Tom Greenway graduated as a chiropractor in 1990 and now runs the Waldegrave Clinic. He has worked extensively in elite sports having worked at the Olympic Medical Institute and the British Olympic Association. More recently he was the Lead Chiropractor for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London and spent 10 years working in professional football with Queens Park Rangers and Chelsea Football Clubs. He is recognised as one of the top chiropractors in the UK by the Times newspaper. His area of expertise is in long term complex back pain and using a multidiscipline approach in helping to find a solution.
I chose to become a chiropractor because…
…I had wanted to be involved in healthcare since I was 9 years old and my family suggested chiropractic.
What has surprised me most about chiropractic
We do our patients so much good, but disappointingly there is still much scepticism about what we do. Everyone has an opinion about who the best person is to see regarding back pain.
Unexpected hurdles I have faced
Integrating chiropractic in to the elite sports arena has been very challenging. Sports medicine is a new area in healthcare, so in a way it’s been easier to get chiropractic involved in this fledgling area of medical care. But it has still had its difficult moments.
The most rewarding aspect
Prolonged chronic back pain makes your life miserable; you get fed up and cannot do the things you want to do. Once the pain has gone away or has become manageable you see people re-engaging in their lives again. Improving a person’s quality of life is the most rewarding aspect to my job.
My most momentous career and life moments
Being the lead chiropractor at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London read more. That and being at the births of my children.
What will always bring a smile to my face?
When someone comes into my room at work feeling better and you can see it in their eyes.
Outside of work, I enjoy
Exercise, travelling, sports, cooking and spending time with my family even though I drive them mad.
Glimpses of wisdom I offer my patients
Back pain is like a battle. If you stop leading the life you want to because of it – then the pain is winning. Once you get the pain under control and you get back to leading your life the way you want to – you are winning. The challenge for a therapist is to find and use the right weapons to help you win the battle. That is what I find most exciting about my job and it is also the reason it is never boring – it is different for each patient.