Abbey Fitzgerald

Biography

Having completed her undergraduate Physiotherapy degree at York St John University in 2013, with first class honours, Abbey completed her junior rotations at a local district general NHS trust. Whilst rotating across a variety of specialities Abbey discovered her love for neurology and neuro rehab and specialised in acute stroke and rehabilitation; covering acute assessment, rehabilitation and into early supported discharge. Opportunities arose to work across general neurology outpatients, covering a range of complex neurological diagnoses and leading the neurology hydrotherapy service.

Whilst working, Abbey undertook her Masters in Neurological Rehabilitation at Keele University. Abbey's interest is in spasticity and complex neurology. Abbey graduated in 2019 with her dissertation project, "An evaluation of the current assessment methods used within a District General NHS Trust spasticity service" being accepted and presented as an abstract at the CSP Physiotherapy UK 2020.

In addition to her Masters, Abbey has completed postgraduate modules in Injection therapy: Neurology (Coventry University-completed 2017) and Independent and Supplementary Prescribing (Keele University- completed 2022) as well as a variety of CPD focused on complex disability and spasticity.

Abbey's role at Keele is part time within the neurology physiotherapy teaching team. The rest of her week is spent clinically as the service lead within a local spasticity and complex disability service, where she injects botulinum toxin for focal spasticity management and works closely with the MDT for providing neuro-rehab.