News

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Society Member Steven Rands has made great use of his time during lockdown, by setting up The Therapist in Football Podcast. Steven has been chatting with therapists from non-league to professional level, looking at their backgrounds, why they took the route they did, how they arrived in their current roles, and gaining some insight into life in football. He said : ‘In football there are few opportunities to network with other practitioners, so I thought this would offer scope to build and network and have almost a bank of people within the game to  communicate with. ‘Football is so manic and the workload is so heavy that people rarely have the time to pick up the phone and chat to people. The time you do see people is either at a conference like the FMPA’s or at a match, but that might be all of three minutes and that could be chatting about the Emergency Action Plan.’ To date, Steven has just undertaken his sixth interview; this time a compelling chat with Society Member Mike Hine, Head of Sports Science and Medicine at Lincoln City Football Club. Society members Luke Robertson, Head Therapist at AFC Eskilstuna in Sweden and Ashley Proctor, Head Sports Therapist at Guiseley AFC, have also given inspiring accounts of their journeys so far.  All three interviews reflect a great openness and honesty and they are a must listen for anyone looking to embark on a career in football or who feels work experience is a waste of time. But Steven is not looking to provide just a Sports Therapy perspective. He said: ‘The aim is to provide a platform to listen to people from different backgrounds, whether a Sports Therapist, a Physio or a  Sports Rehabilitator. If you have the drive to work in football, the aim is to show there are lots of different routes into it and how the experiences can vary greatly. Each has been on their own personal journey. ‘For example in the first episode I spoke to Gary Faber who started a physiotherapy degree later than the usual route and undertook it on a part-time basis. In episode five I talked to ex professional footballer Jonathan Margetts.  He suffered a bad knee injury and surgery and subsequent rehab was not effective enough to allow him to continue at the top level. He moved into semi pro football part time and decided to take the PFA physiotherapy degree course at Salford. ‘Not only are there different pathways into the game but there are lots of different reasons for going into the different roles within football. It is great to hear people’s journeys and get a real insight into what life is like.’ Steven is a Graduate in Sports Therapy from the University of Hertfordshire and he completed his Masters in Sport & Exercise Medicine at Leeds Beckett University. He undertook his Masters part-time while working at Lincoln City FC. Steven now runs his own Sports Therapy Clinic, SR Sports Therapy in Lincolnshire and he is also an Associate Lecturer on the MSc Sports Therapy Course at the University of Lincoln. Steven has also recently started to host a ‘Therapists in Football’ networking group once a month. Again taking the multi-disciplinary approach, he is looking to bring together a real mix of people from individuals undertaking internships to ones in both self-employed and employed roles. Details of all of Steven’s podcasts to date can be found https://sr-sportstherapy.co.uk/podcast If you have an interest in football they are definitely worth a listen.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Society Member Michael Cole, a Senior Lecturer in Sports Therapy at the University of East London (UEL) has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) by Advance HE. This prestigious award recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on both student outcomes and the teaching profession in Higher Education (HE). Michael’s contribution to excellence covers sustained innovation and impact made in a number of teaching areas. His work in technology enhanced learning and digital resources, with the Centre of Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) spans over half a decade. Case studies of his innovation in teaching and learning on the Sports Therapy programme have been highlighted by CELT, as has his work on inclusive teaching and anti-racist praxis in higher education, sport and healthcare. Advance HE has the equivalent of a national kitemark – the Race Equality Charter, and universities are encouraged to apply for it. Michael has played a significant role from a pedagogical point of view, coordinating staff development and training across UEL, for inclusive anti-racist pedagogy teaching. The selection and judging process for the Award was rigorous – a panel of judges from UEL, including National Teaching Fellows Dr Ian Pickup and Professor Gerry Czerniawski made the first selection. Michael’s nomination was then confirmed by Professor Charles Egbu, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education and Experience) and submitted to Advance HE for consideration. For Michael, the award is particularly special. He said: ‘I am a very practical academic. I do the job to teach, whereas it is usually research and publications that are recognised more. Working in academia, there is often not a lot of recognition or reward for this type of work but I am so passionate about learning and teaching, I feel that it should be rewarded.’ A third area where Michael’s work has been recognised is through his inclusive teaching. Some Members may remember the interview we did back in 2018 (see link below) when we talked to Michael and some of his students about the ground-breaking ‘Body Equality in Athletic Therapies’ (BEAT) group. This student staff collective was created to facilitate more ‘equitable therapeutic practice in their teaching, learning and assessment’, and has provided an arena for staff and students to discuss issues of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race and religion and how it can influence curricula and  teaching style in Sports Therapy and beyond. Michael is currently two years into his PhD and is combining key elements of his teaching philosophies in his work. He is looking at social justice in HE sports and healthcare; how does HE operate to reinforce structural injustices in areas such as awarding gaps and inequalities between white and BAME students? Also, why are BAME students considered in deficit rather than institutions and lecturers looking at how they operate to reinforce such thinking? Michael said : ‘These are hard questions that we need to ask. The work has not really been researched in sport and healthcare before. Hopefully, it will shed light on how Higher Education can disrupt a system that ensures the gap remains.’ While Michael recognises that this is an institutional award he is keen to acknowledge the role his own Sports Therapy journey has played. He said: ‘In the early part of my career I was predominantly a practitioner working in private practice and in sport at all levels. I didn’t come into HE until my early thirties with that experience behind me. ‘So I really want to express my gratitude to Professor Graham Smith and The Society of Sports Therapists as an organisation. It is important to respect the support I have been given. The work I have done over the years to receive these accolades and the platform I have been given, all began at the University of North London (Now London Metropolitan University). I was in the second group of students to graduate on the Sports Therapy degree programme back in 2001 and was taught and inspired by Professor Graham Smith, Iain Littlejohn and Steve Smelt.’ Professor Graham Smith, Chair of The Society of Sports Therapists said: From the first time I met Michael I knew that he had something special to offer Sports Therapy by his commitment to learning, his motivation to succeed and his never ending quest for knowledge. Since that time, I have felt privileged to consider him as both a colleague and friend and I am continually proud of his achievements. ​More importantly, as a Graduate Sports Therapist from the only Society accredited Sports Therapy degree programme at that time, Michael’s achievements both academically and professionally are inspirational. As to the future Michael said: ‘The Award gives me confidence to continue what I am doing to try and make not just my teaching more inclusive, but to influence others in my institution and beyond. The Society’s congratulations also go to Earl Abrahamson, Course Leader in Sports Therapy at UEL who also received a National Teaching Fellowship award. Earl was recognised for his innovative and student-centred SMILES mentoring project, which enables the co-creation of communities of practice for learning. It is quite unusual for two Fellowship Awards to be made at the same time to one institution but even more so to two individuals teaching on the same programme. Michael said: ‘Having not one but two National Teaching Fellows on our BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy Course is great recognition. It gives us confidence to keep improving and developing what is already an innovative programme for students whose goals are to have a career in Sport & Exercise Therapy and musculoskeletal health care.’ Professor Smith added: ‘Having two colleagues who lead and teach on our Society accredited programme at UEL has to be something that the students can only benefit from and feel proud of. Our congratulations to both Earl and Michael. Read article on BEAT https://thesst.org/news/uels-beat-strikes-a-chord-for-equality-and-gender-issues/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Government Guidelines Ignore Skilled Graduates Who Can Help Ease Post Covid-19 Rehabilitation Crisis The Society of Sports Therapists was extremely frustrated to read in the updated Government guidelines for businesses in England, published 24th June 2020, that Sports Therapy has been directly linked with Massage Therapy, so prejudicing and restricting its members from practising. By using the label Sports Therapy within the guidelines, the Government has not only placed restrictions on to a profession that has a vital role to play within its own post Covid-19 rehabilitation agenda, but also increased the risk of patients returning to formal hospital care because they cannot easily access skills needed, from the profession that can provide them. The Society is concerned that the latest guidelines clearly indicate the Westminster Government’s lack of awareness of the breadth of knowledge, skills and expertise that Graduate Sports Therapists have in Sport and Exercise Therapy.  Whilst massage is a competency and skill that Graduate Sports Therapists can utilise, it forms a very small part of their extensive exercise and rehabilitation portfolio.    Many members of The Society of Sports Therapists have continued to provide an extremely necessary and important service during the Covid-19 pandemic. While restricted to predominantly working remotely, they have ensured that musculoskeletal (MSK) patients across a wide section of ages and abilities together with post COVID-19 patients who have required rehabilitation and MSK care, have been able to receive necessary and appropriate rehabilitation and exercise advice.  Members have also provided, with modifications, the vital skills and support required for professional and elite sport to return. Graduate Members of The Society of Sports Therapists belong to a highly respected professional organisation that has been in existence for 30 years. The Society of Sports Therapists currently collaborates with 30 universities and accredits 38 academic programmes. The guidelines do not reflect or respect this fact and Sports Therapists must be permitted to continue to provide the rehabilitation provision that they have been trained for, especially in these current times when even this Government is crying out for practitioners to do this. Professor Graham N. Smith said: ‘As Chairman of The Society of Sports therapists, I was horrified when I saw that Sports Therapy had been linked specifically with, and as, massage therapy and then had undefined time restrictions placed upon them.  ‘It clearly showed not only ignorance but a lack of insight into the knowledge skills and expertise of these practitioners, especially members of the Society. Sports Therapy is predominantly a graduate profession and as such, it has meant that many Members of the Society have been prejudiced against at a time when their expertise is needed.’​ Date Sent : 25th June 2020[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Who would have thought at the start of lockdown that an audience of 22,000 people would be logging on to listen to 60 plus top class MSK speakers and have the ability to visit a virtual exhibition hall, all free of charge. But that’s exactly what happened on Friday 26th June.  Society Members had registered in their droves and Member Kate William’s talk was eagerly anticipated. Sadly the technology hadn’t catered for 2, 500 people trying to listen to her. However, 400 delegates did manage to overcome the technical gremlins to listen in to top advice on the evidence surrounding assessment techniques for hamstring injuries in Rugby players, both after injury and at the point of return to play. For those who battled in vain the good news is that Kate has kindly given us access to her talk which you can listen to HERE. Society Chairman Professor Graham N. Smith took part in a panel session which looked to unravel the competency-based recruitment issues in MSK practice. It was a very positive session and the Chairman provided great context and reasoning around the skills, knowledge and abilities of a Graduate Member of the Society and their place in MSK, working as autonomous practitioners or as part of a multi-disciplinary team. It was a subject very close to him, having had an article published in BJSM on the topic, entitled ‘Same Label, Different Product. : time to review the hiring criteria for therapists in sport’.  If you haven’t managed to read it, log on and you can find it HERE. Honorary member Ann Green, who is Head of School Life Sciences at Coventry University  chaired a session on the future of MSK placements. This session included Coventry graduate Emily Demosthenous who provided some great perspectives on the opportunities and areas where a Sports Therapy student can obtain MSK placement experience during a degree programme.  The Society’s virtual stand had a steady flow of engagement from members and other professionals throughout the day. Members of the University College Liaison Group (UCLG) and Communications group worked collaboratively throughout the day to answer questions and provide information on the Society. Members of the Communications group kept the Society’s Twitter and Instagram pages updated with information from talks that took place on a range of MSK topics. These are still available to view on both social media platforms.  Overall this was an excellent day of MSK related CPD. The Society was proud to be a partner of the event and be involved in both talks and panel discussions. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Society Member and University of Wales, Trinity St David Graduate, Richard Brook, is one step ahead of the game when it comes to players returning to play during the Covid-19 pandemic, at his rugby club, Carmarthen Athletic RFC. Like many Society Members, Richard’s Sports Therapy practice has suffered due to the Welsh Government’s strict regulations, imposed to help slow the spread of the virus. So he recently decided to use some of his time to gain a ‘World Rugby, COVID-19 Return to Play Awareness for Administrators qualification.’ As a consequence, Richard has become the first Covid-19 Administrator for his club and added a new string to his Sports Therapy bow. Explaining about the course, Richard said: ‘I decided to do the World Rugby exam to be a Covid-19 Administrator after speaking to a fellow Society Member Kris La Vallin, who had recently sat and passed the exam. ‘I passed the online exam and my club Carmarthen Athletic RFC, where I practise as a Sports Therapist, is the first club in Wales to announce this achievement.’ Richard also attended a webinar with the Welsh Rugby Union about returning to Rugby and the guidelines and safety measures that have to be put in place. This of course is all dependent on the Welsh Government modifying their social distancing guidelines. He said: ‘As a Sports Therapist, player welfare is always the main concern, so I am hoping that this role will help in guiding and educating all players to return to sport in a safe and controlled way. For Mental Health reasons as well, players are eager to get back to train. ‘Safety is paramount right now and, once the Welsh Government gives the go ahead, we can resume training, with me in an Administrator’s role.’ Richard’s path to becoming a Graduate Sports Therapist and Welsh Rugby’s first Covid-19 Administrator is an interesting one. Richard worked in other roles and industries for much of his working life before diving into a Sports Therapy degree in 2014. He said: ‘I have played sport all my life and played for both Carmarthen Quins Rugby and Carmarthen Town football teams. I am 50 years old and have two children: Sam is 13 and Imogen 11. I have worked and lived in Carmarthen all my life, except when I travelled around the world for two years back in 1998, living and working in New Zealand for 10 months. I worked as a Postman for 30 years, which also kept me fit! ‘I went to The Graig College, Carmarthenshire, in 2006 to complete a 2-year evening course in Sports Massage. I then started to build up a clientele over time, before applying to University at UWTSD to study for a 3-year degree in Sports Therapy in 2014, under Dr Kate Williams and Dan Martin.’ Having practised as a Massage Therapist for 8 years, Richard found that he had ‘hit the wall’ with his treatments, hence the decision to undertake the Society accredited Sports Therapy degree. At 44, this was no mean feat as Richard was pushed to develop his IT skills, juggling this with family life and his work with the Post Office which he continued, but also took the gamble to reduce his work hours. Richard said: ‘For me, the course was what I needed. The knowledge passed down to us by Kate was overwhelming at times. Kate knew everything! The knowledge gained on a daily basis was highly informative and would take time to really process what we had learned. From Manual Muscle tests, to Special Tests, to writing assignments, it really taught us so much. ‘The clinics we were involved in were also a great way to learn for all of us, putting into practice what we had learned in the classroom. In the early days I remember Kate saying: ‘at the start you have 2 apples on your treatment tree. By the end you’ll have 100!’ This was so true; the knowledge we gained was unbelievable.’ During lockdown, although Richard has not seen his patients in person, he has been keeping in touch with them. He explained: ‘I have been advising patients over the phone as a way of helping with various ailments; it’s never easy but it’s also a different way of being a Therapist during the pandemic.’ ‘Once the restrictions are lifted, I am looking forward to treating and seeing patients again. My patients vary in ages and occupation, so the phone has been the only way in which I have been able to help them. Running my own business three days a week has had a major impact moneywise, with loss of earnings.’ Richard will also be missing his Carmarthen players who he sees for treatment and rehab two nights a week but he still has his postman role which not only manages to keep him fit for his incredibly full life but which has also impacted on the Covid-19 pandemic. ‘Yes I still work as Postman 3 days a week: Thursday, Friday, Saturday. During the pandemic I have been able to go in and work overtime on a Tuesday and Wednesday to help with packing home testing Covid-19 kits.’ Here are some short excerpts from the document ‘Safe Return to Rugby – in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic’ by Éanna Falvey, Prav Mathema, Mary Horgan, Martin Raftery which Richard felt would give an indication of what lies ahead in returning to activity – http://sst.local/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Excerpts-from-Safe-Return-to-Rugby-Covid-19-Administrator-Role.pdf The full document is also here: http://sst.local/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Safe-Return-to-Rugby-World-Rugby-Document.pdf Richard hopes that more Members might invest some time in taking the course and add a further dimension to their roles with rugby. Free Course-World Rugby COVID 19 – Return to Play Awareness for Administrators: https://playerwelfare.worldrugby.org/?documentid=module&module=38[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tesni Fakes is a Graduate Sports Therapist with bundles of determination and a desire to succeed. We talked to her about life after graduating and what she has been doing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Before we hear about life during the pandemic, tell us a little about yourself. Where did you study for your degree? I grew up in Berkshire, England but I graduated in 2019 from the University of Wales Trinity St David in Carmarthen where I studied under my incredibly knowledgeable Programme Director Dr Kate Williams. During my time at University I learnt and experienced so much to begin my journey as a Sports Therapist. I would recommend the University of Wales Trinity Saint David not only for its knowledgeable lecturers in Sports, Health and Outdoor Education, but because the support staff and systems in place really helped me through my good days and bad days and made me feel like a valued person rather than a number in a sea of people. You work as a Sports Therapist with Nantgaredig RFC. What made you want to work in rugby? I currently work as the Lead Sports Therapist at Nantgaredig RFC and I thoroughly enjoy this job as every day I am learning. I have been fully supported by the players, coaches, committee, and supporters of the club on my Sports Therapy journey. I first began working with the club in my third year at university and it has provided with some valuable pitchside experience and allowed me to create several networks to support me in both my studies and my future. The club has been really encouraging and helpful in the setting up of my own sports therapy clinic. Having a Welsh mother, I have grown up with a strong Welsh pride in rugby. My brother played from a young age and I would go along and watch him and then I began playing myself. This interest guided me towards wanting to work in rugby. Throughout my time in university I gained experience working across a few different sports including netball, lacrosse, hockey, and football, but I predominantly ended up covering the rugby university fixtures which I enjoyed doing. In the future I would love to gain more experience working in other sports that I may not have worked in before, especially as I participated in variety of sports throughout my childhood. I used to compete regularly in trampolining and dance at a high level. Gaining experience at an elite level in different sports and countries is also an ambition of mine. You also have your own clinic, Tesni Sports Therapy, in Carmarthenshire. Tell us a bit about it. If you had asked me or any of my family or friends whilst I was at school if I would ever run my own business the answer would most likely have been no. However, I decided to make a very tricky decision upon graduating. I decided to move from Berkshire and stay in Wales to begin a new adventure, learning about the world of business and continuing to develop in a job which I love. It has taken me some time as I had to learn a bit more about running my own business and building up connections in my local area. I offered my services at events such as the Swansea Bay 10k and The Daffodil Ride in Pendine to gain some exposure and experience for myself whilst supporting some amazing events. My clinic had not been running for long before lockdown. It was building momentum and I was developing a client base working with an array of clients from the general public including recreational athletes. So during lockdown, you have been putting those Sports Therapy skills to good use in a hospital rehabilitation ward. How did the opportunity come about? What made you want to use your skills in this setting? The arrival of the Coronavirus into the UK resulted in the rugby season being suspended and I had to temporarily close my clinic. Anyone who knows me, knows I do not enjoy sitting around doing nothing. I sat there thinking there must be something I could do during this pandemic with the knowledge that I have as a Sports Therapist, other than creating rehab plans from a distance for pre-existing clients and players. I saw an advertisement on Facebook and Twitter from the Hywel Dda Health Board advertising a number of temporary roles to support the NHS during the pandemic. Looking further into the health care support role I realised that with my background in patient care and my pre-existing knowledge in immediate first-aid, I could be an ideal candidate for this role. The role of the health care’s support worker involves working very close with patients to help maintain their personal care but also helping with basic nursing duties such as checking patients respiration rates, pulse checks, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, temperature and AVPU scores to help identify level of risk with patients and monitor for any signs of deterioration. Alongside checking patients’ observations, we fill in food and fluid charts and support the nurses day-to-day. I successfully applied for this role and completed an accelerated week of training before beginning my new role as a Health Care Support Worker in Prince Phillip Hospital. I was asked a bit about my background, and I informed them of my experience as a Sports Therapist. This resulted in me being placed on a rehabilitation ward. New to the ward, my fellow members of staff were keen to know about my background and why I chose to take on the role. Having told the ward about my role as a Sports Therapist and educated them with what it involved, they included me a lot with patient rehabilitation and I found this experience incredibly valuable and rewarding. As I was not employed as a physiotherapist I was not in charge of creating the rehabilitation, however the hospital physiotherapists included me in the rehabilitation process by providing me with rehabilitation plans and allowing me to work 1:1 with patients to achieve rehabilitation and functional goals. What is it like in the hospital at the moment? Do you use PPE, and if so, how have you found using it? I am being asked a lot of questions about how I’m finding it within the hospital environment during the Coronavirus epidemic. As you can imagine, emotions are quite mixed among staff and patients. Some people are fearful of the unknown, most are trying to remain optimistic and some are frustrated and confused with frequent changes to rules and guidelines in regard to what we can and can’t do. Personally, for me, one of the weirdest things has been when walking around the hospital corridors. There is quite an eerie vibe, I may only pass one or two people in a corridor that is normally full of people and that obviously has red (Coronavirus) zones clearly marked out. When I am in the hospital, I am not on a red zone ward. I am provided with disposable aprons, disposable gloves, and disposable masks but we must follow donning and doffing protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. Gloves and aprons are changed between every contact with patient and combined with good hand washing hygiene. Although I have been working on a non-Covid ward, I have come in contact with patients who have developed the virus or have previously come into contact with the virus. With those patients we are provided with the visors to wear and I have had a specialist mask test for this situation. I have received training on some changes to resuscitation guidelines within the hospital due to the need to wear PPE to prevent the spread of coronavirus. I haven’t minded the protocols in place for infection control as I follow very similar measures in my own clinic with the cleaning of equipment and protective equipment pitchside, but wearing the goggles and visors can be quite claustrophobic and annoying, especially if you are constantly steaming up! What is your favourite aspect of your role in the hospital? One of my favourite things about this role in a hospital setting is that I get to see patients’ daily progress, whether it be big or small. The feedback that I’ve gained from both patients and colleagues within the hospital environment has been so rewarding and reinforces my love of rehabilitation and what I do, because I can see the impact that I am having on both the patients and the staff around me. I went home with a huge smile on my face all because a patient had told me that I had given him the confidence in himself that he can do what he needed to do. He became incredibly enthusiastic about his rehabilitation and worked incredibly hard to regain his strength and independence, which eventually led to him being discharged safely to home. Have you learned anything that you can take forward with you, both personally and professionally, from your experience in the hospital? From this experience, I have been able to not only use some of the skills I use as a Sports Therapist and develop them, but I have also learnt a lot more about working with different types of patients whom I wouldn’t have necessarily worked with in a Sports Therapist environment, such as with stroke patients. Before this experience, I used rehabilitation with predominantly people who engaged in a lot of physical activity. Most of the patients I am working with now are there to achieve functional goals, such as mobility, that will improve their quality of life. I feel I am coming away from this experience with a lot more knowledge and consideration for populations that may not be as self-aware as to why they are doing certain rehabilitation, but I have also learnt more about creating accessible rehabilitation that caters for non-athletes. Do you have any advice for graduating Sports Therapists? What tips or advice would you liked to have heard when you were graduating? My advice for future Graduate Sports Therapists is, life is what you make it, so embrace the opportunities around you big and small. You never know where they may lead! Every opportunity will assist you in your journey and teach you new and valuable skills that will develop you into better practitioner! Networking! In the past year, I have been fortunate enough to learn and develop through attending CPD conferences where I have met some amazing practitioners. I have also been able to engage with fellow practitioners through social media, learning from their experiences and research. One of the most important lessons I have learnt is to remember there are a million different routes to take on your Sports Therapy journey, so do not compare yourself to the achievements of other practitioners. The main thing is that you enjoy what you are doing, you are learning from your experiences and your mistakes. If you do that, then I feel you can’t go far wrong![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Society Member Nick Short has recognised very early on in his career that his Society accredited degree has given him the tools to work in a number of different areas. We caught up with him (virtually distanced of course) to find out about his career to date. Nick, tell us a little about yourself. I am qualified Sports Therapist and a Sports Coach, with a particular interest in youth development, graduating from Leeds Beckett University with a BSc Sports and Exercise Therapy in 2017. Since then I have been able to use the skills I gained in a variety of roles. My current roles include, Academy Sports Therapist at Leeds United FC, Sports Coach in both schools and private settings and finally, a mobile Sports Therapist for private patients. How long have you worked at Leeds United and what does your role involve? In August 2019, I began my role at Leeds as an Academy Sports Therapist, working with the youth development phase. Working with a brilliant medical team, we are responsible for conducting injury clinics, developing rehabilitation plans and providing pitch-side trauma management for training and matches. Although my time there has been brief so far, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time so far working with an excellent team and I look forward to hitting the ground running next season. You mentioned your work in schools. What age range have you worked with? Throughout my time working with children, the ages have ranged all the way from our 3-4 year old nursery students within school to our 15-16 year old athletes at Leeds United FC. Although the environments I work in differ, it has given me a good understanding of how my skills as a Sports Therapist can be used in two contrasting areas. Prior to lockdown, the vast majority of my time is spent working with children, whether that’s conducting clinics for the youth development athletes or delivering coaching sessions to students, which has allowed me to continually develop whilst doing a job that I get so much enjoyment from. Schools are a great area for a Sports Therapist to work in. What made you want to work in that setting and how did your first school role come about? I think now as we see more Sports Therapists going into areas of employment that had not previously been considered, for me it makes perfect sense that as a profession, we can have an impact on physical education and child development within schools, especially now we understand the importance of physical activity in children’s development. For example, my first role within schools was with a company that specialised in providing physical development programmes for children between the ages 4-11. Using my knowledge of anatomy, physiology and rehabilitation I would deliver tailored sessions to an intervention group, targeting areas of physical development such as balance, strength and coordination in children with complex physical, psychological and social needs. I found out about the role from a friend working for the company, who mentioned that they usually employ sports coaches. After speaking in detail to him, it became apparent that my skills were transferable and that, in fact, I could use my previously learned knowledge to help develop the programme. Over my two years there, I was able to help over 200 children and provide CPD sessions for over 50 staff on how to identify and develop these students. What is your favourite aspect of your career as a Graduate Sports Therapist? What have you found is your biggest challenge? The thing I enjoy most about my different roles is how varied they are, meaning that no two days are ever the same. Throughout a normal week, I can encounter so many different injuries, personalities and professionals that I am able to constantly develop skills specific to Sports Therapy, as well as generalised skills that are more transferable. The biggest challenge for me is finding a perfect work life balance as, I’m sure many professionals in sport will agree, it can be difficult. Alongside working in schools, doing weekends and evenings, it can be challenging to find time to switch off until the off-season and, initially, that made managing multiple roles stressful. However, this is something that I have been able to manage more effectively over the last year and just takes practice and delicate planning. How have you been spending lockdown? Lockdown for me has meant that all my roles have been suspended, and with schools and academies re-starting gradually, it’s been important to limit the number of staff in those settings. Luckily, there has been plenty of material online to continue learning and at Leeds United we have a platform to share any CPD we think may be helpful, so the staff there have been brilliant at keeping that updated. On the other hand, as I mentioned previously, it can be difficult to find time to unwind in a usual busy schedule and although this is an uncertain time for all of us, I have tried to use it for the important things like staying in contact with my family and focusing on good mental health, which I think is really important right now. Do you have any tips or advice for the next generation of Graduate Sports Therapists? Is there a piece advice that you would have benefitted from hearing either before or as you were graduating? My advice to new Graduates would be, explore as many new opportunities as you can and approach graduate life with an open mind. In the modern day industry, new roles are being created all the time and your skills as a Sports Therapist are transferable, don’t be disheartened if you don’t find your perfect career path straight away. I think many of us when graduating focus too much on an end goal and forget to enjoy the time between reaching that target. I, like many other Graduates, entered the world with the aim of working within professional sport and felt that anything else wouldn’t be right for me. Although it’s great to have a target to achieve, I feel it’s important to explore different areas and enjoy the time you spend reaching that goal.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]You may recall The Society of Sports Therapists was part of a group of 9 organisations that wrote to the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, regarding help for SMEs and the Self-Employed in order to deal with the financial challenges caused by COVID-19. The Society has now collaborated with 16 professional organisations representing 300,000 members in sending a second letter to the Chancellor, expressing concerns on how some small businesses and the self -employed continue to be overlooked with the current financial support packages that have been introduced. As with all of these organisations many of our Members are directly affected, which is why it is so important for The Society of Sports Therapists to be part of this collaboration. Three requests have been made: 1. Change Access to Coronavirus Job Retention and Coronavirus Self-Employed Income Support Schemes 2. Expediate Coronavirus Income Support Scheme Funds 3. Ensure more SMEs are benefiting from Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans (CBILs) Read the letter in full here: Coalition Open Letter to Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic and the current lockdown that everyone is having to cope with, it’s more important than ever to pull together and support each other as best we can. Members of the Society have been doing just that, including the therapy team at Fit Again Sports Therapy (F.A.S.T.), a Sports Therapy clinic in Cambridge. Society Member Richard Luddington, who is Chair of the Society’s Universities and Colleges Liaison Group and Director and Senior Therapist at F.A.S.T., got in touch to share news about the clinic’s #ReciprocatingKindness campaign. The clinic is offering free remote therapy services to the community, with the aim of making the clinic’s services accessible to all, while also encouraging those who use the services to reciprocate kindness in their own way. Richard explained: ‘We are mindful of how challenging this period is for everyone which is why we have created the #ReciprocatingKindness campaign. ‘We are currently offering these services free of charge: · Video and telephone calls to assist with recovery and continue with the treatment and management plans we started. · Follow up communications using our custom-made rehabilitation video library. · Educational resources to help reduce the likelihood of injuries for certain sports. · ‘Train with the professionals’ series – a collection of videos from inspirational athletes giving us an insight into their favourite exercises which can be completed at home.’ Richard and his team believe that communities need to come together now more than ever, which is why they want these services to be accessible to everyone. The team at F.A.S.T. appreciates that taking money out of the equation allows this to happen and clients are encouraged to reciprocate kindness by offering their assistance in any way they can and that any help would be gratefully received. A positive impact has been made so far, with people doing a variety of things to help both the clinic and their communities. Richard said: ‘We are delighted with the impact so far and it has been a great way to keep in touch with clients, expand our outreach and promote the clinic in the best light during this difficult time. ‘We have had people helping in a variety of ways, from the online exercise community offering free workouts, to a client offering to help write for our website. We have even had someone offering advice for home improvements. ‘We have also had people who have contacted us to say it has been a really nice stimulation for them to think of ways that they can help people close to them.’ The team at F.A.S.T. appreciates that this is a very challenging time for all Society Members but this campaign was not designed to be exclusive to them. Richard said: ‘If other Society Members or clinics would like to get involved, please get in touch by emailing inspire@fitagainsportstherapy.com. We would love to spread this positivity and affect as many people as possible.’[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Members will know Professor Graham Smith as Chairman of The Society of Sports Therapists, but many may not know that, before the Society was formed, he played a crucial role in the establishment, development and running of the Football Association National Rehabilitation and Sports Injury Centre at Lilleshall National Sports Centre. Under Professor Smith’s leadership, Lilleshall emerged as the go to place for professional football players, as well as athletes from other sports, to be rehabilitated back from serious or long term injury. Professor Smith’s fresh approach to rehabilitation lies at the heart of Lilleshall’s success; it was creative, organised, caring and most importantly it was successful. Players of international renown soon learned that they were not there for a holiday and clubs quickly realised that their players were in safe hands. Lilleshall ultimately proved to be the catalyst for professional football clubs to set up their own medicine and performance centres and was the forerunner for the Football Association’s Elite Performance Centre at St George’s Park. During his work at Lilleshall, Professor Smith was also tasked with reviewing the education of those working in professional football. The outcome was the introduction of minimum qualification requirements at the start of the 1989/90 football season and subsequently, the founding of The Society of Sports Therapists. In the attached article published in BASEM Today and featured here courtesy of BASEM and the edition’s editor Dr Graham Holloway, Professor Graham Smith tells in his own words the story behind: ‘Lilleshall – A Rehabilitation Legacy’.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]