Inspiring others to push on through Sport Rehabilitation

Jessica Law, our Senior Lecturer of Sport Rehabilitation at the University of Bolton’s School of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, shares her sporting challenges, authentic journey and how she’s empowering others never to accept arbitrary limitations.

“You have to give it up.”

Imagine being 12 years old, facing up to the possibility of walking away from a sport you love due to ongoing struggles with knee pain. And at that moment, you can feel a crystallising resolve. No one should ever have to hear those words. She just knew, even as a kid, that there had to be a way for people to adapt and overcome physical limitations. She recounts, “When I was 12/13, I was doing a lot of swimming and remember having a lot of knee pain. The physio sent me to a consultant who wanted to do surgery and my mum - rightly- said no. Then I was referred to another physio who said there was nothing to be done and I had to give up. From there, I decided I wanted to do this so no one had to be told they had to give up what they loved.” That experience kickstarted a journey that would lead Jessica to join the team of amazing faculty here at Bolton. That’s Jessica’s origin story and maybe you have a similar one. Are you interested in inspiring others to push on through Sport Rehabilitation? At the University of Bolton, students rave about our teaching quality, but that comes from the innate passion and real-world lived experiences of faculty like Jessica.

Creating your own authentic path

If you want to support people in sport to achieve their dreams, there are a ton of different ways you could do that at Bolton. Maybe your story will start with our Sport Rehabilitation undergraduate programme or you might do your postgraduate studies with us on our Master’s in Sports Medicine; written by Jessica and launching soon. She explains, “[This new degree] combines musculoskeletal medicine and sports sciences in one degree. This is ideal for students who want to go into public health, NHS, MSK private practice, elite sport, disability sport or PhD studies. This degree is primarily focused on the prevention, management and performance elements of MSK injuries and using exercise medicine to prevent and manage long-term chronic diseases.”

Champion communities and causes

You might find your focus through your coursework but also via extracurriculars. At Bolton, it’s not just academics that are inspiring. Our lecturers like Jessica are involved in tons of groups, programmes and organisations. She even established the Armed Forces Covenant at Bolton, showing her dedication to supporting service members after time spent in the Army Reserves, learning to advocate for injured soldiers. She recounts, “Most recently, I got the clinic and the students involved in a Guinness World Record Holder for an athlete, Lexi Chambers on her End to End: The Rugby Relay where she covered 874 miles (1,407 km) in 45 days using a standard wheelchair. We were able to support her with recovery massage and it was amazing to be a part of her journey. This gives students the chance to learn how to accommodate the individual, not just the injury.” When you learn at Bolton, you’ll have lots of opportunities to get involved with sport, medicine and the local community so you can follow your passion wherever it leads.

Rewarding dedication

Jessica’s commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed either. She was recently awarded “Highly Commended” in the Female Clinician of the Year category at the Bolton Health and Wellbeing Awards. She says, “It was a proud moment to represent the SPARC Clinic and the university. It validated everything we’ve been doing with student placements.” At Bolton, smaller class sizes mean more one-on-one time with lecturers like Jessica, who are passionate about seeing students succeed. You’ll not only learn the skills you need but also how to apply them in real-life scenarios, giving you a head start in your career.

To begin your own award-winning journey, why not pick up the phone and have a quick chat with our helpful team at 01204 903 940, via email at admissions@bolton.ac.uk or you could visit our website to experience #UniAsItShouldBe and jumpstart your thriving career in Sport Rehabilitation.