Exercise support clinic celebrates milestone and launches online service
LJMU’s Clinical Exercise Physiology Clinic is celebrating six months of patient care by launching a new online service and inviting further individuals to receive specialist exercise support.
The clinic is again inviting expressions of interest from LJMU students and staff, for free, specialist exercise support to help prevent and manage long term health conditions, having already supported two patient cohorts over the past six months.
What is the Clinical Exercise Physiology Clinic?
The clinic provides specialist exercise support for people living with, or at risk of developing, long-term health conditions. Combining patient care, clinical education, research and innovation, the clinic offers a unique university-led service that is helping people improve their health while supporting the development of the next generation of healthcare professionals.
The free face-to-face clinic offers personalised exercise programmes delivered by registered Clinical Exercise Physiologists alongside placement students from across LJMU’s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences.
Results since the clinic’s launch
Over the past since months, the clinic has supported 46 people, 70% were living with 1-2 long-term health conditions, while 30% were managing 3+ medical conditions.
After completing the 10-week programme, participants experienced improvements across a range of health and wellbeing measures. On average:
- Lower body strength improved by almost 26%.
- Aerobic fitness improved by almost 24%.
- Self-reported quality of life improved by 17%.
- Hand grip strength improved by around 10-12%.
- Walking speed improved.
- Blood pressure reduced.
- Weight and body mass index (BMI) also decreased.
Self-reported quality of life improved by 17%
These improvements are linked to greater independence, improved physical function and better long-term health outcomes. The results suggest that personalised exercise support can help people make meaningful improvements to their health, even when living with medical conditions.
A patient who has used the service said: “The team are expert and enthusiastic - I learnt safer technique and to enjoy exercise so much I am now a regular gym-goer. I feel energised and more balanced. Some pains have even gone, and I am managing my blood sugars much better."
Launch of the new online exercise support service
Alongside the face-to-face clinic, LJMU has also launched a new Online Exercise Support Service, extending access to specialist Clinical Exercise Physiology support beyond the clinic setting. The service is available directly to individuals and can also be commissioned by healthcare organisations, employers, charities and community groups for patients, service users or staff.
An MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology Student who has worked on placement at the clinic said: “I really enjoyed the opportunity to work with real-world patients and being able to put into practice some of the skills I had obtained in my MSc training. I really think this has helped my confidence for moving into my new role within the NHS regarding my communication skills alongside my exercise prescription and delivery understanding.”
Apply for support from the Clinical Exercise Physiology Clinic
If you are a current student or staff member, or friends or family, you can find out more and fill in the expression of interest for support from the Clinical Exercise Physiology Clinic.
