The rationale behind movement and injury screening is to identify injuries which were previously unidentified, and risk factors for those injuries, and then to begin a bespoke injury prevention programme. At its most basic level, a movement or injury screen simply tells us that something is wrong, but may not immediately identify the actual problem. If a screen signals that something is not quite right, we then do a full assessment to identify the actual problem and its root cause. A screen saves times as we don’t have to fully assess everything all the time.

Screening can identify an unrecognised injury in individuals without signs or symptoms, or identify specific problems, weakness, restrictions, or just generally poor movement, that research has shown can increase the risk of injury or even limit performance.

 You may think that you are strong, have good stability and mobility, and move quite well. However, the body is amazingly good at compensating and working around problems in order to achieve a task or perform an activity, and this compensatory movement pattern will put extra load and stress on other body parts which won’t be too happy about it, eventually leading to an injury of some sort. The compensatory movement pattern is also probably less effective and efficient, so by removing the problems, weakness, restrictions, or just generally poor movement, you will be able to perform in your sport faster and stronger for longer.

A movement screen uses simple movements which form the basis of every other movement the body can perform; if you can’t do the simple ones, how are you managing to do the complicated ones? Probably with a compensation, which overloads other body parts, and is less effecitve and efficient.

An injury screen employs several specific tests which research has shown can identify an underlying injury even though you may not really be aware of it. This means we can treat and rehabilitate it much earlier, prevent it becoming a major problem, and keep you playing without the need for time off.

I can offer sports specific movement and injury screens for Golf and Running, and can also create bespoke screens for all sorts of other sports, as well as a general movement and injury screen if you just like to go the gym or stay active.

Get in touch to book your movement and injury screen.

Rehabilitation is the process of regaining full function following injury.  This involves restoring flexibility, mobility, stability, balance, strength, endurance and power, and is achieved progressing through a structured program of exercise & training.  Rehabilitation is as important as treatment following an injury but unfortunately is often overlooked.

The aim of a rehabilitation program is to regain pre-injury levels in all aspects of physical fitness.  A full rehabilitation and strengthening program is essential to ensure full recovery and in order to prevent re-injuries.

Early stage rehabilitation.

Regardless of the type of sports injury, the principles of rehabilitation are often the same. It is important to understand that everyone is different and will respond to different exercises and treatment regimes at different rates. Your rehabilitation program will restore muscle strength, endurance and power, improve flexiblity, priorioception, stability and balance as well as more sports specific or functional exercises.

There are 3 recognized stages of rehabilitation, these are:

• Early stage rehabilitation is gentle exercise allowing for the damaged tissue to heal.  This stage is often rushed and will result in poor quality healing and will be prone to re-injury.
• Mid stage rehabilitation involves progressively loading the muscles/tendons/bones/ligaments to develop tensile strength producing a healed tissue that will be able to withstand the stresses and strains of everyday life and exercise.
• Late - the final stage (late) of rehabilitation is where the tissue adapts and is stressed using functional exercises and drills to ensure the body is ready to return to play.

Late stage rehabilitation & injury prevention.

Injury prevention is one of the most important aspects of rehabilitation and is often overlooked. Non-contact injuries should always be preventable, so if you always seem to picking up niggles all on your own then something is very wrong!

If you come to my clinic with a sports injury (or any other injury or pain or problem) DO NOT expect to lie on the treatment table for a few sessions and experience a miracle (although this does happen from time to time!). You will be required to take part in a longer term rehabilitation process, either under regular supervision with me or taking yourself through a bespoke rehabilitation program custom designed by me. It is the only way that you can be sure the injury will not reoccur.

Joint and spinal mobilisation is a form of ‘manual therapy’ and as such is a ‘hands on’ treatment.  It is a therapy with a specific approach involving detailed examination, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of conditions which cause pain and movement problems.

This type of therapy is very effective in the treatment of all types of joint and spinal problems. Where a joint is stiff, it can cause stress to other joints, muscles and so on, which have to work harder or move more to compensate for the stiff joint. It is usually these joints and muscles which are moving too much or working too hard that become painful. By mobilising the stiff joint, the other joints and muscles experience less stress and become less painful.

Hip, knee and shoulder problems can, for example, be treated to reduce pain and improve movement and function. Back and neck problems, for example, can be precisely identified and the joints of the spine specifically mobilised and treated.

Joint or spinal mobilisation can be effective in the treatment of:

• Back/neck pain and problems such as wry neck or disc problems.
• Sports injuries such as tennis/golfers elbow, Achilles tendinopathy, shoulder impingement, runners knee, and many more.
• Nerve irritation causing sciatica, pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness.
• Arthritis – pain and stiffness of the hips, knees, shoulders, or back.
• Following injury or surgery.

 My Sports Therapy Clinic consists of a private Sports Injury assessment & treatment room, with space and equipment for functional rehab and corrective exercise, as well as a treadmill for gait analysis There is also a separate fully equipped Sports Rehab gym including squat racks, barbells, dumbbells & kettlebells, ropes, slam balls, and lots of other cool and useful stuff. There is also changing, shower and toilet facilities. It is conveniently located just to the north of Gloucester, five minutes from both the M5 and the A38.

Just come on in and straight up the stairs......