Tips for Gym Fitness and Training in Ireland from a Sports Therapists viewpoint

My thoughts  on Tips for Gym Fitness and Training in Ireland from a sports physio angle because I treat players and athletes from a wide range of sports at all levels and I also work with teams.

The use of a Gym is commonplace in many sports as part of the training.

Most athletes have a good balance when it comes to physical training and physical fitness.

Gym Related Injuries in Ireland:

I have had good athletes coming to me with injuries that are gym related.

I treat the injury and symptoms of the injury but to give advice and to give the player or athlete the best service as part of their rehab and or recovery I as a lot of questions so as to get a full picture not just of the injury but the cause and as a way of getting to know the player and athlete not just as a player and athlete but also as a person this puts them at ease and they also open up more when you ask questions.

They tell me about the injury the symptoms then how it happened and where.

Many athletes mention the gym as the injury source.

I ask them how often they go to the gym. They say every day for 6 or 7 days. That tells a lot because that is often the cause.

Players and athletes need to train but they also need recovery and rest.

7 days a week in a gym is excessive as training every single day is hard on the body and mind.

Dehydration and fatigue leave an athlete and player vulnerable to injury.

That way the player or athlete is getting their gym sessions and their physical fitness is improving or they are maintaining their physical fitness, they are getting their rest and recovery which means they are less likely to get injuries.

• Warm-up and warm-down is essential
• Keeping hydrated before during and after sessions is essential.

Physical fitness is essential when playing sport at all levels.

Strength and conditioning and endurance training is important this ensure the player will be able for the demands of any sport that they will be able to last the full game

With many indoor sports like futsal- indoor soccer being so fast and intense, this is essential.

Warm-up and warm-down and stretches are important before during and after training AND matches and also so is keeping hydrated.

Gym Training Fitness Powdered Drinks and Supplements:

Personally, I am against these powdered drinks and supplements etc you see online that are available ‘over the counter’ in shops and on the internet.

When you get them online you don’t know what you are buying until they arrive, and they only deliver short term benefit.

My advice is before you get any supplements or powdered drinks, go to go first and ask his advice and see if he would recommend this that or the other over the counter products (you see gyms and sports shops advertising and selling them).

There is nothing you get in them that you don’t get in normal everyday food that you eat.

Get medical advice go to a dietician or your GP and discuss it with them you may not think it but what you eat or consume plays a huge part in your physical fitness and believe it or not what you eat when you eat the right food can give you the natural energy you need

Those gym supplements only have short term results or benefit you speed wise of short distances and may have unforetold side effects

that’s why I recommend getting medical advice big you eat and train right as a player then physical is easy to attain and maintain.

I hope you have found my contribution to be useful.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Many athletes in the heat of the moment during training can overdo things. If you are based in Roscommon or the North-West one of my treatments might be of big help to you.

Sports Injuries Sometimes Need Scans?

Sports Injuries Sometimes Need Scans because some injuries that actually need expert intervention are not always obvious.

Obviously, as a sports therapist when I am present at match days and practice sessions occasionally an injury will occur that is more serious than the normal ones.

A broken leg for example and the need for someone on the spot- who knows the ropes becomes mighty important.

Over the years I have referred a number of patients to Alliance Medical for Scans.

Because I know that from the results of scans, they will indicate if the client/sportsperson needs to be seen by a consultant or surgeon or not.

When a client comes to me my concern always is to give my best to the client and when necessary use other specialist areas of medicine for the clients benefit to ensure they get the best possible treatment to ensure recovery.

Sports Injuries Sometimes Need Scans? 2 cases of mine by way of example

When thinking now about when seeking scans becomes important I think of 2 cases:

As mentioned above, 1 is a goalkeeper that had a knee problem a few years ago while playing matches and afterwards it would be painful and after a few days, with rest, the pain would go away but it got to the stage where the patient’s knee would be painful after most games but he never got it checked out as he would rest it and the pain would go away. Eventually, the pain went away for a while then I got involved as team sports Therapist with another team he was involved in and he didn’t mention anything about the knee until a few months before we were travelling for a tournament and he came to me during a training session and he told me the full story regarding the knee and the history of it. I referred him for a scan in a Dublin branch of alliance medical. I got him to fill out my patient history form and I sent it into Alliance medical. From that, they contacted him and arranged an appointment within 24 hours he was seen. From the scan, it showed he had Pateĺla Displacia in the right knee. They said the would refer him to a surgical consultant. He was delighted that he was able to find out what the problem was. He got his disc with the scan on it and he was sorted.

The second case. a recent case-patient with a back injury the patient said that there was a pain on the left side of his back from the bottom to the top of his back and across the lumbar of his back. However, ongoing back to past injuries he said he has been having ongoing issues with his for a few years. With this in mind and with the potential for injury to his back having damage I referred him for a scan to get to the bottom of the problem. When its done then we can review his situation and take it from there.

REFERRAL TO ALLIANCE MEDICAL FOR SCANS AND XRAYS

As part of my service, I can refer patients for scans and x-rays with Alliance Medical within 24 to 48 hours. The patient will get a disc and myself and the GP get a written report.

ALLIANCE MEDICAL does not accept the medical card but if the patient has health insurance or player insurance or can pay in cash then they are a huge help.

Shoulder Pain- SERRATUS ANTERIOR PAIN

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I asked the player what happened and he told me what happened. I did various tests and he had a hip injury. I continued the assessment. His hip was in a lot of pain and I did some movements with the hip and ilhe. The player could not stand, could not sit up if I raised his leg or lowered his leg he was in pain or bent his leg. His teammates were worried about him and were asking me questions so did not move Hil or anything. I let him rest a few minutes I asked him questions and from the answers, he gave me as well as the signed and symptoms, it turned out to be a badly damaged ship flexor injury. I got a few people to help me bring him into the dressing room. I went through everything with him and I gave him advice on what to do to rest etc but first and foremost due to the extent of the injury I told his manager that the player had to go to a hospital for further assessment. The manager thanked me. I said I hope you don’t think I was cutting across you but I was called on to assess and treat him so I take over. He said that’s ok he said I don’t mind at all as I knew from looking at you and the way you were working that you knew what you were doing and I knew you knew an awful lot more than what I did so I happy to let you take over. The manager had him sent to the hospital. He will be out for quite a number of weeks.

To find out more about hip flexor injuries and or if you have any questions or if you want to make an appointment or if you have an injury you want me to cover in a blog then you can contact me

Plantar Heel Pain – PLANTAAR FASCITIIS – More Common Than You Would Expect

Plantar Heel Pain or Plantaar Fascitis is a more common injury in sport than people think.

It can be caused by the different surfaces that players and athletes train or play on like indoor or futsal surface which is wooden, as well as AstroTurf pitches etc.

There are other causes too.

It can the treated by either applying kinesiology tape or getting a rolling pin and glass bottle and rolling it along the sole of the foot or a combination of both.

The player recovered well and was happy with the treatment 

Plantar Heel Pain – PLANTER FASCIITIS – In Medical Terms

Plantar fasciitis also known as Plantar Heel Pain (PHP) is a painful inflammatory  process of the plantar fascia, the connective tissue or ligament on the sole of the foot. It is often caused by overuse of the plantar fascia, increases in activities, weight or age. It is a very common condition and can be difficult to treat if not looked after properly.  Longstanding cases of plantar fasciitis often demonstrate more degenerative changes than inflammatory changes, in which case they are termedplantar fasciosis. The suffix “osis” implies a pathology of chronic degeneration without inflammatory.

DIAGNOSIS: The diagnosis of plantar fasciitis is usually made by clinical examination alone.  The clinical examination may include checking the patient’s feet and watching the patient stand and walk. The clinical examination will take under consideration a patient’s medical history, physical activity, foot pain symptoms and more. The doctor may decide to use imaging studies like X-ray, diagnostic ultrasound and MRI.

Heel bone with heel spur An incidental finding associated with this condition is a jheel spur, a small bony calcification on the calcans heel bone, in which case it is the underlying plantar fasciitis that produces the pain, and not the spur itself. The condition is responsible for the creation of the spur; the plantar fasciitis is not caused by the spur.  Sometimes ball-of-foot pain is mistakenly assumed to be derived from plantar fasciitis. A dull pain or numbness in the metatarsal region of the foot could instead be metatarsalgia, also called capsulitis. Some current studies suggest that plantar fasciitis is not actually inflamed plantar fascia, but merely an inflamed flexor digitorum brevis muscle (FDB) belly. Ultrasound evidence illustrates fluid within the FDB muscle belly, not the plantar fascia.

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