Nicky Snowdon
Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy
Summary
Nicky Snowdon is the Course Leader for the full-time students on the MSc in Advancing Physiotherapy Practice. She has extensive clinical experience, particularly in the field of stroke rehabilitation and teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate courses, mainly looking at neurological rehabilitation and research methods. Research interests include exercise for people with neurological conditions, orthotic management for improving mobility, physiotherapy practice around the world and perceptual problems impacting upon postural control in stroke. Her current doctoral studies are focused on the use of fabric orthoses for people with multiple sclerosis.
About
Nicky Snowdon is the Course Leader for the full-time students on the MSc in Advancing Physiotherapy Practice. Currently, she teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate courses, mainly in neurological rehabilitation and research methods. She supervises postgraduate research projects for a number of Master's students.
Nicky qualified as a physiotherapist in 1990 and specialised in neurological practice in 1991, working at regional hospitals in Sheffield and Leeds before taking up a post in stroke acute care and rehabilitation at Rotherham Hospital in 1994. She studied for her Master's degree at the University of East London 1997 - 2002 and came to work full-time at Sheffield Hallam University in 2004.
Whilst at Sheffield Hallam, she has held a number of different roles including Team Leader in Physiotherapy, module leader for a variety of different research methods modules and course leader for postgraduate courses.
Nicky maintains her currency as a physiotherapist through her own research involvement and by working extensively with Master's students from the UK and overseas, both within research and evaluation projects and in teaching clinical skills. Throughout her teaching career, the use of online learning as a delivery method for blended and distance learning modules has been a particular area of specialism.
Teaching
College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences
Exercise in multiple sclerosis (ExIMS) a randomised controlled trial. January 2009 - January 2012
Physiotherapy
BSc Hons Physiotherapy
MSc Advancing Physiotherapy Practice
Research
Doctoral study: The use of fabric orthoses and compression garments in improving movement control.
Exercise in multiple sclerosis (ExIMS) a randomised controlled trial. January 2009 - January 2012
Publications
Journal articles
Snowdon, N., & Dadla, S. (2023). Perceptions and experiences of allied health professionals of fabric orthoses for people with joint hypermobility syndromes: a qualitative study. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 30 (8), 1-14. http://doi.org/10.12968/ijtr.2022.0148
Young, R., Sage, K., Broom, D., Hext, A., Snowdon, N., & Smith, C. (2023). Evaluating the usability of a co-designed power assisted exercise graphical user interface for people with stroke. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 20 (1). http://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-023-01207-7
Snowdon, N., Mclean, S., Piercy, H., Brodie, M.A., & Wheat, J. (2022). Orthotic shorts for improving gait and walking in multiple sclerosis: a feasibility study. Disability and Rehabilitation. http://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2022.2114018
Snowdon, N., Booth, S., Mclean, S., Wheat, J., & Piercy, H. (2021). The meaning of fabric orthoses to long-term users with multiple sclerosis: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Prosthetics and Orthotics International. http://doi.org/10.1097/PXR.0000000000000006
Snowdon, N., & Booth, S. (2019). Exploring the beliefs of young people with cerebral palsy and their families about sport and physical activity in relation to paediatric physiotherapy exercise. Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists Journal, 10 (2), 20-32. https://apcp.csp.org.uk/journal/apcp-journal-volume-10-number-2
Baig, S.S., Falidas, K., Laud, P.J., Snowdon, N., Farooq, M.U., Ali, A., ... Redgrave, J.N. (2019). Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation with upper limb repetitive task practice may improve sensory recovery in chronic stroke. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 28 (12), 104348. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2019.104348
Snowdon, N., Sier, D., Potia, T., Wheat, J., & Mclean, S. (2018). Compression garments and fabric orthoses for rehabilitation and function: a systematic mapping review. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 25 (12). http://doi.org/10.12968/ijtr.2018.25.12.655
Redgrave, J.N., Moore, L., Oyekunle, T., Ebrahim, M., Falidas, K., Snowdon, N., ... Majid, A. (2018). Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation with concurrent upper limb repetitive task practice for poststroke motor recovery: A pilot study. Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association, 27 (7), 1998-2005. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2018.02.056
Crank, H., Carter, A., Humphreys, L., Snowdon, N., Daley, A., Woodroofe, N., ... Saxton, J.M. (2017). A qualitative investigation of exercise perceptions and experiences in people with multiple sclerosis before, during and after participation in a personally-tailored exercise program. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 98 (12), 2520-2525. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2017.05.022
Mayhew, L., Johnson, M.I., Francis, P., Snowdon, N., & Jones, G. (2017). Inter-rater reliability, internal consistency and common technique flaws of the Tuck Jump Assessment in elite female football players. Science and Medicine in Football, 1 (2), 139-144. http://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2017.1282165
Carter, A., Humphreys, L., Snowdon, N., Sharrack, B., Daley, A., Petty, J., ... Saxton, J. (2015). Participant recruitment into a randomised controlled trial of exercise therapy for people with multiple sclerosis. Trials, 16 (1). http://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-015-0996-3
Carter, A., Daley, A., Humphreys, L., Snowdon, N., Woodroofe, N., Petty, J., ... Saxton, J. (2014). Pragmatic intervention for increasing self-directed exercise behaviour and improving important health outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis : a randomised controlled trial. Multiple Sclerosis, 20 (8), 1112-1122. http://doi.org/10.1177/1352458513519354
Saxton, J., Carter, A., Daley, A.J., Snowdon, N., Woodroofe, N., Petty, J., ... Sharrack, B. (2013). Pragmatic exercise intervention for people with multiple sclerosis (ExIMS Trial) : study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 34 (2), 205-211. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2012.10.011
İYİGÜN, G., AKSU YILDIRIM, S., & SNOWDON, N. (2010). Is Physiotherapy Effective in Improving Balance and Gait in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis?: A Systematic Review. Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 30 (2), 482-493. http://doi.org/10.5336/medsci.2008-9360
Snowdon, N., & Scott, O. (2005). Perception of vertical and postural control following stroke: a clinical study. Physiotherapy, 91 (3), 165-170. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2004.11.008
Other activities
External Examiner on MSc provision at the University of Dundee