Dr Mark Ridgewell

Practising at

Spire Cardiff Hospital

Treatment information

Some of the principal treatments carried out by Dr Mark Ridgewell at Spire include:

• Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)
• Joint pain treatment (joint injections)
• Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (PRP)

Professional profile

Dr Mark Ridgewell is a Consultant Sport and Exercise Medicine Physician. His main field is the management of soft tissue and overuse injuries across the whole spectrum from elite performers to those who are wishing to undertake low level exercise. He specialises in the prevention and management of overuse injuries all over the body as well as rehabilitation.

Dr Ridgewell became the first doctor in Wales to be appointed to the GMC Specialist Register in Sport and Exercise Medicine in 2010. He works for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Local Health Board as the Clinical Lead specialist service, which sees over 12,000 patients with soft tissue, bone and joint problems annually. He has worked at international level across a wide variety of sports included rugby, football, athletics, swimming, cricket, hockey, netball, cycling, and gymnastics. Glasgow 2014 was his third Commonwealth Games as Sports Physician to Team Wales.

He has been instrumental in the setting-up and design of the internationally regarded Masters in Sport & Exercise Medicine course at Cardiff Metropolitan University since 1999 and was Programme Director of the course for many years. He constantly updates his learning via his teaching posts and has acted as a mentor for many junior doctors and physiotherapists who have risen to prominent roles over the years.

Over the last 20 years Dr Ridgewell has gained considerable experience on the management of sporting injuries, specialising in the non-surgical treatment of soft tissue injuries affecting muscles, tendons and ligaments, particularly in the exercising population. He works with World, Olympic and Paralympic champions across several sports. He has excellent communication skills and liaises closely with Physiotherapists, Osteopaths/Chiropractors and Orthopaedic Surgeons to determine the best management plan to bring good outcomes for his patients. He understands the significant effects that injury and pain can have on normal day to day life and very much encourages physical activity in his treatment plans.

Clinical Interests

Private contact details

Qualification and professional memberships

Professional memberships

Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine
British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine
UK Association of Doctors in Sport

Current NHS posts

Consultant Physician, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board

Lead Sports Physician, High Performance Unit at Sport Wales Institute, Cardiff

Sports Physician, Scarlets Rugby

Consultant Sports Physician to: Welsh Athletics, netball, Swim Wales, Gymnastics, Hockey and Haribo-Beacon Cycling Team

Personal Profile

I was born in Swansea and trained at St. Mary’s Hospital, London, I worked in London and Bermuda before becoming a GP at King’s Road Surgery in Mumbles from 1991-2013.

I became the first doctor in Wales to be appointed to the GMC Specialist Register in Sport and Exercise Medicine in 2010. I currently work for ABMU Local Health Board as the Clinical Lead of a specialist Musculo-Skeletal Clinical assessment Service, which sees over 7,000 patients with muscular and joint problems each year.

I am married with four daughters and a son.