SPORTS THERAPY AT THE HANHAM CLINIC

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 see and experience 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 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:

• A detailed understanding of the musculoskeletal system
• Diagnosis of common sports injuries
• Help managing everyday injuries (such a repetitive strain, muscle and joint injuries, back pain, hip and knee injuries etc)
• Rehabilitation programs and techniques
• Massage/Sports Massage
• Return to sport protocols

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT WITH US WHEN YOU SEE A SPORTS THERAPIST?

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

1. 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. Begin the treatment process
6. Receive your personalised rehabilitation plan

WHAT TREATMENT CAN A SPORTS THERAPIST PERFORM?

After a diagnosis has been made through our detailed history and physical assessment, it is then time to start any recommended treatment. There are a number of techniques that are used in daily practice by a sports therapist. Most commonly, sports therapy treatment includes a combination of:

• Joint mobilisation and stretching
• Sports massage/deep tissue massage
• A range of other myofascial techniques
• Supportive sports taping
• Kinesio-taping
• Dry needling (this is also referred to as medical acupuncture)

WHAT DOES 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 programs at home, but we do have the option to put together a supervised exercise program 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 recent pain or long term discomfort. Sometimes an injury is due to a pre-existing weakness, or weakness may have developed from compensating for a long term injury itself, or indeed from something that may seem unrelated. 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 is starting to resolve.

CAN SPORTS THERAPY BE COMBINED WITH OTHER TREATMENTS?

Here at The Hanham Clinic, we are fortunate enough to be able to offer a range of other services including Chiropractic care, Sports Massage and dry needling(medical acupuncture) to name a few. More than one method may be combined to enhance the recovery process, and our practitioners often inter-refer between the team to obtain the best result for our patients. Patient preference is always considered in this process and you will be involved in deciding 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 build up of tension that can affect people through their everyday job, as well as through sport.

A MESSAGE 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."

"My previous experience in football and rugby growing up and in work has given me a great interest in managing the range of injuries that these sporting individuals typically receive. Although a large part of my background is working with amateur and professional athletes (including currently working with the Bristol Bears Ladies’ Team), I find working with the more everyday issues people have just as rewarding. Helping somebody back to their job, or back 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 more resilient than they were before they sustained 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 Skelian and the residents of Hanham."

Booking a sports therapy session

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 we look forward to helping you on your journey to better health!