Josephine Lawson Physiotherapy Clinic - Autumn 2007 Newsletter - Issue No. 17

Relocation!.....Relocation!.....Relocation!

Exciting news for the entire JLPC team. We are pleased to announce we will be moving to a newly modernized clinic in early October. Just around the corner at……
107 FENCHURCH STREET

Heading for the Olympics

  In August this year I was lucky enough to be selected to work with the GB team attending both the   European Youth Olympics in Belgrade, Serbia, and the World University Olympics in Bangkok,   Thailand.

  Over the last 10 years I have gained considerable Elite Sports experience working with GB Athletics,   London Irish RFU, England Hockey, British Table Tennis and GB Bobsleigh. A good understanding of   Elite Sport disciplines proved essential when working at large multi-sport events like these.

  At the European Youth Olympics our medical team was made up of 1 doctor and 5 physios. Working together we helped keep 64   athletes, under the age of 16, in prime condition to finish 2nd overall in the medal table. I was assigned to the swimming team which   achieved 6 of the 9 gold medals. Singing the national anthem in a full arena, for an athlete that I treated that morning to allow her to   compete was truly inspiring.

  For the World University Olympics a much larger delegation of 280 athletes, under 28 years old, represented team GB. This required a   much larger HQ staff of 6 doctors, 10 physios and 2 student physios. This was the most competitive University games so far with many   countries sending their adult Olympic teams.

  Team GB performed well on the international stage gaining 20 medals, putting us well into the top half of the medal table. Unfortunately   China and Russia were more than 60 medals ahead of anyone else in 1st and 2nd place – surely a sign of things to come for Beijing   2008!

  Overall the high humidity, soaring temperatures, little air conditioning and 12 hour days made working conditions pretty tough at both   events. However, having the chance to work with some of the leading physios and doctors in sport today was fantastic. Co-hesive   physio-medical treatment included injection therapy, ultrasonic scanning, joint manipulation, ice bathing, electrotherapy, acupuncture   and massage therapy.

  Knowing that our input was putting GB athletes on the podium was amazingly rewarding, and walking out behind the Flag into a packed   stadium, singing the national anthem has to be the high point of my sport career so far. (It gives me goose bumps just to write about   it!)…….. Bring on Beijing and of course 2012!

  By Rosie Mew– Physiotherapist

Rugby Injuries

With the Rugby World Cup upon us, pre-season fitness work done and the hard grounds starting to soften, it is now time to seriously watch and play the game. How can you minimise the likelihood of the inevitable injuries and post match soreness?

For less dramatic injuries one should consider using the RICE or MICE treatment plan:

Rest or gentle Muscle action with muscle injuries:

Stop, sit down, lie down or walk about or move the affected area very gently. This is basic first aid. By resting you will stop making the injury worse, by playing you could be encouraging more damage or increasing the tendency to swell.

Ice:
Use a purposefully designed ice-pack or equally effective is a bag of frozen peas. Apply a damp cloth over the pack or put a small amount of oil on the skin to prevent ice burn, then place over the injured area for fifteen to twenty minutes. Repeat up to two to three times per hour for the next eight hours. Do not place ice over the bony prominence slightly below and on the outside of your knee. By applying an ice-pack to the traumatised area you can reduce the tendency for these tissues to swell as well being effective in reducing pain. This will speed recovery and improve function more quickly. By icing possible injury sites, this could mean waking up the next morning without swelling and possibly without an injury at all.

Compression:
Apply a firm bandage, tubigrip, elasticised support to the injured area. Combine this with icing but keep the pressure on when not applying cold. Take care not to stop the circulation (blood flow) to the rest of the limb. Should the limb go blue, cold, or tingly remove the compression. If the limb stays painful, goes blue, cold or numb seek immediate medical advice. Do not leave a tight bandage around your knee when sleeping. This could result in slowing the return blood flow in your calf and result in a blood clot or Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Compression provides a pressure gradient, making it more difficult for tissues to leak and accumulate blood and /or inflammatory exudates around the injury zone.

Elevation:
Raise the affected body part as high is practically achievable. By raising the limb there will be less fluid pressure and thus the tendency for tissue leakage and swelling into the injury zone

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