PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS


by doctors and physiotherapists but also to assess the athletes, leaving the physiotherapists adequate time to spend on acute injury management. One of the most basic benefits of


having a STT on a team comes from the routine and direct palpation of tissues. The STT can monitor subtle changes in the condition of tissues and locate potential injury sites before the athlete is even aware of them. Uncovering injuries at the subclinical level that can be addressed before they progress to the clinical stage is imperative. Following an athlete’s injury, the STT joins the entire sports medicine team in supporting the athlete’s rehabilitation and recovery. The goal is to help the injury heal as quickly and effectively as possible and to minimise the side effects and the possibility of re-injury. Whether working at home or in


competition, you must know your team. Being part of a large number of service providers demands an essential understanding of everyone’s skill set, their role within the team and their personality nuances. When you are eating, sleeping, socialising and working with the same people 24 hours a day for weeks on end, you need to understand each other’s likes, dislikes, habits and craziness. Being professional within a team is a large component of making it work, but being a good person when travelling binds the team together


In 2008, after working together solidly for two years


leading up to the Beijing Olympics, I can confidently say that we were a team in every sense of the word. The most essential ingredient of a successful team is a cause that everyone agrees on, a shared vision, a common goal. That is what spurs people on and drives them to excel. Empowering your team mates, keeping everyone involved, not being afraid of new talent or new ideas, mutual respect among team members, and strong leadership during internal competition and conflict, make for a powerful and effective team. Having great relationships not only with the inner team but also with the wider team of coaches, athletes, strength and conditioning coaches, biomechanists, nutritionists and sports psychologists, to name but a few, enables the STT to use information from many sources to produce performance-impacting therapy.


HERE IS WHAT A FEW MEMBERS OF A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM SAY ABOUT THEIR STT PROFESSIONALS


Ted King, senior horizontal jumps performance coach with UKA until 2009, endorses this: “Our STT develops close professional relationships with those she treats, thereby enhancing their ability to give meaningful


feedback, which then becomes a two-way process. This further enables the athlete to adapt to new conditions, both during and after rehabilitation programmes, and to develop a new sense of well-being and awareness associated with the area or muscles post-rehabilitation. “All of this work is carried out to facilitate the quickest


recovery from new, higher-volume or higher-intensity training, thus allowing for an increased ability to cope with more high-quality work, leading to greater progression and performances. “Her expertise, as part of a team of people surrounding


my athletes, is invaluable day to day, but more especially at the major championships. I have no doubt at all about the high value my athletes and I place on her involvement, expertise and care.”


So I asked a few fellow professionals, “why have STTs in the medical team when the team is already filled with exceptionally talented doctors and physiotherapists?” This is what they replied:


Alison Rose, senior physiotherapist with Kelly Holmes and Jessica Ennis, explains: “The STT is a valued part of the medical team. The STT is not only able to use their skills to treat the athlete, but also can be first to identify that there is a problem, for example if the tissues have


changed. The STT may often be the only person that the athlete sees if they are relatively injury-free and, the STT is therefore invaluable as part of this process. “The STT can also provide valuable insight into an assessment of an athlete and is able to work in conjunction with the physiotherapist in aiming for an injury-free athlete, with both parties then being able to use their skills to best effect, and for the good of the athlete.”


Rone Thompson, senior track and field physiotherapist, says: “Once an athlete sustains a significant injury in the middle of their season, it is often too late to perform to their maximum potential.


www.sportEX.net 23


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8