Laura Gent

From RGS to elite sport: Laura Gent’s journey in physiotherapy

When Laura Gent (2006–2013) looks back on her time at RGS, she remembers a school life filled with both learning and sport – a combination that would ultimately shape her career.

“I have very fond memories of my time at RGS,” Laura says. “I was fortunate that I enjoyed learning, so I enjoyed the academic side of things, but I also loved the fact that early mornings and after school would be occupied with sports matches or training.”

Some of her happiest memories are from Hartswood, where she made the most of the opportunities offered by the school’s sports departments. International sports tours and tournaments remain particular highlights, and Laura credits Mrs Wickham, Mr Russell, Mr Cooper and Mrs Mitchell with helping to foster her passion for sport.

“I often wish I could go back to my school days!”

That passion eventually led Laura towards a career combining sport with science and healthcare. A keen runner, she first encountered physiotherapy after picking up an injury shortly before her first English Schools Track Championships. It was there that she met Stu Butler, who remains her physiotherapist and mentor today.

“He reassured me, educated me on the injury and empowered me,” she recalls. “That was when I realised that physio combined my love of human anatomy and physiology, with sport and helping others.”

After studying Sport and Exercise Science, Laura went on to complete a First-Class degree in Physiotherapy. Her training exposed her to a range of clinical environments, including an elective placement working with adolescents with acquired brain injuries at Alder Hey Hospital. But it was sport and the clinical reasoning involved in sports medicine that continued to draw her back.

Laura’s career has since taken her from ballet schools and professional dancers to university athletes and international hockey players, as well as roles with England Athletics and England Hockey.

For Laura, that variety is one of the most rewarding aspects of physiotherapy.

“I love having a varied role as I am always learning new things and being constantly challenged.” While the early stages of rehabilitation may be similar across different sports, later-stage rehabilitation becomes highly specific to the demands of each discipline. A physiotherapist needs to understand exactly what an athlete or performer will be required to do and how their rehabilitation needs to prepare them for it.

Her three years as Company Physiotherapist with Birmingham Royal Ballet provided a particularly steep learning curve. It was her first full-time role in sports and dance physiotherapy, but she was fortunate to have experienced mentors around her, including a boss who had written the dance medicine textbook.

Laura travelled nationally and internationally with the company, led physiotherapy support for junior tours and became involved in strength and conditioning programmes. She was also able to follow dancers through the entire rehabilitation journey, from surgery to their first performance back on stage.

“I was fortunate to watch some of the leading sports surgeons operate,” she says. “Seeing anatomy live is very different to textbooks!”

Working with elite dancers also taught Laura about resilience, risk and difficult decisions. Dancers can be incredibly determined to continue despite injury, meaning physiotherapists sometimes have challenging conversations about prognosis and the dangers of returning too soon.

At the same time, working within a multidisciplinary team and seeing performers every day can allow carefully managed risks to be taken when the stakes are high – perhaps helping a dancer return in time for an international tour or their first principal role, while still protecting their long-term wellbeing.

Today, Laura continues to work with elite athletes through England Athletics and England Hockey. Event days can be intense, often lasting 10–12 hours, beginning with morning activation and mobility sessions and continuing through treatment, training, pitchside injury management, match-day cover and recovery.

“Working in sport is not always glamorous!” she admits, with admin often continuing late into the evening once the athletes are asleep.

Yet the intensity is part of what she enjoys. Whether treating an athlete, contributing to team discussions, monitoring recovery or responding to an injury during a match, no two days are quite the same.

One career highlight came at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Having spent six years as a student at Birmingham University and another six years working in the city, Laura describes working at a “home” Commonwealth Games as particularly special. She worked at the hockey competition on the university pitches where she had had her first pitchside job.

She also acted as an educator for physiotherapy students supporting performers at the opening ceremony – a new type of placement that gave her the opportunity to give something back to the profession.

More recently, Laura toured with Birmingham Royal Ballet in Japan and America, experiencing different cultures while working in some of the world’s most iconic theatres, including the JFK Performing Arts Center in Washington and the Bunraku Theatre in Tokyo.

Now, Laura is taking the next step in her career. She has recently completed an MSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine at Queen Mary University of London, and will shortly start a new role at a leading sports medicine practice in London.

For Laura, continued learning is essential. “I have been very fortunate to have been mentored by some industry-leading physios, so I want to continue to build on the knowledge I have gained from them.”

Her advice to current RGS students is equally clear: work hard, take every opportunity and surround yourself with people you can learn from.

“I have made, and continue to make, a conscious effort to network and learn from others.”

Laura also encourages students considering a career in sport to gain experience wherever possible. She volunteered with England Athletics for three years before securing her first paid contractor role and worked with university sports teams early in her career – experiences that became a springboard for what followed.

Looking ahead, Laura hopes to continue developing her work with England Athletics and England Hockey, with ambitions of potentially working at a future Commonwealth Games or major junior international championships.

For someone whose career began with a running injury before an English Schools championship, it is a fitting journey – one that has combined her love of sport, science and helping others, while taking her far beyond the playing fields of RGS.