Leoni Munslow

International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter and Firefighter

12 weeks after injury I flew to Portugal and won a bronze medal in the European Championships. Without the help of the team at Balance I probably wouldn’t have been back on the mats, let alone making the podium of a major tournament.

During competition training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I tore my PCL and sprained my ACL [2 crucial ligaments for stability of the knee]. Due to my job as a firefighter I was subsequently signed off sick and unable to work. From the day after the injury I worked with Jon [end stage rehab and movement], Martina [physiotherapist] and several others of the Balance team to coordinate a thorough recovery plan.

I had regular Physio sessions and Martina advised my strength and conditioning coach (Sabina Skala) to make sure I was getting the most out of rehab. I also worked with Jon on movement to improve my injury but also to improve balance, stability and prevent further issues. Sports massages with Kelly were fantastic to loosen up the muscles which I’d been targeting to stabilise my knee. Unable to run on roads, I turned to training on the Alter G which allowed me to improve my cardio and drop weight without the impact of full running on my knee. I supplemented the work at the Clapham centre with using my Trigger Point Therapy set at home.

[a note from the Balance Team: Leoni is a wonderful person to work with. She understands that however fired up she is about getting back to her BJJ training after an injury or recovering from a tough practice session it is also absolutely essential to take a long term perspective, cover all bases, and consider consider all opportunities. This is the key to gaining resilience. Thanks for the kind words Leoni.]