Rachel Chester

Key Research Interests and Expertise

Between 2011-2015 Rachel was awarded an NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship.

She was Chief Investigator for a multicenter cohort study (n~1000) “Shoulder pain: predicting response to physiotherapy treatment”. Rachel is currently preparing and submitting the results for publication and presenting the results at national and international conferences.

Earlier research has included studies of reliability of manual therapy in assessing stiff spinal joints. Rachel has also been part of a team which involved

1. measurement and physiotherapy management of patella instability,
2. a large RCT of immediate weight bearing mobilisation following Achilles tendon ruptures,
3. leading a reliability study of computer dynamometry in assessing functional recovery following Achilles tendon ruptures and
4. a trial of heavy-load eccentric calf muscle training versus ultrasound therapy for chronic Achilles tendon pain.

Grants

NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship £313,532

Chester R, Jerosch Herold C, Shepstone L, Lewis J
Awarded March 2011, completion February 2015
Topic: Longitudinal cohort study: Indentification of prognostic factors for functional recovery following physiotherapy management of musculosksletal shoulder pain.

Norfolk and Suffolk Comprehensive Local Research Network (CLRN), NIHR Flexibility and Sustainability Funding. £8743

Chester R, Pomeroy V, Shepstone L
Awarded January-May 2009
Topic: Funding to develop a research protocol and support training in medical statistics.

Learning and Teaching Fellowship, University of East Anglia £3000

Chester R and Bruce J
Awarded 2001
Topic: Accessibility and the Web: Ensuring that Web Materials are Accessible to Visually Impaired Users.

Research Group Membership

Rehabilitation/Musculoskeletal