Stroke Full Circle Moment: Craig Returns to Walking Football After a Brain Haemorrhage
There are some rehabilitation milestones that mean more than any outcome measure ever could.
For Craig, returning to the walking football pitch and stepping back into his role as goalkeeper was one of them.
In May 2025, Craig suffered a brain haemorrhage while doing something he loved — playing walking football. What followed was an extraordinary rehabilitation journey that has seen him progress from wheelchair mobility to walking again, regain his driving licence, return to work on his family farm and rebuild his independence.
Now, with the support of Home Physio by Nicola, Craig has achieved another significant long-term rehabilitation goal.
He is back in goal!!
For Craig and his family, this wasn’t simply a return to sport. It was an emotional full-circle moment — returning to the very activity where his life had changed so suddenly, this time with his strength, independence and confidence rebuilt around him.
Returning to Walking Football Was Always a Long-Term Goal
Throughout Craig’s neurological rehabilitation with Home Physio by Nicola, we have focused on goals that are meaningful to him.
Returning to work on the family farm was a major priority and an important part of rebuilding Craig’s independence, identity and everyday life.
But walking football remained another important long-term goal.
Craig had maintained his connection with the walking football community during his recovery, initially returning in an off-pitch capacity. As his physical abilities progressed, we were able to begin preparing him for something much more challenging — getting back onto the pitch himself.
More specifically, Craig wanted to return to his goalkeeping role.
That meant his rehabilitation needed to progress beyond simply being able to walk safely.
Preparing for the Physical Demands of Goalkeeping
Returning to sport following a brain haemorrhage requires careful, individualised rehabilitation.
For Craig, we needed to consider the specific physical demands of being a goalkeeper and gradually incorporate these into his neurological physiotherapy programme.
At Home Physio by Nicola, Craig’s rehabilitation has included work on:
Cardiovascular fitness and exercise endurance.
Core strength and stability.
Static and dynamic balance.
Reaction speed and decision-making.
Reaching in multiple directions.
Challenging his limits of stability.
Kicking and ball control.
Moving dynamically in response to the ball.
Diving safely to make a save.
Getting down to the ground and rising independently again.
Goalkeeping-specific drills to recreate the demands of walking football.
These weren’t exercises chosen simply to improve individual physical impairments.
They were selected and progressed because they related directly to Craig’s goal of getting back in goal.
That is an important part of our approach to neurological rehabilitation at Home Physio by Nicola: understanding what someone wants to return to and then building rehabilitation around the real-life skills required to achieve it.
The Moment Craig Stepped Back Into Goal
Eventually, all those individual elements of rehabilitation came together.
Craig returned to the walking football pitch as goalkeeper.
Watching him dive for the ball, make saves, rise independently from the ground and continue playing was an incredibly emotional moment.
And his proud family were there watching it happen.
For everyone who knows how far Craig has come, this was about so much more than football.
The very activity associated with the beginning of one of the most challenging periods of Craig’s life had now become part of his recovery story.
It was a genuine full-circle moment.
From Wheelchair Mobility to Returning to Work and Sport
Looking back at Craig’s journey makes this latest achievement even more significant.
Following his brain haemorrhage, Craig’s recovery has taken him through a series of major milestones.
He has progressed from relying on a wheelchair to walking again. He has rebuilt his strength, balance and endurance. He has regained his driving licence and independence with everyday activities.
As a farmer, husband and father of two, one of Craig’s biggest goals was also returning to work on the family farm.
His rehabilitation was therefore designed around real-world farming activities as well as his clinical needs. As his abilities developed, he was able to return to operating farm vehicles and gradually resume meaningful work on the farm.
Now he can add another milestone to that journey:
Returning to walking football and playing in goal again.
Neurological Rehabilitation Should Be About Living, Not Just Exercising
Craig’s story captures something we believe passionately at Home Physio by Nicola.
Neurological physiotherapy shouldn’t stop at helping someone become stronger or walk further.
Those things are important — but the bigger question is:
What does that improvement allow this person to do with their life?
For one person, the goal might be independently walking to the local shop.
For someone else, it might be returning to work, getting back into the garden, caring for their children, walking their dog, enjoying a holiday or returning to a much-loved sport.
For Craig, his goals have included getting back to his family farm and returning to walking football.
Meaningful goals give rehabilitation purpose.
They also allow us to design treatment around the person rather than simply around their diagnosis.
Specialist Neurological Physiotherapy in Selkirk and the Scottish Borders
Home Physio by Nicola provides specialist neurological physiotherapy and rehabilitation from our accessible clinic in Selkirk, Scottish Borders, alongside domiciliary physiotherapy and rehabilitation in people’s own homes and communities across the Scottish Borders.
Our team supports people living with and recovering from neurological conditions including:
Stroke and brain haemorrhage.
Acquired brain injury.
Multiple sclerosis (MS).
Parkinson’s disease.
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).
Other complex neurological and mobility conditions.
Rehabilitation can include strength and balance training, gait and mobility rehabilitation, functional electrical stimulation (FES), exercise rehabilitation, functional task practice, return-to-work rehabilitation and working towards meaningful sporting, recreational and lifestyle goals.
By offering both clinic-based neurological physiotherapy in Selkirk and rehabilitation within the home and community, we can work on skills in the environments where our patients actually need to use them.
Can You Return to Sport After a Stroke or Brain Haemorrhage?
Returning to sport following a stroke, brain haemorrhage or acquired brain injury is highly individual.
It depends on factors including the person’s neurological recovery, mobility, balance, cardiovascular fitness, coordination, fatigue, other medical considerations and the demands of their chosen sport.
For some people, returning to a previous sport may become an appropriate rehabilitation goal. This should be considered individually and progressed safely alongside appropriate medical guidance where required.
Craig’s return wasn’t something that happened overnight.
It came after sustained rehabilitation, gradual progression and repeated practice of the specific physical skills he would need once he stepped back onto the pitch.
That progression is what made this moment so special.
What a Journey, Craig!!
From wheelchair mobility to walking.
From rebuilding independence to regaining his driving licence.
From rehabilitation exercises to returning to work on the family farm.
And now, from practising diving, reaching, reacting, kicking and getting back up again…
to standing between the posts once more. ⚽️
Craig, we are incredibly proud of you!!!
Your work ethic, resilience and determination continue to inspire everyone at Home Physio by Nicola.
Thank you for trusting us to be part of your recovery and allowing us to share these incredible milestones.
Seeing you back in goal, with your family proudly watching from the sidelines, is a moment we won’t forget.
Because rehabilitation isn’t just about what happens in a physiotherapy clinic or during a home visit.
It’s about getting people back to living their lives.
Looking for Neurological Rehabilitation in the Scottish Borders?
If you or someone you love is recovering from a stroke, brain haemorrhage or acquired brain injury, or living with another neurological condition, our team at Home Physio by Nicola can help you work towards the goals that matter to you.
Whether that’s improving your walking, increasing independence, returning to work, getting back into the community or working towards a return to a sport or hobby, we provide personalised neurological rehabilitation built around you.
Home Physio by Nicola
Unit 5 Tweedmill Business Park, Dunsdale Road, Selkirk, Scottish Borders
Move better. Feel better. Live better.
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