Tuesday 25th May Hours 100-104

Today in clinic i saw 2 patients – the first was a young lad who had been experiencing knee pain after a long season of football. Through assessment I managed to confirm it was patellarfemoral pain syndrome. I gave him some exercises to do and we will re-assess in 2 weeks. The second client was a re-ocurring client with shoulder pain. We managed to get him pain free and we are now working on strengthening the structure so today was a gym session.

Tuesday 25th May – Saturday 29th May Hours 104-112

With the football team this week I had 2 training sessions and a game. Both training sessions consisted again of me providing massages to loosen any tense muscles. During one session someone took a kick to the foot which I had to deal with. I provided ice and observed for the rest of the session to ensure they did not get any worse. When bruising appeared I advised him to stop playing. The game on the saturday had me working pitchside again but was uneventful and I was not needed for the duration of the game.

 

Tuesday 1st June Hours 112-118

In todays clinic session I had a fully booked day seeing 4 clients. While 3 of these were revisiting clients who were coming for check ins so that we can amend their HBE to their current state of recovery, I had one new client. They was recently diagnosed with a meniscus tear following a fall. To ensure optimum recovery, she was coming in for 2-3 sessions a week for ultrasound. This was my first chance to use ultrasound in the clinic environment. It was a very beneficial experience as it allowed me to revisit treatment techniques that we learnt in our second year. While it took some time to get used to, I would now feel confident applying this technique to other clients in the future.

 

Tuesday 1st June – Saturday 5th June Hours 118-126

Between these dates I have worked 2 training sessions and a game with the football team. As usual, the training sessions involved me providing massages and basic first aid for any of the players who took any knocks during training. In one of the sessions, a player presented with an ongoing knee injury which I assessed pitchside. I came to the conclusion that it was patellar tendonitis due to the location and onset of the symptoms. I discussed injury management and rehab with the player and we agreed to work on the injury in the coming weeks. At the game Saturday I started with my normal pre-game treatment such as massage and taping. I then assisted Pitchside dealing with basic first aid such as rolled ankles, cramp etc.

 

Tuesday 8th June Hours 126-132 

Todays’ clinic session consisted of seeing 2 clients, both with drastically differing problems. The first client I saw today presented with anterior hip pain following kicking a rugby ball. While seemingly normal, the client was only 15 years of age. While this is not an issue, I had to be more aware in how I dealt with the client, both from a professional and treatment perspective. While being cautious of the clients age, I was able deal with the injury professionally and efficiently. Furthermore, the second client was again the individual suffering with a meniscus tear. I again applied ultrasound but had to alter the settings to progress the treatment. While this took some thinking, I was able to complete the treatment safely and appropriately.

 

Thursday 10th June Hours 132-137

Today was my last clinic session. While I had 3 clients today, they were all returning clients. 2 of the clients were very happy with the progress they had made for their respective injuries and were happy for this to be their last session, with the re-assurance that the clinic is always there if their injury was to return. The final session was with the individual who had been coming regularly for ultrasound on her knee. While I performed the treatment, I had another student observe the treatment so that this patient could then be passed onto them. This was a good experience as it meant I had to explain the treatment as I was administering it, which reinforced my knowledge of the area.

 

Tuesday 8th June – Saturday 12th June Hours 137-145

This weeks sessions with the football team consisted of my normal duties such as massage, taping and pitchside care; however, there was also an added emphasis this week on the strength and conditioning aspect of the players game. The manager highlighted some players with aspects of their game they needed to work on strength wise, or players who are prone to reoccuring injuries, and i worked with them individually to work on these aspects, providing HBE in the form of stretching and strengthening. I will work with these players for a few weeks and check progress each week to either progress or regress their HBE.

 

Tuesday 15th June- Saturday 19th June Hours 145-153

This week was my final week on placement with the football team. This week was very similar to last week with an emphasis on strength and conditioning. As it was my last week with the players, the manager wanted me to spend time with all players he highlighted as high risk for injuries so that I could advise them on exercises to strengthen their weak areas. Common themes were ankle and knee injuries. I provided all players with some HBE for their specific needs. The game on saturday was a cup final for the team which was a great experience. This was my first experience of being pitchside in a big game and while it was a lot of pressure to ensure any injuries were dealt with quickly and efficiently, it was very beneficial as it made me work under pressure.