Meet the team
Physiotherapy across Kampersrus and Hoedspruit, with different training, different strengths and the same conviction: that a body is usually more capable than it gets credit for.
Karine Bezuidenhout
Karine is the founder and owner of Lowveld Physio, and works from both Kampersrus and Hoedspruit.
Her approach draws on neuroscience, movement practice and researched physical therapy – a combination she uses for pain-related injuries, sport injuries and rehabilitation. She works with fascia release, lymph drainage and neural mobility work, choosing the modality to suit the person rather than the diagnosis.
She works from Kampersrus, at the foot of Mariepskop, and from Hoedspruit Private Hospital, and much of her work is with people who want to get back to moving through this landscape – running, climbing, walking, or simply moving through the day with less pain.
Kampersrus on Tuesdays and Thursdays · Hoedspruit Private Hospital on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
Qualifications
- BSc PhysT, University of Pretoria, 2008
- Dry needling qualification, SA, 2009
- Kinesio taping course, SA, 2009
- Lymphedema therapist, SA, 2013
- Fascia manipulation, Australia, 2018
- QEC practitioner, SA, 2018
- 200hr Vinyasa yoga, Yoga Works SA, 2018
- Club physio accredited courses in pelvic floor health and running injuries, 2020
- Presented an accredited course for physiotherapists: Yoga as a tool for healing, 2020
Mish Keel
Michelle, although most of her patients call her Mish, qualified as a physiotherapist in Germany, where she was born and trained. Before becoming a physiotherapist, she trained and worked as a medical assistant, but becoming a physio was always what she wanted to do.
She is passionate about helping people feel better, move well and get back to doing the things they love.
She mainly works with orthopaedic and musculoskeletal conditions, sports injuries and post-operative rehabilitation, but she also really enjoys working with children and teenagers. She enjoys working both in a private practice and in a clinical setting, as both offer different opportunities to support patients throughout their recovery.
There’s a quote by Sir William Osler that really reflects the way she approaches physiotherapy: “The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.” For Mish, this means looking beyond a diagnosis or a painful area and understanding the person behind it – their body, lifestyle, individual needs and goals. Two people can have exactly the same diagnosis but still need completely different approaches.
Her approach is evidence-based, hands-on and holistic. She has additional training in Manual Therapy, Medical Exercise Therapy, Manual Lymphatic Drainage and Kinesio Taping, and has also worked as a lecturer in Manual Therapy. She particularly enjoys using functional exercises and active rehabilitation to help her patients build strength, confidence and trust in their bodies again.
Creating an environment where people feel comfortable, heard and understood is an important part of the way she works. She really values the connection and trust that can develop between a patient and their physiotherapist, and she never takes that trust for granted.
Outside of physiotherapy, she enjoys staying active and trying different sports. She plays tennis or padel and occasionally goes running. In her free time, she loves cooking and baking, but most of all you’ll find her out in nature, preferably surrounded by wildlife. Since moving to South Africa, she’s also become slightly obsessed with wildlife photography.
Whatever your goal may be, Mish is here to help you understand your body, build confidence in your movement and get back to doing the things you enjoy.
“I’m grateful to be part of this community and excited to use what I love doing to make a difference, one patient at a time.”
Hoedspruit Private Hospital, on Monday mornings, Tuesdays and Thursdays. For enquiries about other appointment times, please get in touch.
What makes physiotherapy here different
You are treated, not your scan
Two people with the same diagnosis often need completely different treatment. What the imaging shows matters. What you show us matters more.
Hands-on, then hands-off
Manual therapy and joint mobilisation get things moving. Functional exercise is what keeps them moving. Treatment that is entirely passive tends not to last.
We look for the cause, not just the sore bit
Movement, strength, lifestyle, habits and what you actually want to get back to – all of it is part of working out why the problem started.
The aim is confidence, not just relief
Bodies are usually far more capable than people have been told. A good outcome is walking without pain, returning to your sport, lifting a grandchild – or simply no longer being afraid of a movement.
Where we work
Between us, we are in Hoedspruit every weekday.
Kampersrus – Karine, on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Hoedspruit Private Hospital – Karine on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; Mish on Monday mornings, Tuesdays and Thursdays
We are here to serve our community, and to support you whether you are a professional athlete or want to play outside with your grandkids pain-free.