Back in the saddle...

Having realised somewhat belatedly that my sports first aid had run out I am now re-accredited and ready to work again. Having endured a lot of games in terrible weather since the turn of the year it was great to have a glorious day of sunshine yesterday for Glebe FC's 2-1 victory over Welling FC who have one of the best youth set ups in semi pro football. During the time that I wasn't working unfortunately Glebe's title ambitions have come unstuck but it was a good result yesterday and one that will hopefully help us finish second in the league.


Inevitably I am now starting to think about my next steps as a Sports Therapist as I only have another 45 days left as student. Scary thought. Including the foundation year I will have been a student for 5 years and I am more than ready to rejoin the world of work. At least until I find the masters course that I want to do...


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Time Flies....

It has only been a couple of months but what a difference it makes. Gone are the days of three matches a week instead it is 0 games (well it should be 1 but as my Sports First Aid Certificate has run out….) statistical analysis and dissertation time. Oh for the happy days of January. A lot has happened in the intervening period; David Beckham has torn his Achilles tendon, the Six Nations has been and gone, Glebe FC are top of the league and I’ve seen some really interesting injuries. Most recently I’ve observed a stress fracture of the pars interarticularis in a young cricket player who presented with classic symptoms: unilateral low back pain, pain aggravated by lumbar extension, pain on extension whilst standing on the affected leg and pain/tenderness on palpation. Doesn't get much more textbook than that. 


What is more interesting with this case and some of the others I have seen recently (hamstring avulsion, grade 3 ACL tear and a meniscus tear) is the issue of referral for diagnostic imaging to confirm the diagnosis. Almost without fail each case has been knocked back by their GP and their local A&E department despite the referral from their physiotherapist. This shows the dichotomy in the treatment of elite performers who are rushed off to see the clubs preferred specialist within days of injury and the weekend warriors who have to wait weeks or months for referrals to be acknowledged and acted upon…By next week we are hoping for some better news.

Good to see some high profile publicity for Sports Therapy of late with London Metropolitan Alumna Jo Denby on show on BBC Three looking after Eddie Izzard on his epic Sport Relief journey around the British Isles and sports therapist Ellie Steele discussing David Beckham's tendon reconstruction on the BBC.  We're taking over!

Oh and good luck to everyone at uni in their last semester - almost there!

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Round Up

Cambridge had a great result this week taking us back to the top of the table after an injury time winner gave us victory over derby rivals Dulwich Hamlet. We lost two them twice last season so revenge is sweet!  

We still have several players with long term injuries though and this week in the clinic this week I had the opportunity to watch an assessment of one player who is awaiting surgery on a medial meniscus tear and another who has has just finished his rehabilitation for a dislocated patella and now has a prepatellar bursitis. The bursitis has responded well to treatment and the player should be back in training next week looking for his first start of the season.

Prepatellar Bursitis

Two more rugby matches today but both of them were very quiet so basically I just got paid to watch rugby in the sunshine - it doesn't get much better than that! Only downside was the south London traffic - absolute nightmare today. League Cup quarter final tomorrow with Glebe - a win there would round of a good week. 

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Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit flying first class

Some interesting stories in the press over recent days none more so than Frank Lampard’s apparent plane injury, but I have to reserve special mention for Rangers striker Kris Boyd who apparently fractured his skull by sneezing. I kid you not. It couldn’t possibly have been the clash of heads in his last game - it was definitely the sneeze! I’m always interested in seeing what injuries players have but it is often difficult to establish what is really going on when you have stories like this printed.

Much quieter week for me this week which is good as I get to catch up on my uni work and relax a little more. Only the one game (Glebe FC vs VCD Athletic) as Cambridge’s game was postponed and I’m not on rugby duty this weekend. Glebe have started the season well and although they are only a small club they have big ambitions and this is shown in the professionalism of the players and coaching staff alike. Gillingham FC midfielder Luke Rooney (no relation to Wayne) is on the coaching staff and it is really positive for the players to have a young professional involved. It is a different challenge for me working with such a young age group (u15) but it is one that I enjoy and have had to adapt to, and as ever having to learn twenty odd new names presents its own challenge! 


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