SACRIFICING her weekends has led to a Worcestershire physiotherapist becoming one of the first people in the country to get her Masters Degree in Orthopaedic Medicine.

Margaret Rees, an established physiotherapist, is one of only four people in the country to have received the newly-created qualification.

A partner with the practice Watson, Rees & Dando, in Kidderminster, she has spent the past three years studying for her Masters.

She is a fellow and former chairman of The Society of Orthopaedic Medicine and regularly lectures in the UK and Europe on the diagnosis and treatment of common conditions affecting the spine and other joints.

She is currently president of the Worcestershire branch of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and is also a member of the Acupunc-ture Association of Physiotherapists.

"Like all forms of medicine, there's always something new to learn and I've always believed in keeping up to date with current research and ideas," she said.

"When Middlesex University announced they were introducing the Masters course in orthopaedic medicine, I couldn't resist the temptation to develop my experience further."