Did you know that Sheffield Sports Medicine serves patients from all around the world?
One reason why Dr. Lee founded Sheffield Sports Medicine was to branch out and actually change the whole status quo and how people perceive health.
And of course, it goes without saying that he wanted help people to the best of his ability too!
Why Did It All Start?
People look at Dr. Lee's profile and say 'Oh my goodness Michael! You have spent a lot of time studying!'. For those who don't know, Dr Lee has completed seven degrees not to boast but it just shows how interested he is in the human body! The reason why he studied so much was that, perhaps just like you reading this blog, you recognise that there are all these different things around that could help but where do I start?!
Dr. Lee was exactly the same so he went to investigate! He was curious to find out exactly how the human brain and the body work together so people can live healthier and happier lives.
Sheffield Sports Medicine was founded back in 2010 because Dr Lee was treating so many patients, so much that he wasn't even seeing his wife! So he quickly realised that that wasn't working!
It was then that he realised that the purpose of his life isn't to just be at work helping treating people. Don't get us wrong, he loves treating patients! But he was only helping one person for every session that he was delivering and he wanted to help more people!
So Dr Lee realised that, to help more people, he needed to teach his philosophy, in terms of how the whole body works together and how to get people out of pain for good. And he wanted to reach more people around the world so that they could have an opportunity. Because a lot of people that come to us have been suffering for years - 5, 10, 15, 20, even 30 years. Whether it's a physical pain or an emotional pain that they just haven't been able to get rid of.
When The Idea Was First Formed
Dr Lee realised all this whilst he was studying his first degree at Loughborough University. He actually had a scholarship there to play rugby at national level. He loved his rugby but the real problem was that he suffered an ACL injury to his knee. He had surgery and of course he was told it would be fine, he would be back to rugby.
But the truth is, that that didn't happen.
He was still on crutches two years after that minor surgery. He was in so much pain that he couldn't walk, he couldn't even look after himself. He was completely dependent on the people that loved him.
He felt useless, he felt a failure, he felt depressed.
Because this wasn't how it was meant to be.
The surgeon said he'd be back in six months, yet 2 years down the line, he was no better. The surgeon wanted to go in and operate again but Dr Lee refused this time.
Whether You Break A Ligament, A Tendon, A Bone, A Muscle, It Heals In Eight Weeks
Dr Lee’s understanding was that whether you break a ligament, a tendon, a bone, a muscle, it heals in eight weeks. And 2 years is a lot longer than eight weeks! And if something's healed in eight weeks and he was still getting pain, it couldn't have been a structural problem, this had to be a neurological problem.
So Dr Lee wanted to learn about the body and how the brain causes this type of reaction, how does the brain actually create the pain as a protective mechanism?
He travelled around the world, learning from the best clinicians that he could find.
He learned a lot and ended up healing himself. Now, if you see him in clinic or on any videos, you'll see that he's standing, running, jumping.
He's stronger than he's ever been.
70% Of What He Learned Was Rubbish
But actually, from the seven degrees and all the people that Dr Lee has learned from around the world, over 70% of what he learned was rubbish.
It didn't make sense.
It didn't truly make all of the body work together.
We get so many specialists. They either focus on the shoulder, the knee, the ankle, the hip, the back. But they don't see how the whole body actually functions together and they miss out how the brain connects to the body.
Here at Sheffield Sports Medicine, we're real believers that the body is a reflection of our minds. So this is one of the reasons that we love doing what we do.
So now Dr Lee has learned all that, he is now out there teaching his philosophy, that everything has a massive neurological component to it.
If you're reading this and you've been in pain for more than eight weeks, this is a neurological problem. This is how your brain has actually created this dysfunction to protect something bigger.
Dr Lee loves treating patients but he wants to get the word out there. That there is a better way.
Yes, Dr Lee has lots of pieces of paper but do they mean much? No!
It's actually the results that matter, and that's why Dr Lee teaches around the world.
And you may/may not know that Dr Lee was the first clinician in the world to break a patient out of locked-in syndrome, and got her running in eight months.
This of course is incredible in itself because people in locked-in syndrome, 80% die and 20% stay paralyzed for the rest of their lives.
To get someone running again, was what propelled Dr Lee to the world stage. Not because of his qualifications, but because of his results.
There's no doubt about it, we're in weird and wonderful times at the moment. And we don't want people to suffer when they don't need to.
If you have found this blog interesting and you want to learn more about it, get in touch or comment below and ask us a question. Dr Lee will reply back personally to you to see how we can help you.
And of course, if you know someone that has been suffering for more than eight weeks. Share this blog with them.
This is Dr Lee's personal story. We're not saying what's right or what's wrong it's just his story. And all of us here at Sheffield Sports Medicine would love to help as many people as possible.