Sports Therapy & Massage

Vicki Costello

BSc (Hons)

Hello, I’m Vicki, and I’m delighted to have you here on my sports therapy website. As a qualified Sports Therapist with a BSc Hons degree in Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation, I’m here to provide you with the utmost care and support.

Whether you’re experiencing pain or have sustained an injury, my clinic is open to everyone, from individuals dealing with desk-related discomfort to professional athletes. Rest assured that when you visit my clinic, you’ll receive a comprehensive consultation and assessment, allowing me to customise your treatment and aftercare precisely to your unique needs. By employing specialised manual techniques and offering valuable advice, I am committed to ensuring your well-being and a speedy recovery.

About me:

After 13 years working as a paediatric physiotherapy support worker in the NHS, I then decided to embark on my journey in Sports Therapy, and during that time, I had the fantastic opportunity to full time with Dundee United Football Club and part-time with Brechin City Football Club. As an added convenience, I run my clinic right from the comfort of my home. So, whether you’re a passionate athlete or someone seeking assistance, I’m here to provide you with friendly and effective care every step of the way.

Sports Therapist or Physiotherapist? – What is the difference?

Both sports therapists and physiotherapists have similar skills. They create personalised treatment plans to relieve pain, assess injuries thoroughly, give diagnoses, and treat patients with massage, manual therapy, and prescribe exercise.

Sports therapists focus mainly on musculoskeletal issues, while physiotherapists have a broader knowledge of neurological, respiratory, and cardiac issues. In sports therapy, we specialise in common musculoskeletal injuries and how they affect different people, so we can diagnose and treat accurately. Our approach is hands-on, including muscle testing, checking your range of motion, targeted massage, stretching, and moving your joints.

If you’re unsure whether you require the expertise of a sports therapist or a physiotherapist, feel free to reach out to me using the link below. I will be more than happy to assist you.

Specialist techniques that may be included in during your bespoke treatment session:

Effleurage & Pettrisage

Vertebral Mobilisation

Muscle Energy Technique

Strength & Range of Movement Measurements

Peripheral Joint Mobilisation

Soft Tissue Release

Trigger Point Therapy

Myofasical Release

Cupping Therapy

Deep Transverse Frictions

Specialist Equipment

The Activforce 2 dynamometer is a  high-tech tool that can help you perform better and avoid injuries.

How it helps you:

  1. Measure Strength: I can check how strong your muscles are and find any weak spots. Then, we create a special training plan to strengthen those areas and improve your overall performance.
  2. Check Movement: The dynamometer helps us see how well your joints move. This is essential for better performance, and with this information, can design exercises to improve your flexibility and mobility.
  3. Prevent Injuries: By knowing your potential weaknesses, we can create a plan to prevent injuries and keep you in top shape.
  4. Custom Training: I design unique training programs just for you based on the data from the dynamometer. Whether you want to perform better or recover from an injury, I’ve got you covered.
  5. Real-time Feedback: During therapy, the dynamometer gives instant feedback, helping me adjust your exercises for the best results.
  6. Track Progress: Athletes love to see progress! The dynamometer helps me monitor your improvements over time, keeping you motivated.
  7. Recover from Injuries: If you’re healing from an injury, the dynamometer helps me create a safe and effective rehab plan to get you back to your sports activities.

Our Happy Clients

Vicky is extremely knowledgeable and in addition to a good diagnosis she has provided us support to deal with the pain as our bodies are repairing. We have appointments booked to receive further treatment. We’re looking forward to see Vicky again soon.

M B

A very good practitioner who helped my son on his return from ACL injury whilst home from his USA uni over Christmas, very knowledgeable and friendly.

Stewart Bisgrove

Having led quite a physical life, I received a number of injuries to my shoulders and, for several years suffered pain and reduced mobility in both my shoulders I was sent to a specialist by my doctor who examined me and told me I had ripped tendons. He said this could be repaired by small operations in which he could stitch the tendons and reattach them to the correct places. I asked him to just go ahead because of the pain when doing ‘stuff’ and, the restrictions on my physical life. He said he wouldn’t do this until it got much worse and gave me an open appointment. Eventually I went to VC Sports Therapy on several recommendations from family. After the first visit where ‘Vicki’ gave me a thorough examination and some manipulation, set me out an exercise and treatment plan, sent me away with great relief from the months of pain and improved movement. Over the next few months, including the date of this review, my injuries and my ability to get back to doing the things I need and want to do have been improving all the time. I highly recommend VC Sports Therapy if you wan to see improvements and get back to a normal life.
Excellent service by a very experienced and knowledgeable operative.

Stephen Gilham

Really good first appointment, Vicki asked lots of questions regarding pain history and possible cause of existing problem. First treatment went well and I did feel the benefits within hours.
I felt she was really thorough on investigating how best to treat the problem and I left with simple exercises to do at home together with helpful tips on how to avoid aggravating the situation whilst continuing with treatment.

Pauline Nicholson

Quite simply the best, I had been struggling for a few months in pain. I’d been to see another sports therapist. This made my pain worse, so I was very apprehensive. Vicky was patient and knowledgeable and explained everything she was doing and why. She was gentle when she needed to be and firm where I needed it. I now have a plan to follow, and Vicky made sure I was doing all the exercises correctly. Pure relief to find her.

Susan Gilham

Having spent months and months experiencing and then having to live with severe pain caused by a degenerative tear to my meniscus tissue to my right knee and after using several physiotherapists in the Dundee area to no avail, I finally found this wee angel called Vicky Costello who very quickly booked me in for a 2 hour consultation appointment with check-up…who also read, understood then relayed my MRI scan and report into a language i could understand..Vicky then set about devising a physio plan and a 3 day gym workout completely bespoked to me.
Please believe when I say I’ve been thru a few different types of physios and Vicky is by far the best most professional physiotherapist I’ve ever dealt with, she is very conscience yet completely empathetic and caring..After spending months and months thinking I would never be able to run another marathon again, With Vicky, i now have a plan.. and so much hope..
I can’t thank her enough..

George Mitchell

I’ve known Vicki for 2 seasons and often had treatment either before or after training and games. She helped me a lot during times when I required a very deep massage. She is great at what she does and suggest you give her a try!

Charlie Mulgrew

I have worked with Vicki for 4 seasons with Dundee United. She has helped me a lot over these years by providing me with massage and gym based rehabilitation. I would recommend Vicki to anyone looking for help with an injury and especially for a sports massage.

Peter Pawlett

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