue help create stimulation of fibroblasts (cells fundamental in the formation and healing of our muscle/tendon/ligament/skin tissues) and osteoblasts (cells that form new bone) enhancing the healing process and cell generation of soft tissue and bones.

Reducing Pain:
ESWT also targets pain by stimulating anaesthesia where nerves sending pain signals to the brain become over stimulated resulting in decreased activity thus diminishing or eliminating pain. After a few treatments the pain gate control mechanism alters its stimulation, and as a result, we see longer periods of decreased pain. Finally, ESWT is believed to trigger a ‘reset’ button that recalibrates pain perception centrally.

So why not target your tendon, ligament, muscle or joint pain effectively and enhance post surgical recovery, while receiving tailor rehabilitation for your lifestyle or sporting needs?

Issues Commonly Treated:
* Plantar fasciitis
* Shoulder pain, e.g. calcific lesions of the rotator cuff and bony spurs
* Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
* Medial epicondylitis (golfer‘s elbow)
* Patellar tendonitis (jumper‘s knee)
* Tibial stress syndrome (shin pain)
* Achilles tendonitis
* Hip pain (bursitis)
* Heel pain, heel spurs
* Chronic neck dysfunction
* Illiotibial Band (ITB) Friction Syndrome


Virtual Injury Clinic

Our Virtual Injury Clinic allows our expert practitioners to bring their clinical expertise, physical assessments, coaching, pain relief and rehabilitation directly to you.  Helping restore movement, reducing discomfort and enhancing way of life. During the Virtual appointments we'll coach you through postural screens, and injury tests so you'll need a little room to move around. Once com... Read More

Our Virtual Injury Clinic allows our expert practitioners to bring their clinical expertise, physical assessments, coaching, pain relief and rehabilitation directly to you. 
Helping restore movement, reducing discomfort and enhancing way of life.

During the Virtual appointments we'll coach you through postural screens, and injury tests so you'll need a little room to move around.
Once complete, we'll explain your injury, coach you through self treatment and create a bespoke rehabilitation plan for your lifestyle or sporting demands.

Our Virtual Injury Clinical appointments are just as effective, if not more so than a face to face consultation and can all be done from the comfort of your own home.
Our secure clinical Telehealth conferencing software, and payment services, ensure your information is secure and encrypted.

With a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physiotherapy from Brunel University, Gary is a dedicated and highly skilled Chartered Physiotherapist, actively engaged with both the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). His comprehensive qualifications encompass all facets of physiotherapy and rehabilitation, including advanced techniques like dry needling, shockwave therapy, and sports massage, as well as suturing and stitching. He also holds a Level 3 certification in Strength and Conditioning for athletic performance.

Currently serving as a Consultant Physiotherapist for the England National Amputee Football Team, Gary has an impressive background in professional sports. He previously excelled as the Head Physiotherapist at Gillingham FC in the English Football League (EFL) and has extensive experience as a first-team physiotherapist with both Charlton Athletic FC and West Ham United FC.

With over 15 years of experience in the NHS as a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Gary has specialized in various areas, including pediatrics, hydrotherapy, and amputee rehabilitation. His rich career spans working with youth academies (ages 9-16) through to first teams, allowing him to develop a well-rounded perspective on athletic care.

In addition to his sports affiliations, Gary has provided private physiotherapy services on film and fashion sets for prestigious clients such as Nike, Zara, ITV, and BT Sports, ensuring medical support for cast and crew alike. His presence at high-profile sporting events, including the Amputee World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024, further underscores his expertise and commitment to excellence in physiotherapy.

Gary’s clinical interests lie in human biomechanics, athletic performance enhancement, and the formulation of individualized rehabilitation plans. He is a strong advocate for client collaboration, believing that partnership is key to achieving optimal outcomes. He is especially passionate about empowering parents to create a strong foundation for young athletes and guiding the general public on their health journeys.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Gary is an avid gym enthusiast who loves exploring the world. He enjoys balancing life with beach outings, fresh air, paddleboarding, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

With a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physiotherapy from Brunel University, Gary is a dedicated... Read More

Meet John

Founder, Sports Therapist, Movement specialist, PT, Rehab guru and Run Lab technician.

John has a huge passion for movement correction and performance optimisation. After qualifying from university with a BSc(hons) in Sports Therapy, he moved to the USA to further his education and knowledge. On returning a few years later he launched 8th Element with the sight to create an ‘all under one roof’ hub, where expert assessments, advice, treatments and education can be provided to everyone of all abilities at an affordable cost.

Alongside the management of the hub and his continued thirst for knowledge, John assesses Injuries, provides treatments and rehab using a wide range of modalities, including soft tissue and imbalance correction. He loves identifying postural weakness, imbalances and restrictions that are the contributing factors to injuries and performance deficits. Once identified, the rehab, release and education begins.

Over the years, he’s helped a huge range of workers and athletes from those who have been told they can’t be helped to those looking to shave off tenths of a second from their PBs.

As well as Injury assessments and rehab, John is proud to be able to offer and run the rare markerless 3D run lab. One of only a handful in the UK, its abilities are pushing technology to the edge, allowing for injury prediction, prevention and understanding while also allowing for performance enhancement.

Outside of the hub John loves all things adventurous, from track days on his motorbike to surfing, skydiving, kite surfing, obstacle course racing, running, and anything that’ll spike his adrenaline.

Meet John Founder, Sports Therapist, Movement specialist, PT, Rehab guru and Run Lab technician.... Read More

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8th Element in The Garden Clinic - Strood
Located at: To the side of:, 48 Windmill Street, Strood
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