Sport Therapy and Rehabilitation

This service is provided by Meg Wickham Sport Therapy & Rehabilitation within our clinic in Harlow.

Sports Therapy is an aspect of healthcare that is specifically concerned with the prevention of injury and the rehabilitation of the patient back to optimum levels of functional, occupational and sports specific fitness, regardless of age and ability.

Many people believe you have to be a sporty person, an athlete or mega fit to visit a sport therapist, however this is not the case. A sports therapist, will predominantly treat individuals that are affected by musculoskeletal conditions and injuries. For example, an office worker with back and neck pain, rehabilitation for post ankle sprain, return to sport or frozen shoulder, the list goes on.

Additionally, sport massage appointments alone are offered, if you are feeling tight or tense. Sport massage has many benefits; it improves blood circulation which aids recovery. It also reduces tension and removes waste products in soft tissues which helps to decrease pain. As well as improving range of motion in muscles by decreasing tightness and increasing tissue elasticity. All these benefits mentioned, will help to improve performance.

What you can expect in your appointment:

Discussion
Our sports therapist, Meg, will first discuss with you, in depth, the nature of your problem to determine the mechanism of injury, what aggravates and eases it, what type of pain you are experiencing and your previous injury history before performing a physical assessment.

Physical Assessment
The physical assessment can vary from region to region, person to person, but it will generally start with looking at your posture and alignment and movement range and quality. Muscle length, strength and stress tests will then follow to determine which structures are damaged as well as how strong the surrounding soft tissue is and how well the area is controlled. The area will be palpated to look for swelling, spasm and pain. These tests will be performed on you by Meg and will require feedback from you regarding your symptoms.

Treatment Plan
Once the assessment has finished, it is very important to discuss the findings and Meg will explain to you what she thinks is causing you your symptoms. A treatment plan will then be devised based on these findings and will be explained to you ensuring that you fully understand what has happened and what needs to be done about it. The treatment will be tailored specifically to you and your goals.

Treatments can include:

• Postural Assessment
• Injury Assessment
• Soft & Deep Tissue Massage
• Maintenance Massage
• Joint Mobilisation
• Taping/Strappin
• Rehabilitation
• Exercise Prescription
• Dry Needling
• Medical Acupuncture

Beyond the session
Meg will choose the right treatment for you and will supplement this with home exercises in the form of a rehabilitation programme. You will be required to complete this plan at home before your next session where you will be able to discuss your progress with your therapist.