From tennis elbow to Achilles tendon damage, our osteopaths can diagnose, treat and rehabilitate a wide array of common sports injuries. Remember- osteopathy isn’t just for backs- our therapists are trained to a high standard for all musculo-skeletal complaints.

At Back On Track Healthcare we can usually find you an appointment in just a couple of days. You can use our convenient on-line booking service to speed up the process and find an appointment time that suits you. If you would like to speak to someone in person, our team of receptionists are only a phone call away and will be happy to talk you through your complaint and suggest the best person to see you.

All of our osteopaths graduated from the prestigious British School of Osteopathy (BSO) and offer a high level of expertise in the treatment of sporting injuries. Treatment is tailored to every individual to ensure that the fastest resolution to your problem is met. We follow the six-step treatment plan to not just diagnose your sports injury through a case history and examination, but also to offer manual therapy, exercises and advice where appropriate and follow-up care to monitor your progress.

The most important question that most people ask is “how quickly can I return to my sport?” so the sooner you can get booked in and we can start your treatment, the better.

At Back On Track Healthcare, there are many types of sporting injuries that we look after. These include:

• Shoulder injuries- such as rotator cuff tears and tendonitis- common in swimmers
• Tennis elbow- inflammation of the extensor muscle tendons in the forearm
• Golfers elbow- inflammation of the flexor muscle tendons in the forearm
• Repetitive strain injury (RSI)- inflamed tendons from overuse
• Strained wrist- commonly from a fall on an outstretched hand
• Spinal pain- often from lifting or landing injuries
• Rotated Pelvis (Sacro-iliac joint dysfunction)- common in torsional sports such as golf or racquet sports
• Hip pain- from falls, contact injuries or excessive range of movement
• Knee pain- ligament injuries are common especially in contact sports, but also degenerative pain in weight-bearing sports like running
• Ankle joint problems- usually instability injuries causing ligaments to be strained or torn
• Achilles Tendonitis and heel pain
• Impact injuries- frequently from contact sports and martial arts

Sports injuries their prevention and treatment

New research causes coaches and athletes to continually modify their training. Some aspects are very sport-specific, whilst others are generally considered useful for all-round injury prevention.

“Prevention is better than cure” – we have all heard this term, but human nature being what it is, means that most people only consult with manual therapists such as osteopaths when they have an injury.

Whilst totally understandable, this mentality is likely to result in more frequent trips to your therapist, as failure to properly warm up, or a poor training programme is far more likely to result in injury.

Instead it is better to have a regular “MOT” to identify minor faults in the musculo-skeletal system before they become symptomatic. Your osteopath then has a much better chance of maintaining optimum health by “fine-tuning” you at each treatment session. After all- you are unlikely to hear of any elite athlete or sports professional who doesn’t have regular treatment to prevent injuries from occurring.

Most of us don’t fall into this bracket- we are more interested in keeping fit and healthy and use sport and exercise as a means to maintain our health.

At Back On Track Healthcare, we look after people from both ends of the spectrum-  from professional sports men and women to “weekend warriors” just keen to stay loose.

The following key points will limit your chances of sport injuries:

• Warm up well
• Stretch major muscle groups, especially following exercise
• Use a coach to work you at your own ability level
• Maintain correct technique
• Don’t over train
• Remain well hydrated
• Have rest days as over training is as bad as not doing enough
• Give yourself time- don’t decide to run a marathon and do it the next day- let common sense prevail!
• Always take time to warm down

In terms of treatment- we usually combine muscular stretches and massage, joint mobilisation and manipulation techniques to tailor a specific regime to your needs, depending on the type of injury. We also may use electro-therapy such as ultra-sound to speed up your recovery. In most cases we suggest exercises to be carried out between appointments and may work with other therapies to ensure the fastest recovery (e.g. sports massage, physiotherapy, podiatry and acupuncture). Sports nutrition is fast becoming another area where we are happy to provide in-house referral to a Nutritionist.

Post surgical rehabilitation

In certain circumstances, unfortunate athletes sometimes need surgery to correct a major or chronic problem. At Back On Track Healthcare we are lucky enough to have good links with the local private hospitals, such as the Runneymede, Parkside and the New Victoria Hospitals and can refer patients directly to specialist surgeons. We can also carry out the post surgical rehabilitation necessary to rebuild strength and control following surgery- just ask one of our osteopaths for their advice.

If you feel that you have a sports injury and would like us to help you- just get in touch. We’d love to get you “back on track”.