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The Society of Sports Therapists is once again delighted to be part of the BASEM 2022 Annual Conference : Positive Health & Performance taking place at the Grand Hotel, Brighton on Thursday 26 & Friday 27th May One of the Conference aims is: ‘To bring together leading academic scientists, researchers, and clinicians to exchange and share their experiences and research results in the hot topics in elite sport and sport and exercise medicine. https://basem.co.uk/event/basem-2022-annual-conference/ So, it is with great pride that three SST members, Dr Jen Wilson, Dr Dale Forsdyke and Dr Kate Williams will be presenting and Society President, Professor Graham N.Smith will be chairing the session. It will take place on Day 1 Thursday 26th May: SESSION II 12.45 -14.15 Empress Room The Society of Sports Therapist’s Session: IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT EXERCISE – OR IS IT? Chair – Professor Graham N. Smith • Dr Kate Williams Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Therapy at University of South Wales The challenges of injury prevention in sport • Dr Dale Forsdyke: Senior Lecturer in Sports Injury Management The psychological implications of long term injury during rehabilitation • Dr Jen Wilson: Programme Leader for BSc Sport Therapy and Rehabilitation at University of Derby •Integrating strength & conditioning in a rehabilitation context Panel Q&A SESSION We wish the SST team and all speakers taking part, the very best for a great conference

Society Member Paloma Gioia has kick started her Sports Therapy career by securing, not one, but two roles within high level football: Sports Therapist for England Schools FA Girls U15s International Football, and Head Therapist for Connah’s Quay Nomads Football Club – Cymru Football, National League of Wales. Impressively, she has managed to achieve this, alongside setting up her own private practice clinic: PG Sports Therapy (Flintshire, Wales) within just one year of graduating from Edge Hill University! We asked Paloma to tell us more about her different roles, how she secured them and what they each involve. Tell us about your journey since graduating from Edge Hill University – How did you first get involved in high level football? Since graduating from Edge Hill University, my life has been nonstop, definitely in a good way. I feel like my journey started from the moment I had my mind set on becoming a Sports Therapist. I gained a first aid qualification through the FAW and became Crowd First Aider at Connah’s Quay Nomads Football Club for all of their home games. I used to watch their First Team Therapist, and this was something I aspired to be. I then applied to University, where the real hard work began. During year 1, I independently approached Connah’s Quay to observe their Sports Therapist during training and matches. Then through year 2, COVID-19 happened. It was really difficult to access placements through my University during this period, so again, I decided to reach out and find one myself at a more local football club. Despite the circumstances, this was probably one of my favourite placements, masked and gloved up with an apron on, taking players temperature checks and taking daily COVID checks, I was being exposed to an environment I wanted to work in. As year 3 came, I was offered the position as the Academy Matchday Therapist for Connah’s Quay, this was perfect as it wasn’t too demanding so I could still focus on my dissertation and other exams, but it was allowing me to work pitch side and provide First Aid independently on the field of play to academy players at the club, where I had responsibility and a duty of care. Soon following graduation from University, I was offered the First Team Head Therapist position at Connah’s Quay which I couldn’t believe as a new graduate! I was walking into the full time, professional Cymru Premiers back-to-back league champions as their Sports Therapist to assess, manage and treat all of their first team players as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside management staff, Sports Scientist, Strength and Conditioning Coach and Club Doctor. Some fellow classmates said to me ‘how can you do it, how do you know what to do?’ but I felt ready to embrace this new challenge, having worked so hard through University, getting a First and gaining confidence through all the experience I had gained over the recent years. What would you say are some of the key differences, in terms of your practice as a Sports Therapist, when working with adult male football compared to youth female football? Nothing changes clinically in regard to how I carry out my assessments or treatments. From a 15-year-old schoolgirl representing England, to your star footballer of the Welsh Premier League squad, I’m always performing the same role, but in a different environment. However,have noticed that psychologically I undertake a different role with the Youth Female athletes. I have noticed that this may be due to the increased pressure they experience at this age, potentially bringing on anxiety, which I have seen to be subconsciously manifested as an ‘injury’, after assessing the player. This may be related to the Female athlete experiencing hormonal changes at this age, affecting their moods, behaviour, and predisposition to injury. In contrast, working with Adult Male Professional footballers, I have experienced many conflicts of interests between both management staff and players regarding player availability. This can happen both on and off the field of play, where a player has presented with enough clinical signs to be removed from the field of play but insists they remain playing, whilst the manager is on the touchline telling them to continue with play. My role is to always remain focused on the players safety and welfare with their best interests at the forefront of my mind. This sometimes proves difficult when I’m the only medical staff present, though this is a fundamental part of my role as a Sports Therapist and with hindsight this is more often than not respected when justifying my decision. What about travelling internationally with the England U15’s – Do you travel as part of a multi-disciplinary team? Do you take on additional responsibilities which draw upon the breadth of your practice as a Sports Therapist? Yes, the management team is made up of professionals across the UK who come together and travel to all international duties. We conduct meetings throughout the season in order to keep up to date, due to staff living so far apart and the Girls being at their home RTC’s. When on international camps or tours, I am responsible for managing all squad medical records. These are all kept confidential and travel with me for data protection purposes and so that I always have them to hand to refer back to, as you always need things when you least expect it! Prior to the event, I will liaise with each player’s RTC Physiotherapist, Sports Therapist or Doctor to make myself aware of a players injury status and establish if they are currently injured or undergoing treatment, to ensure a safe transition with their rehabilitation. Each day, I will conduct a wellness check with each player. This covers questions regarding general health, symptom complaints, sleep quality and feelings. I feel this has been beneficial as it allows me to hold 1:1 conversations with players, giving them an opportunity to talk to someone whilst away from parents for a period of time, being aware of the FA Safeguarding Policy and demonstrating a duty of care. You also find time to run your injury clinic “PG Sports Therapy” – what type of clients do you work with here? Athletes, general public, gym goers or a mix? Having my own injury clinic and working within this sort of environment exposes me to a wide range of injuries from people of all ages from under 8 years old up to 78 years old. The type of patients I work with include a mixture of sporting and non-sporting populations. I have worked with sporting athletes, both recreational and elite, such as gymnasts, Olympic weightlifters, footballers, rugby players, ex-Olympic skiers, netball players, figure skaters, dancers, musical theatre performers, boxers, and martial artists. Non-sporting athletes include your regular gym goers, office workers, nurses, dentists, magistrates, and teachers. All of these patients present with different injuries, some including post-ACL reconstructions, ankle arthroscopies, patella degenerations, lower back pain, neck injuries, fat pad syndromes, nerve impingements, wrist fractures and plenty more! Though I get a lot of knee injuries which present as the same ‘textbook injury’, it highlights the importance of a thorough assessment as each injury presents differently even if they sound the same subjectively, which then changes my justification for treatment. You’ve achieved a lot in a short period of time since graduating – what top tips would you give to SST Students who are approaching the end of their degree studies and hoping to seek employment in the coming months? My top tip would be going the extra mile in everything you do. Throughout University, I always aimed to increase my knowledge surrounding different areas of sports therapy. I did the work, I engaged in extra reading, actively engaged with the SST website, completed tasks, made my essays that bit more challenging by pushing myself because I aspired to be an autonomous practitioner. As a student I gained exposure within different clinical settings that I could potentially work in during the future. Yes – sometimes it was daunting and yes, I thought at times “how am I ever going to be like the therapists I am observing?”.  I knew that by doing that extra reading or getting that experience, whether it be observational, hands-on, or even practising your skills at home with parents, it all adds up and makes that extra difference. University is like the foundation before you journey as a full member of the Society really begins. Since University last year, I have learnt so much, which I’m now sharing with students whom I have taken on myself for placements. I don’t think I will ever get to the end of learning because there is just so much literature and evidence out there which is always changing, but as long as you know that you have done everything you can for yourself, exams, placements, etc. you’re in the right direction for success! Photograph credit: Nik Mesney – NCM Media

Eddie Towler is a man on a mission. He is planning to run from John O’Groats to Lands End beginning on the 13th May and finishing on the 29th May, raising funds for 3 outstanding charities; the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF) Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society and Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA). Eddie is hoping SST Members will be able to give him a helping hand. With a proposed mileage of around 55+ miles each day, Eddie’s body is in for some tough days ahead and he will be in need of sports therapy support at each daily rest venue. Someone who is working closely with Eddie, on his preparation is Graduate SST Member Gus Muncaster. Gus is  a Director at Injury Mechanics based in both Leyland and Bolton and he contacted the Society to tell us about Eddie’s proposed marathon venture. ‘Knowing that we have members across the UK, I wanted to shout out about Eddie and what he is proposing to do, as it really is fantastic.  I thought we, as Members of the SST really might be able to help en route, with both time and skills.’ Gus has also been working with Eddie on running coping strategies as well as dealing with any running issues. He said: ‘Eddie has the right mentality, built up from training consistently for long periods of time. He doesn’t let blips, big or small, affect him. He has listened to advice from training load to strength and conditioning and we have worked on strategies, rather like a game management within a run.’ ‘Eddie has been training since October for his epic run and for him, a quality performance lies in the planning and preparation. He is now working on a 4 week cycle running 115, 120 and 125 miles each week followed by a light week of 78 miles! Eddie had already run 9 miles before our interview began!’ The 54 year old from Bradford Yorkshire, is no stranger to challenges. He served for 12 years in the 1st battalion, Duke of Wellington’s regiment, the 33rd & 76th of Foot, the same regiment as Sir Tom Moore. His service included a stint in Northern Ireland at the height of the troubles and London during the 7/7 bombings but it also gave him the opportunity to develop his love of boxing. Eddie was Army boxing champion for 3 years and also coached the battalion team who became Army team champions. His ability to run long distances really shone through when invited to take part in the Cateran Yomp. The Yomp, which is military slang for a long-distance march, involves participants taking on 54 miles in 24 hours across rugged Perthshire terrain, raising funds for the ABF. Invited by a retired Captain from the Dukes, Eddie not only rose to the challenge, he ran the whole distance in 9 hours 50 minutes, smashing the course record. Realising running was second nature and inspired by Sir Tom during lockdown, Eddie undertook two further charity runs to raise funds for the ABF, running 33 miles from Blackpool Tower to Burscough. Following that, he ran 76 miles from Blackpool to the Duke of Wellington’s regiment statue in Halifax again in aid of ABF. MS is another charity that will benefit from Eddie’s run. He said: ‘According to the MS Society one in 500 people have MS. In Dukes, out of the 250 guys, 6 of them have MS, that’s why it’s important to me.’ In 1996, the married father of two decided on a career change and took up another hazardous occupation, joining the police force. His work included under cover policing, counter terrorism and the organised crime unit. This man doesn’t do things by halves!! It was in the Police force that Eddie met Police Officer Mark Cruise and they became firm friends. Sadly, Mark’s life was cruelly cut short: Eddie said: ‘Cruisey was diagnosed a number of years ago with MND. He was incredibly brave but sadly lost the fight to this punishing disease and passed away in January this year. ‘This is why I am dedicating this run to Cruisey and the three charities; the Army Benevolent Fund, Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.’ So how can Members help? Take a look at the map. Click on each location pin to reveal the daily overnight rest venues. Can you make it to one of the venues to offer your time and Sports Therapy skills and get Eddie ready for the next day’s running? If you are a Student Member reading this, can you and your university help support Eddie? You will need a qualified therapist with you but it would be fantastic if you could help. If you are a company reading this, can you help support with medical supplies? Eddie will have a support team running different elements of the Challenge with him and a variety of people will be lending a hand. There will be a live feed tracking progress and videos will be uploaded daily to his website www.eddietowler.com. He even has support from the Royal Band of Scotland when he reaches Edinburgh. If you can help, please email Gus Muncaster at gus@performatherapy.com If you aren’t able to make any of the venues, you might be able to help in another way by making a donation to go towards these three great causes – you can donate on Eddie’s Justgiving page. And if you see this remarkable man running past your town, give him a wave and cheer him on.  

The ever-popular SST Webinar series made a brilliant return for 2022, focussing on ‘The Role of Psychology within Injury and Rehabilitation.’ The evening saw two highly articulate speakers, Dr Dale Forsdyke and Dr Adam Gledhill, expertly combine their knowledge, interests, and  experience to highlight the multitude of reasons why Sports Therapists should consider and address psychological factors with their injured athletes. Not only did the audience hear about the ‘why’, but also the ‘how!’  Dale and Adam shared numerous top tips on how Sports Therapists can integrate psychological assessment into their rehabilitation programmes, ensuring an athlete’s psychological readiness is prioritised alongside the physical and biological factors. Furthermore, they encouraged everyone to go back to basics and explore the importance of how we communicate and build relationships with athletes, creating avenues for trust and providing platforms for approaching sensitive matters. The webinar was superbly hosted by Society Member and Chair of the SST Communications Group Hayley Clarke.  She said: “As a Sports Therapist with a passion for psychology, I had a lot of anticipation for this webinar and I have to say, it most certainly did not disappoint. I was immediately drawn in by Dale’s incredible approach to the topic. It’s just fantastic to see a fellow Sports Therapist showcasing our breadth of practice with so much conviction! “It was also brilliant to hear the opinions of Adam, who as a Sport and Exercise Scientist, advocates for us as Sports Therapists to address psychological factors within our practice. Both Dale and Adam highlight the fact that we are the go-to individuals who share the injury journey with our athletes, and it’s therefore really important that we acknowledge our role in recognising psychological factors and addressing these wherever possible.” The evening finished with an excellent Q&A session which generated some insightful discussion relating to applied practice, such as how to approach situations when athletes display fear avoidance behaviour, and how to adapt your techniques when working with U18s. Society President, Professor Graham N. Smith said: “It was a great webinar. There was so much information that was pertinent to all members, regardless of experience and background.” Hopefully, the webinar has provided SST Members with enough information and insight to help explore psychological concepts in more detail. Key gems included -always remember there is a person behind the injury. Your athletes are individuals and there are many factors that influence injury recovery. Instead of “how’s the injury” try “how are you doing” … a small change that can make a big difference.” Finally, our sincere thanks go to both Dale and Adam for providing such an insightful, enjoyable evening and to Hayley for facilitating the webinar in such a calm and professional manner. If you missed the webinar, you can watch the recording on the SST Youtube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ozHZWbTFcc  

The Society of Sports Therapists which currently collaborates with 32 Higher Education Institutions is closely following events in the UK Higher Education landscape and possible impact on current and possible future student Members. The Government’s recent announcement of a consultation on thresholds for admission to University, could see students who do not meet newly proposed grade criteria refused a student loan, which may disproportionately affect those from marginalised backgrounds. The Society is also staying abreast of the industrial action by the University and College Union (UCU) in relation to the four fights dispute regarding pay, workload, equality and casualisation.

On 8th March, the SST launched a social media campaign in support of International Women’s Day, showcasing the fantastic work of our members around the world. This year’s theme was #breakthebias and a huge thank you goes out to everyone who got involved, showcasing how they break the bias in the practice of Sports Therapy. Check out our Instagram Highlights: instagram.com/thesstofficial  Many thanks to: • Maria Westwell – Director of Injury Mechanics, Bolton • Jennifer Wilson – Lead/Senior Lecturer in Sport Therapy, University of Derby • Ellie Taylor – Owner of Tailored Therapy and Sports Therapist, Gornal Athletic FC • Nicole Burns – Lead Therapist, Liversedge FC • Ashleigh Griffiths – AG Sports Therapy, South Wales • Jenna Orr – Head Therapist, Stenhousemuir FC • Sports Therapy Students and Staff from University of Hertfordshire • Sian Lee – Sports Therapist, Sleaford Town FC and Grantham Town FC Academy • Danielle Garfoot – DS Sports Therapy, Waverley, Surrey • Shiann and Amani – Sport and Exercise Therapy Students from Coventry University • Hannah Gray – Sports Therapy Student from University of Chichester • Emily Goss – MSK Practitioner, NHS Southern Health • Rachel Bevans – Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Therapy, Coventry University • Sophie Castle – Sports Therapy Student from University of Chichester • Sophie Vowden – Owner of SV Sports Therapy, London • Naomi Huggins and Kirsten Wing – NM Sports Therapy Clinic, Cheltenham • Sally Smith and Rachel Lund – Associate Lecturers from University of Worcester    

FREE SST Webinar Series is back! You are invited to attend the first in our 2022 SST Webinar Series: The Role of Psychology within Injury and Rehabilitation Date :   Wednesday 30th March Time :   7:00pm – 8:15pm BST Cost  :   FREE The format will be a presentation followed by a Q&A discussion Hayley Clarke Chair of The Society of Sports Therapists Communications Group and Assistant Lecturer in Sports & Exercise Therapy Coventry University, will host the event Confirmed Panellists: Dr Dale Forsdyke | Dale is a sports injury educator, researcher, and practitioner. *         Member of The Society of Sports Therapists *         Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer at York St John University *         Active sports injury researcher and has contributed to several publications, books, and international conferences *         Head of Science and Medicine at York City Tier One  Regional Talent Club (RTC) *         Works across a variety of sports in both sports injury and performance roles, including the FA Talent Pathway and Goalball UK Dr Adam Gledhill | Adam holds a variety of academic and professional roles. *             Course Director: Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Leeds Beckett University *             Deputy Chair of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) *             Chair of the BASES Division of Psychology. *             Adam’s applied practice has seen him hold roles including Head of Sport Science in  professional women’s football and Head of Psychosocial Development                   in a Tier 1 RTC, *             Editor of The Sport and Exercise Scientist *             Associate Editor with the British Journal of Sports Medicine For further details and to register click here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/7316481380746/WN_oEbZdAQBReyOPzDbev5vSw *Please note: CPD certificates can only be issued to registered attendees. For any registration queries, please email: comms@thesst.org      

The Board of Directors of The Society of Sports Therapists is pleased to announce the appointment of Elite Performance Partners (EPP) to assist in the recruitment of a Chief Executive Officer. The Society is looking to build on the strong foundations laid over the past 32 years and to move forward with strong leadership, vision and ambition, as it continues on the next stage of its journey. EPP has a proven track record in recruiting, supporting and helping to develop high-performing teams. Their former clients include national governing bodies, sports clubs, teams and leagues globally, including EIS, FIFA, FA and WRU. The recruitment process will be led by EPP Partners Anna Edwards and Dave Slemen who have vast experience and success in placing leadership talent across sport and the corporate world.  

At the last Society of Sports Therapists’ Board meeting of 2021, Group responsibilities for individual Directors were determined and agreed.  Each Group has been assigned a lead Director together with a Support Director.*     *The Charles Whitney Team will directly support Director Kristian Weaver and the Communications Group in their Marketing and PR role. If you have any specific enquiries regarding any of the above groups, please send your enquiry to comms@society-of-sports-therapist.org and mark it for the attention of the Lead and/or Support Director

Society Member James Adams topped off a great 2021 by gaining a Distinction in his Masters in Sport and Exercise Science at London Metropolitan University (LMU) and winning the Best Student Poster Award at the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) 2021 conference. James, completed an undergraduate degree programme in Sports Therapy as a mature student aged 30, also at LMU and he was awarded a First Class Honours degree. His research has focused on the fascinating sport of Parkour; only officially recognised as a sport in 2017, and looking at ground reaction forces. Not only is the sport relatively new, as James discovered as he did his preliminary research, so is his own research, as he found no other studies looking at the same movements, at that time. James was interviewed by the LMU team and it is a great read. You can find the article here at:                                       https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/profiles/students/james-adams/