About
Football Background:
David began his career at Carlisle United FC as a young boy, attending their School of Excellence, and soon attracted interest from English Premier League clubs such as Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Leeds United.
He signed for Newcastle United as a schoolboy on a five-year deal under manager Kevin Keegan and then, at the age of 16, moved to the club’s academy. He subsequently turned full-time professional at 17 under manager Sir Bobby Robson.
During his time at Newcastle United, he played alongside several household names, including Alan Shearer, Gary Speed, Rob Lee, Shay Given, David Ginola, and many others.
Four years later, David left Newcastle United and moved north to sign for Motherwell FC, managed by former England defender Terry Butcher. He became a regular first-team player and earned a Scotland Under-21 call-up but unfortunately suffered a severe double leg break against Celtic FC following an innocuous challenge with Paul Lambert.
This injury halted his career for over a year and sparked his initial interest in Physiotherapy, Anatomy and Physiology, and Sports rehabilitation.
David overcame this setback and went on to enjoy a successful playing career, winning four league and cup trophies with St Johnstone FC, Dundee FC, Gretna FC, and four other professional teams.
Outside of the clinic, David enjoys keeping fit and regularly attends the gym. He has a keen interest in travelling and enjoys hill walking, including tackling the Wainwrights and Munros.
Physiotherapy Training
David is an extremely passionate and empathic Physiotherapist with an ambitious and driven personality that has inevitably led him to start his own business.
He is a specialist in Musculoskeletal, Orthopaedics, Neurological and Sports Injuries having spent many years diagnosing and treating injuries related to all areas of the human body.
David graduated with a First-Class Honours Degree in Physiotherapy in 2017 studying at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. He won the award for the best 4th Year Physiotherapy Student and best 4th year Physiotherapy Clinical Placement.
He has a keen interest in Strength and Conditioning and has completed many Postgraduate courses from Advanced Spinal Manipulation, Massage, Acupuncture, Kinesio and Sports Taping, Tendinopathy, Foot and Ankle Masterclass, Shoulder Masterclass, ACL rehabilitation and many others.
David has worked closely alongside some of the world’s leading surgeons keeping up to date with the latest surgical procedures/protocols and regularly shadowing during surgery in order to deliver the most appropriate treatment/rehabilitation required.
Clinical Work
Since graduating, David has worked exclusively in Private Practice and Sport. He splits his clinical time between a busy clinic in Anstruther and his own clinic in Dunfermline. Through this work, he has treated several high-profile individuals from the worlds of Football, Rugby, and Golf, although working with the general public is where he gains the greatest satisfaction.
David recently began working on a voluntary basis as Head Physiotherapist for the Scotland National Amputee Football Team and travelled with the squad to the European Championships in 2024 in Évian, France. Most recently, he travelled with the team to Bucharest, Romania, where they won the Nations League, earning automatic promotion.
After many years working alongside Stuart Barton, David has now opened his own practice at www.dcphysiotherapy.co.uk.
