'Premier League' physiotherapists

PROFESSIONAL sport places huge demands not only on athletes but on the physiotherapists who look after them.

Two young undergraduate physios from Manchester are to get a taste of the pressures of elite sport after winning a competition to spend a fortnight at a premiership club.

Andrew Swan, 21, and Niall Halliday, 29, will spent two weeks at Gloucester Rugby Club and Manchester City Football Club respectively via a link-up with the clubs and Manchester Metropolitan University.

The pair who are finishing the second year of their degree will work alongside club medical teams at Kingsholm and the City of Manchester Stadium after being selected as "outstanding" by course tutors and club officials.

Peak performance

Andrew, from Peterborough, will work with the Heineken Premiership runner-ups and Niall with Manchester City Academy to keep the players at peak performance and give them advice on prevention and recovery from injuries. They work in a team with coaches, other health care professionals and sports scientists.

Physiotherapists working in sport use a range of treatments including manipulation, massage, taping, first aid, heat treatment, therapeutic exercise, electrotherapy, ultrasound, acupuncture and hydrotherapy. In addition to treating patients, physiotherapists must keep accurate records of patient treatment and
progress.

Dr Peter Goodwin, senior lecturer on the physiotherapy degree at MMU, said: "They will experience what it is like to rehabilitate athletes who are at the top of their profession, develop pitch-side assessment skills and work with experts on advanced sports treatment techniques."

Manchester Metropolitan University trains around 150 physiotherapists each year. For more about Physiotheraphy at MMU, go to www.did.stu.mmu.ac.uk/hpscschool.