Tine-Mari Birnie

 Tine-Mari was born and grew up in South Africa. In 2001, she was awarded BSc degree in Physiotherapy from the University of Stellenbosch. Tine-Mari subsequently gained a wide range of Physiotherapy experience in South Africa and within the NHS which enabled her to be selected for a senior Physiotherapist rotation in Leicester and Nottingham Hospitals.  It was at this stage that she decided to specialise in musculoskeletal physiotherapy and was fortunate enough to work in a team with the world renowned Prof Angus Wallace in the Shoulder and Elbow Unit at Nottingham City Hospital. During her time in the East Midlands Tine-Mari taught student and junior physiotherapists. She became proficient in managing acute and chronic pain and supported a local ankylosing spondylitis group on a voluntary basis. Prior to moving to Kent, she worked in the private sector in Cardiff and also spent a year in Durban, South Africa, where she did some voluntary work.  Tine-Mari joined the practice in Ash in 2014. She is experienced in the use of Dry Needling and has found the use of needles a very useful and effective additional treatment to improve pain, muscle spasm and increase the speed of the body’s own healing process.

Tine-Mari has recently attended a course in the management of shoulder conditions by Jo Gibson who Clinical Physiotherapy Specialist working at the Liverpool Upper Limb Unit at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and lectures nationally and internationally about assessment and rehabilitation of the shoulder complex. These new advances in shoulder rehabilitation has re-ignited Tine-Mari’s interest in the management of shoulder dysfunction and pain.

Tine-Mari believes in treating people holistically; not just treating the painful area but assessing and treating other areas which may be related to the pain. This approach also considers  the patient’s psychological needs  which plays a very big part in rehabilitation and the healing process. She feels passionate about listening to patient’s needs and where necessary guide or assist them to seek help in this area. Tine-Mari also focuses on improving patient’s general fitness, posture and facilitating ways of changing patients’s lifestyle encouraging them to be more healthy and managing their own  well-being.

Memberships:

Member of the Health Profession Society of South Africa