How can podiatrists benefit athletes and sports teams?
- Prevention
Injury prevention plays a very key role in both individual and team performance. Large sporting bodies including UEFA (soccer) have scientifically proven that teams with less injuries will have greater success when compared to other teams.
Our podiatrists have experience in screening and implementing preventative protocols for all lower limb injuries – including hamstring injuries, knee injuries, ankle injuries and much more. With a thorough understanding of the most up-to-date research we are able to formulate our prevention programs to the highest of qualities.
What is included in our injury prevention models?
- Quantified strength assessments: We utilise modern validated methods to quantify your strength and compare our findings with normative values. We will establish any strength deficits which may contribute to injury risk.
- Gait (walking and running) assessments: With our video gait analysis we are able to record and accurately review your gait patterns – with considerations on whether this may influence your risk of injury or reduce your performance.
- Flexibility assessments: Range of motion is very important. We will always include thorough range of motion testing from the hip joint to the big toe!
The findings of your assessment will allow a personalised and tailored program to ensure the risk of injury is minimised.
- Maintaining Peak Performance
Everyone enjoys results. All our hard work is often reflected on our 5km time, our throwing distance or how far we can jump. Podiatrists can work with other health professionals to ensure you remain your best one step at a time.
Similar to our screening and prevention assessment, our podiatrists undertake a needs analysis of you and your sport – ensuring we have a full understanding of what is involved. This may include the strength and conditioning demands, the high impact movements involved or the busy training and playing schedule which you have ahead.
As mentioned previously, working as a team is pivotal. We acknowledge the importance of liaising with coaching staff, your strength and conditioning coaches or other key personnel (physiotherapists, chiropractors or doctors).
- Injury Diagnosis and Rehabilitation
Hip to the toes, our podiatrists have seen it all. Working with the lower limb every day allows us to refine and improve our knowledge on all lower limb sporting injuries. Our podiatrists will see niggling hip injuries, acute hamstring injuries or ankle and foot injuries all within a day in the clinic.
An accurate diagnosis is important when optimising your personalised injury rehabilitation. Podiatrists have the ability to refer for imaging (if necessary) to ensure we identify the severity of an injury. Once established we will take the time to inform you on the condition. We take pride in having our patients leave our clinic well informed with no question leaving unanswered.
Exercise-based rehabilitation has become a mainstay in ensuring the most optimal recovery of soft tissue or joint injuries. Any muscle strain, or joint sprain can create a significant impact on strength and tissue health. If the injury is not addressed appropriately, athletes have a higher risk off re-injury.
Stay tuned over the upcoming months as our podiatrists begin to breakdown common sporting injuries, how we can address these injuries and how to prevent these injuries reoccurring.
Our Podiatry clinics are located within Sippy Downs and Woombye. Our podiatrists look forward to seeing you in the clinic, keeping you fit and active one step at a time.
