I would be interested in supervising projects related to the assessment and conservative management of people with nerve-related musculoskeletal disorders such as lumbosacral radicular pain or carpal tunnel syndrome.

My main area of focus is in the assessment and management of people with nerve related musculoskeletal disorders. I am currently investigating sub-profiling of people with lumbosacral radiculopathy in terms of quantitative sensory testing and psychosocial profiling. The aim being to better target conservative management of these conditions.

I believe that all students regardless of life experience, age or learning style benefit from independent, self-directed learning. However, appropriate scaffolding is needed to best support and develop these learning skills. We are developing Physiotherapy students into competent, caring, empathetic practitioners. They need to be able to problem solve, understand and deal with complexity and develop critical reasoning strategies to best manage patients in practice.

Colette Ridehalgh has an MSc in Manipulative Physiotherapy and is a member of the Musculoskeletal association of Chartered Physiotherapists (MACP). She completed her PhD in 2014 entitled Straight Leg Raise treatment for individuals with spinally referred leg pain: exploring characteristics that influence outcome. She has published a number of peer reviewed articles and presented this work at national and international conferences. She recently been awarded a Rising Stars Grant from the University of Brighton which is allowing her to explore sub-profiling of individuals with spinally referred leg pain.