Sports Therapy at The Hanham Clinic, Hanham

In addition to sports massage, we also provide sports therapy sessions here at The Hanham Clinic. Sports therapy is an approach that incorporates a wide range of treatment methods and techniques, in addition to sports massage. Sports therapy can be utilised to manage a painful injury, to help improve sporting performance, or to aid in return to sport following injury.

What conditions can a sports therapist help with?

Sports therapists see patients with a range of health conditions and injuries on a daily basis, however this is not limited to just sports injuries. Common conditions that our sports therapists regularly encounter in the clinic include:

• Sprains and strains
• Injuries to muscles, ligaments and tendons
• Repetitive injuries (such and tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow)
• Traumatic injuries
• Postural problems
• Muscle imbalances
• Joint pain and stiffness

What exactly is a sports therapist and what is sports therapy?

A common question that we often get asked is ‘What is a Sports Therapist?’. Sports Therapy is a multifaceted profession that covers a range of disciplines and can be used to diagnose and manage/treat a number of conditions. Many techniques used do in fact overlap with those used in other professions, for example physiotherapy.

A sports therapy qualification can be obtained by studying an undergraduate degree at university, and areas of study/expertise include:

1. A detailed understanding of the musculoskeletal system
2. Diagnosis of common sports injuries
3. Help managing everyday injuries (such a repetitive strain, muscle and joint injuries, back pain, hip an knee injuries etc)
4. Rehabilitation programmes and techniques
5. Massage/Sports Massage techniques
6. Return to sport protocols

What can you expect with us, when you see a Sports Therapist?

As part of your initial visit with a sports therapist here at the clinic, you can expect the following, in order to make an accurate diagnosis and get you on the path to recovery:

1. A thorough case history/discussion of medical history
2. Detailed Physical Assessment (including assessment of mobility, strength and posture)
3. Detailed Explanation of our findings and diagnosis
4. Proposed treatment/recovery plan specific to individual
5. Beginnings of the treatment process
6. Then receive your personalised rehabilitation plan

What treatment can a Sports Therapist perform?

After a diagnosis has been made, generally treatment begins immediately, during your initial visit. There are a number of techniques that are used in daily practice by sports therapists, which most commonly include:

• Joint mobilisation and stretching
• Sports massage/deep tissue massage
• A range of other myofascial techniques
• Supportive sports taping
• Kinesio-taping

What does 1-1 rehabilitation involve with a Sports Therapist?

Personalised rehabilitation is a key part of a Sports Therapist’s role. Often some form of strengthening or stretching must be carried out in order to help return an individual to full health. Many patients decide to carry out their exercise programmes at home, but we do have the option to put together a supervised exercise programme for you to carry out with us at the clinic, on a one-to-one basis.

If required, the first part of a rehabilitation process is to address the pain, whether this is of a recent onset, or a longer term discomfort. Your Sports Therapist will guide you through the rehabilitation process and advise on appropriate exercises to do at each stage of your recovery, which will usually be modified once your pain or discomfort is starting to improve.

Can Sports Therapy be combined with other treatments?

Here at The Hanham Clinic Bristol, we are fortunate enough to be able to offer a range of services including chiropractic care, sports massage and dry needling (medical acupuncture), to name a few. More than one method may often be combined to enhance the recovery process, and our practitioners often inter-refer within the team, in order to obtain the best result possible. Of course- our patient’s preference is always considered in the process and you will be involved in jointly deciding upon the most suitable treatment plan for you.

Sports Therapy sessions can also be utilised on a preventative basis; many of our patients visit us with a painful or recent injury, but a proportion will visit for ongoing or preventative care if they have a history of a recurring problem, or want to enhance their overall health. This might include regular sports massage, or may include a range of other treatment methods in order to prevent the every build up of tension that can affect people through their everyday job, as well as through sport.

A word from our Sports Therapist- Tommy Jermyn

As a graduate in Sports Therapy from the University of Gloucestershire, I am excited to bring my experience to the team here at The Hanham Clinic, here in Bristol.

Both my previous experiences through sport, and working in a clinic setting have given me a great interest in managing the range of sports injuries that occur on the pitch. Although a large part of my background is working with amateur and professional athletes (including currently working with the Bristol Bears Rugby Ladies’ Team), I find working with the more everyday issues that people have just as rewarding. Helping somebody back to their job following injury, or returning to their hobby is just as gratifying as helping a professional sportsperson back to the pitch. The real highlight of working as a sports therapist is seeing my patients recover and become even more resilient than what they once were, prior to their injuries!

I feel privileged to have been able to learn and gain experience from a range of medical professionals in a variety of settings. It’s exciting to be able to bring the skillset that I have further developed by working with the Bristol Bears Ladies’ team, to my role at The Hanham Clinic, and the residents of Hanham.

If you are interested in booking an initial consultation for sports therapy, or booking in for a sports massage/sports therapy treatment, then please do get in touch with the clinic, where I look forward to helping you on your journey to better health!