Footballer returns to frontline duties thanks to Flint House

16 December 2024

A Suffolk Police Federation member who snapped her Achilles tendon playing football credits Flint House for helping her return to match fitness ahead of schedule.

PC Molly Baker suffered the injury playing for the Force in a game against the RAF police in March.

After undergoing surgery she was in a boot for eight weeks and then attended Flint House in late August and early September for physiotherapy.

Molly said: “On the first morning you have a physio appointment where they deep dive into everything, from the moment of the injury to what rehab you’ve been doing.

PC Molly Baker (left).

“My physio was really knowledgeable. They asked all the right questions you’d want to be asked and suggested classes that would be most beneficial.”

Molly attended a balance class, a lower limb class, hydrotherapy and received physiotherapy each day.

She said: “The facilities are brilliant. You feel very lucky because they aren’t available to everybody. It’s a bit of a privilege.

Exercise

“Because of where I was in my rehab, I was able to do a lot of the classes. I was busy every day, doing three or four hours of exercise.

“I’d gone from not being able to do any exercise to doing lots, which was great for me.”

Molly said the centre tried to make itself a really social setting and that she made friends from other forces during her stay.

She said: “I took a book and didn’t read a single page in the first week because you’re so sociable.

“I left my room at 7.30am each day and didn’t get back until 11pm because you are socialising with people.

“I met female officers from Kent Police and Avon and Somerset. We’re still in touch and plan to meet up next month and catch up.

“I’m only four years into my service but you had people with 20 or 30 years there.

“It was interesting to speak to them about their career paths, their jobs.”

Achilles

She added: “The food was incredible. I was a bit worried about it. I’m not a fussy eater, but you imagine it being a bit like hospital food, really basic.

“But I was eating more than I’ve probably ever eaten in my life – but because I was exercising so much it didn’t make a difference.”

Molly returned to playing football matches in the middle of November, less than eight months after sustaining her injury.

She said: “With a full Achilles rupture, you generally don’t go back to sport until after nine to 12 months.

“I’ve done my own physio as well, but I’m going back to football less than eight months post-surgery.

“Flint House did a lot of really good manipulation because I had a lot of scar tissue build-up from the surgery and being in a boot, and they massively helped with my range of motion.

“They took me back to basics.

“I wanted to run literally before I could walk but my physio got me into a balance class because my gait was going to different.

“Mastering those basics had a big impact on how well I recovered afterwards.”

Flint House

Molly has no hesitation in recommending Flint House to her colleagues.

“Every person who has come in injured at work I’ve asked them if they know about Flint House,” she said.

“It was recommended to me by a colleague who has been there before.

“He could not recommend it enough, and as soon as I was there, I could appreciate where he was coming from. It was fantastic.”

It could not be any easier for Suffolk Police Federation members to donate to Flint House.

For £10.23 a month, the Suffolk Police Support Fund includes a donation to Flint House. This also includes covers officers for £50 towards their travel costs should they ever require the support of Flint House.

More information on the Suffolk Police Support Fund and how to sign up is available on the Force intranet, or by emailing charities co-ordinator Angie McGlone.