Ben Wilkinson, of Origin Health at Elkstone Studios, on the importance of referring on to other professionals, how a near-death experience changed his outlook on life and business and why he still thinks sport is a good for us even if it damages our bodies.
Listen to full chat with Ben Wilkinson below:
Back from the dead a changed man
Ben Wilkinson is an osteopath who was born and raised in Cheltenham. He has a thriving clinic at Elkstone Studios and he still has big dreams for the business. But his outlook on life and what’s important shifted big time in 2025. For two reasons: he became a dad and soon after nearly died. When his daughter, Wren was three months old Ben went into A&E with stomach pains, but then had a nearly fatal allergic reaction.
“I got wheeled into a scan and they injected me with a contrast dye to try and see what was going on,” Ben told Sport and Life.
“The warmth just kind of took over my whole body. The warmth became burning. I felt like I was being burnt alive.
“The my whole face had swollen up. I was struggling to breathe.
“They saved me. I remember just thinking about my wife and daughter. And it put everything into perspective.
“I saw a bright light and I’m lying on my back and I see off the top left of vision was this almost like a video of a bubble. And in that bubble was my wife and daughter looking down at me.”
Within a few hours of nearly leaving us forever, Ben had left hospital and was back home with his family. He was back working within a couple of days. But his attitude to life had changed forever.
“The my whole face had swollen up. I was struggling to breathe.”
“I want to create a very good business and I’m really, really pleased and very proud of my business. But I’m doing this also to enable me to spend time with the two most important people, who are my wife and my daughter.”
“I really enjoy the little things. The simple thing in life. Bath time, story time.”
What’s best for the patient?
While Wilkinson and his twin brother, Dan strive to make their clinic a roaring success Ben says they have always tried to approach their work with a clear moral framework. A framework that puts patients’ wellbeing at the centre.
“One of the main reasons we set up Origin Health was to try and get people out of pain quickly. Give them great advice. Don’t get people reliant on treatment.”
And one thing the Wilkinsons are clear on is that if they detect a patient would receive more useful help from a different type of practitioner they will immediately refer on. In fact, the brothers have built a collaborative practice in their beautiful offices at the picturesque Elkstone Studios, situated between Cheltenham and Cirencester.
“Me and my brother have realised as trained osteopaths we can do some of it and some professions think they can do all of it.
“Osteopaths and physios go very well hand in hand. You’re got the massage therapists who can work on the soft tissue. You’ve then got a private GP, which we’ve got. We’ve got a sports doctor who works for us and he’s one of the GB Rowing doctors.”
The wear and tear of being an osteopath
Ben is very busy and happy about that. But says the irony is his body can deteriorate as he manipulates others back to functioning. Being an Osteopath is itself physically strenuous.
“I’m pretty sure I squeak when I walk. I need some WD-40 on tap all the time, really. Your hands take a massive impact from lots of soft tissue work, a lot of massage.
“And then your back, your legs, your knees when you’re moving people around. I treat a lot of people, so I’m on my feet all day. I love it, but you have to stay quite fit to do it.”
“I’m pretty sure I squeak when I walk. I need some WD-40 on tap all the time, really!”
Is playing sport good or bad for us?
Wilkinson also carries residual wear and tear from his own athletic exploits, particularly playing rugby and rowing. And he says while he now fixates on improving his patients’ condition he was a little blasé when it came to looking after his own body.
“Semi-professional rugby probably didn’t help with injuries. I was from that mindset when I used to play ‘put your body on the line’ and that was drilled into me. My dad was actually my backs coach at Cheltenham Tigers.
“So that’s what me and my brother did. And you get your head on the wrong side and get knocked out. And back then there wasn’t the sort of protocols there are now.
“I’ve had multiple shoulder injuries when I played higher level. I’ve had four operations on my left shoulder.”
In the end, a shoulder injury ultimately curtailed Ben’s rugby career. And he’s witnessed first hand the physical toll competing in sport can take on the human body. The Wilkinsons have worked with professional athletes including Gloucester Rugby players and elite polo players. But Ben wouldn’t advise people against playing sport because of the other benefits it brings.
“Everything I know about my injuries from rugby, I would still play. I think sport gives us so much more mentally as well as physically, the camaraderie, the psychological benefits of it as well, the resilience…
“I realise that I need to do something, whether it’s a walk or a run or a swim or whatever I need to do.”
To find out more about Ben’s work at Origin Health:
