For those of us who are not familiar, the Paralympic Games, is a major international sports competition for athletes with disabilities. Much like the Olympic Games, the Paralympics are split into Winter Games and Summer Games, which alternately occur every two years.
Many of the same Olympic events are includedsuch as Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and biathlon for winter sports and cycling, archery, and swimming for summer sportsalthough sports equipment for the Paralympics may be modified for specific disabilities. Since the late 20th century, the Paralympics have been held in the same city that hosts the corresponding Olympic Games; the Paralympics follow shortly after the Olympics conclude.
In the world of physiotherapy, sports people make up a high percentage of our patients. Mostly, due to the fact that they are competitive athletes who wish to operate at maximum strength and agility during their games. Because of this we frequently see athletes pre-competition to help them reach the peak of their physical ability with sports massages and clinical Pilates. However, it is not uncommon for a sports person to have pain following an injury or due to overtraining during their game seasons.
Sports injuries are something we see a lot of during sporting seasons whether a patient is a professional sports person or an amateur, getting injured is equally as possible! Roughly 90% of sports injuries require a rehabilitation period. This is something that our Paralympians can relate to as they will have faced many challenges to overcome their conditions and circumstances and still be able to compete. We treat injuries in our clinic with a holistic approach based on each individual patients needs. We consider ourselves to be innovators in this department as on top of our individualistic approach to healing we also incorporate evidence-based therapies which our sports people benefit from greatly. Technologies such as TECAR therapy and VIBRA.30 are popular among our sports people for their ability to speed up the natural healing process, aiding in faster recovery and less down-time from competing.
The majority of sports injuries are either a recent injury as a result of sporting or a pre-existing condition but still wishes to continue on with sport.
The latter applies to our Paralympians and that is why at this years Paralympic event in Tokyo, there has been CSP Physiotherapists on site ready to treat the athletes pre and post games to ensure they are physically well and able to compete at maximum ability without any complications or set-backs. Physiotherapists are largely on site at most major sporting events, but it is particularly essential for our Paralympians as they have particular needs that trained Physiotherapists are able to easily deduce and manage based on condition, familiarity with disabilities, and understandings of the bodies biomechanics to provide the best care.
At ALO clinic, we know all types of sports people can benefit from Physiotherapy and understand that each sports persons journey is different and so are their goals. This is why we provide individual plans of care to each patient to ensure we work together through the rehabilitation process and achieve each patients goals.
If you believe you may be suffering from a sports related injury or are managing a pre-existing condition but would like to get back to sports – why not book a FREE 15-minute discovery visit?
In this complimentary visit you will have a chance to speak to a physio about your needs/and or condition/concerns and they will let you know how we can help you and if physio is right for you.
To book an appointment or a discovery visit, call us on: 0207 636 8845
