A POPULAR physiotherapist is re-opening his clinic in a new venue after a four-year hiatus forced by long-covid.
Paul Eddy ran a thriving practice at Harmire Enterprise Park for 15 years before he contracted Covid-19 in March 2020.
After struggling with a series of debilitating conditions caused by the virus, he will open his new clinic at TCR Hub, on Shaw Bank, Barnard Castle.
Mr Eddy said: “I got covid right at the start, before there was public testing or anything like that.
“I was being a good Samaritan and taking a friend to hospital in Leeds and I caught it then.
“The acute infection was bad, but it was the long-covid symptoms that got me.”
It was at a time when the virus was at its deadliest and before successive variants became milder, but more infectious.
It was also during the period between February and April 2020, when those infected were most impacted by long-covid.
Mr Eddy said: “Some people say you have been really unlucky, but nearly all the time I tell myself I was one of the lucky ones because there were younger, fitter people than me at that stage who didn’t make it. It is how you view life.”
While debilitating at the time, Mr Eddy is now fully recovered from all symptoms.
“I am absolutely blessed to be in good health again if I am being honest.”
The physiotherapist added: “More than anything I am looking forward to getting back to the job that I love and having that strong purpose of trying to help people.
“I am excited to be located in the TCR Hub and continuing to be part of the Teesdale community.”
He added that his clinic’s ethos is to provide effective treatment always under-pinned by accurate diagnosis, with a strong bias towards hands-on manual therapy complemented by rehabilitation.
He also offers acupuncture treatment for numerous conditions.