At Alphen House, our physiotherapists prioritize creating a healing environment that embraces a holistic approach. We believe in collaborative lifestyle changes between the patient and physiotherapist, addressing the needs of the whole individual.

We offer a diverse range of activities and therapies, including physiotherapy, Pilates, and aquatic therapy, ensuring there’s something for everyone. Our focus is on promoting and improving overall health and well-being for each individual.

Emma Johnston

Physiotherapist

Emma is a passionate physiotherapist and a registered member of the South African Society of Physiotherapy (SASP) and the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Growing up in a medical family, she developed a keen interest in the human body, which is reflected in her active lifestyle that includes tennis, hiking, swimming, cycling, and golf, alongside her enjoyment for watching for rugby and cricket.

Emma enrolled at UCT in 2003 and fell in love with Cape Town, graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy in 2007. After completing her community service in Durban, she gained valuable experience in the UK, working in NHS hospitals and private practice, focusing on musculoskeletal injuries and orthopaedics. It was during this time that she began her Pilates training and acupuncture.

Upon returning to South Africa in 2012, Emma completed her postgraduate course in Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy (OMT) and started her training in aqua therapy. She recognized the complementary benefits of aqua therapy alongside traditional physiotherapy.

In 2013, Emma fulfilled her dream of opening Alphen House, where she combines hands-on physiotherapy, aqua therapy, and Pilates instruction in her daily practice. Balancing her professional life, Emma is also a dedicated mother of two boys, embracing the energetic lifestyle that comes with it.

Jane Timberlake

Physiotherapist

Jane is a registered physiotherapist who is passionate about her profession and providing people with holistic, evidence based care. She has worked previously with renowned hand specialist, Liane Dawe, who instilled in her a special interest in upper limb rehabilitation. She has also worked in government outpatient departments as a clinician and as a supervisor for UCT students. She completed the postgraduate OMT (Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy) course in 2008.

Taking some time off to be with her small children enabled her to work on personal growth and reflect on her approach to physiotherapy. More recently, she has turned her attention to exploring other disciplines such as yoga, Pilates and aqua therapy, which have a growing body of evidence supporting their role in pain management, and form a perfect adjunct to manual therapy.

Aside from physiotherapy, Jane enjoys playing violin, hiking and training her ball-obsessed border collie. With a busy home life, her family enjoys some escape going on road trips, camping and spending time together in nature.

Michelle Vermeulen

Physiotherapist

Michelle studied at WITS graduating in 2012 and has enjoyed a dynamic physiotherapy career to date. She is passionate about holistic health and healing and believes in doing everything with excellence and leaving people better off than when she found them. She has always loved being active and outdoors, enjoying horse riding, cycling, rock climbing and swimming.

Michelle’s career started in community based physiotherapy in clinics in Pretoria during her community service year and this inspired her to work towards medical missions and broaden her horizons by travelling overseas.

Michelle has worked in various outpatient and hospital practices in Gauteng and the Western Cape gaining experience in musculoskeletal, orthopaedic and neurological physiotherapy.

At Alphen house Michelle offers physiotherapy sessions, pilates and aqua-therapy classes, including individual sessions.

Michelle has a particular interest in aquatic therapy having trained with seeing the incredible benefits that aqua therapy provided by getting patients active earlier after injury or surgery. The beauty of therapy in a heated aqua environment was very clear in improving balance, posture, neurological function, and reducing pain,giving people quality.

Courses:

Aqua therapy with Peggy Schroedinger in 2015

STOTT Pilates 2017

Dry Needling and joint manipulation skills in various musculoskeletal and sport practices.

Thania Mohidin

Physiotherapist

Thania’s relationship with movement and sport commenced at the early age of two. It began with swimming and expanded to encompass performing arts. Throughout primary school, she actively participated in music, recorder, choir, piano, team swimming, tennis, cross country, and volleyball.

In 2009, she delved into tap dance, modern dance, musical theatre, and drama, and continued ballet at the Waterfront Theatre School.

During Grade 11, a job-shadowing opportunity at the Sports Science Institute provided her with the chance to serve as a test subject for a 4th-year Physiotherapy student, under the supervision of a permanent staff member. As she was treated as a “patient” and observed treatment sessions with other clients, she gained first-hand insight into the assessment and treatment process. The care and compassion displayed towards her and other clients were contagious, resonating with her passion for helping others.

Consequently, she decided that Physiotherapy was the career path she wanted to pursue. She believed that Physiotherapy would allow her to fulfil her passion for helping others while maintaining a connection to sport and dance.

Throughout her university clinical experiences, she developed a fondness for rehabilitating stroke patients and working with children with cerebral palsy. Her community service year, completed at Tayler Bequest Hospital, Matatiele in 2022, provided an opportunity to enhance her experience with orthopaedic cases, developmental delay, cerebral palsy, stroke patients, and the treatment of patients at the Maluti Community Clinic.

In the past year, she gained further experience in musculoskeletal injuries through Workability, where she treated patients with back and neck injuries, along with various other conditions.

She is trained in dry needling, strapping and taping and as a mat and reformer Pilates instructor. Going forward, she is keen on incorporating Pilates and aquatherapy into her treatment and rehabilitation of her clients.

She is currently also working at a spinal cord and neurological physiotherapist at Vincent Pallotti rehabilitation.

Qualification:

• Bsc Physiotherapy (Hons) Witwatersrand 2020

Courses:

• Dry needling course

• Pilates instructor course

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