March 2023
Dear Members,
I would like to start by thanking Dr Lynsey Northeast, Vice Chair of The Society of Sports Therapists (The SST), for the excellent Director’s Update last month. It was great to see the response from Members, sharing thoughts across our social media channels about their careers to date as Graduate Sports Therapists, all in support of International Women’s Day and the 2023 theme #Embrace Equity.
In Rugby Union, we have seen the Men’s Six Nations finishing and the Women’s Six Nations underway. Concussion assessment and treatment are still very important topics of discussion, as we have seen instances of on-pitch assessments and removal from the field of play. As Graduate Sports Therapists, we should be acutely aware of the potential detrimental effects of a player being allowed to continue if they have sustained a traumatic brain injury, whatever their sport, playing level or age. If you are working on pitch-side, court-side, or in other sporting arenas, I would urge you to keep up-to-date with the guidance and protocols for concussion assessment and treatment, and always put the participant’s health first in your decision- making process.
On a different note, SST CEO Sally Steadman and I have just delivered the first webinar to final year students, who are due to graduate this academic year from SST collaborating universities. We talked about our Society and discussed the benefits of being a Member, and the exciting opportunities that await them. We will repeat this talk again on 11th April for the remaining students, and we will once again make sure that they hear about our awesome Society and the support that we can give to them.
As we move towards April, I hope that you enjoy the lighter evenings and slightly milder weather, particularly if you are covering fixtures or rehabilitating players outside.
Talking of better weather… I also want to send my best wishes to the British Transplant Sport Team who are in their final preparations ahead of the 2023 World Transplant Games in Perth, Australia. Society Member and SST Travelling Scholarship winner, Paddy Gaffey, will join the multidisciplinary therapy team which also includes SST members Harry Pitt and Louise Anderson, together with SST Honorary Member Sheila Leddington Wright and SST Member Thomas Hames, who will jointly lead the therapy team. It promises to be a phenomenal experience for all involved! We will keep you updated on theirs and the athletes’ progress.
Kind regards,
Kristian
