Balance Restored: How Orthopaedic Massage Helped Me Find My Stride Again
By Nicola Campbell Turnbull
I never planned to be a runner. I was the person who always said, “I couldn’t even run for a bus.” But one night in 2012, with a glass of wine in hand and caught in a moment of strange grief, I signed up for the 2013 Edinburgh Half Marathon. My husband Colin had died young the year before and the race fell on what would have been his 40th birthday. It felt like a way to honour him—and soon, many of his London friends joined me in the challenge. It was emotional, powerful… and also, painfully physical.
Running has a way of exposing everything that’s even slightly off in your body. Not long into training, pain flared from my left hip all the way down to my calf. I tried it all—sports massage, physio, a podiatrist—and was told I had one leg longer than the other. With orthotics and strengthening exercises, I managed to get through five more half marathons.
But in the past couple of years, the pain returned with a vengeance. I could barely run—or even walk my dog. And with 50 looming, I realised I needed a new approach if I want to keep running as part of my mindful mix of movement. That mix includes the occasional yoga class, a wild swim (if there’s a sauna involved), and a bit of gym action when life allows.
That’s when I turned to a long-recommended name: Nell at Edinburgh Press Orthopaedic Therapy.
Based in Spirit Health Club at the Holiday Inn, Corstorphine, Nell’s clinic is calm, discreet, and welcoming. In our first session, she took time to talk through how she works, gently assessed my posture, movement, and alignment—and quickly honed in on the real issue. Contrary to previous diagnoses, Nell explained that many “one leg longer” issues are actually caused by pelvic misalignment. My left side was taking the heat, my right side is weaker and in general my glutes are not doing their job and so my back muscles and hamstrings are kicking in to do the hard work. My muscles were essentially working against me.
What followed was expert, intuitive work: a combination of manipulation, massage, and movement cues to retrain my body and brain. I walked out of the first appointment in awe. For the first time in years, I felt... balanced. The pain had lifted.
Weeks later, after lugging boxes and furniture while helping my mum move into care, the pain crept back. I returned to Nell, who could see how I’d slipped out of alignment. More massage, more gentle adjustment—and that wonderful sensation of being set right again.
I now understand that orthopaedic massage isn’t just treatment—it’s body education. It teaches your body to move as it should. Nell’s focus is on long-term change, not short-term fix. And I’m committed to her strengthening exercises this time, because frankly, I never want to go back to that limping, off-kilter place again.
I like running. It helps me find balance in my mind. But the imbalance of my body has impeded me keeping on at it. After years of pain and frustration, it feels like I’m finally getting to the root of the issue. With Nell’s expert help—and a renewed commitment to doing the work—I’m hopeful. Hopeful that this time the change will stick. Hopeful that I can keep running beyond the big 5-0. Hopeful that the balance I’ve found in my body might just carry through to the rest of life too.
What Does Orthopaedic Massage Therapy Do
Nell, of Edinburgh Press Orthopaedic Therapy says:, “The aim of Orthopaedic Massage Therapy is to move beyond treating symptoms and address the root cause of pain and loss of function. The majority of techniques are gentle and serve to communicate with the nervous system to allow the rebalancing of muscles and alleviation of pressure on joints and nerves so the body is biomechanically optimal and can move better and without pain.”