Musculoskeletal (MSK) Therapy is a specific area of care covering the health and wellbeing of those who have a problem/injury to their muscular, skeletal, nervous or vascular system. In addition, MSK Therapists take into consideration the whole patient which includes lifestyle, sleep, exercise prescription and occupation. Importantly, MSK Therapists use evidence-based treatment methods with the aim of returning the individual to optimal function and performance. MSK Therapists can be from a variety of qualification backgrounds, where the competencies that they have achieved demonstrate safe and effective application of assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation; although, the scope of practice of each Therapist may vary slightly. Often, MSK Therapists will have additional skill sets and referral pathways which they can access depending upon their training and setting in which they work. Patients who attend MSK Therapy may have; a traumatic injury, a chronic injury, joint pain, spinal injury, nerve pain, previous surgery, awaiting surgery, joint replacement, joint instability, and many other specific problems/injuries. Following a thorough assessment, Therapists may select to treat injuries by employing a variety of techniques including exercise, manual (hands-on) therapy, lifestyle assessment and advice.

You are no doubt familiar with many of the recovery methods used for athletes within sport, often utilising a variety of modalities in order to return your athlete to full functional fitness and performance. Reduced recovery can cause a reduction in muscle force, joint position sense, physical performance and potentially lead to an increased risk of injury (Dupuy et al. 2018). Common methods of recovery include compression garments, soft tissue massage, cryotherapy, electrical stimulation and stretching. Cryotherapy is one of the most common recovery modalities within the literature. There appears to be some short-term effects for cold water immersion but we are only just starting to understand the potential blunting adaptations if it is used regularly. In my personal opinion I think it has a time and place at times of multiple competition in short periods of time but not after regular training or competition. Perceived soreness from DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) appears to be decreased following cold water immersion when compared to audio and relaxation techniques (Goth, 2019), while sprint performance 24 hours post intense exercise also seems to benefit from the intervention (Leeder et al. 2019). Soft tissue massage contributes to 45% of treatments during sporting competition with mixed results for improvements in performance and potentially lacking effect on outcome measures 3-minutes post treatment (Kong et al. 2018). It is interesting to consider whether the effects of massage are more neurological in nature as opposed to having physiological effects on the tissues. The study by Kong et al. on the effects on DOMS from downhill running demonstrated that soft tissue massage may indeed change perceived soreness and stiffness, but only in some (not all) muscles tested. Finally, the use of other modalities such as electrical stimulation can't be ruled out as an appropriate recovery intervention. von Stengel (2018) demonstrated that the use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation style oscillation can have positive effects on performance recovery. Read the full blog here: https://www.kristianweaver.com/post/how-can-i-help-athletes-recover

Many of us have a desire to be a better Sports & Musculoskeletal Therapist and you can start by taking a small step each day… in less than 10 minutes! Below is my list of activities to make a habit of becoming a more successful Practitioner. 1. Read a Journal article 2. Highlight key points in a Journal article 3. Interact with Practitioners on social media 4. Ask other practitioners how they would have treated a patient from your clinic (obviously maintaining confidentiality) 5. Discuss a case study with your team 6. Plan your next three social media posts 7. Write a plan for your next blog 8. Seek out high quality YouTube videos that can inform your practice 9. Listen to 10 minutes of a podcast 10. Check your patient notes are up to date 11. Check your finances are up to date 12. Research a new product you are thinking of buying 13. Give your mentor a call 14. Read an expert opinion blog 15. Write in your planner 16. Organise your emails 17. Set yourself clear goals for the rest of the week/month 19. Make a small change to your website 19. Revise musculoskeletal anatomy of one joint 20. Plan your upcoming CPD 21. Review your business plan Read the full bog here: https://www.kristianweaver.com/post/how-to-become-a-better-sports-therapist-even-if-you-don-t-have-much-time

After Graduation, the next barrier that Therapists face is gaining employment. There are some things that you can do to improve your job prospects including: setting up as self-employed, attend courses to improve your knowledge and network, be open-minded and coachable, volunteer within a team environment.

A Sports Therapist is involved with the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of sports-related injuries to return the patient to full functional fitness in the shortest but safest possible time. The Society of Sports Therapists adds...‘[Sports Therapy] utilises the principles of sport and exercise science incorporating physiological and pathological processes to prepare the participant for training, competition and where applicable, work.’Available from: https://society-of-sports-therapists.org/public-information/what-is-sports-therapy/ [Accessed 18/01/20] Essentially Graduate Sports Therapists, who are Members of the Society, have skills which are based around the five competencies: 1. Prevention 2. Recognition and evaluation 3. Management, treatment and referral 4. Rehabilitation 5. Education and professional practice issues.

The two professions have very similar musculoskeletal skill sets, Physiotherapists are required to have broader knowledge of pathology in the neurological, respiratory and post- surgical interventions for the general population. That includes further knowledge of co- morbidities and medications. Whereas, Graduate Sports Therapists have spent more time specifically on musculoskeletal assessment, treatment and rehabilitation during their training. Read the full bog here: https://www.kristianweaver.com/post/what-is-a-sports-therapist

Simply, the answer is yes. There are so many reasons why the employment of a Therapist can benefit of everyone. Some reasons include being able to provide sports performers with on-site medical care, using expertise to support education of individuals, the ability to provide first aid and first aid training, support for those with medical care plans, and additional links with education institutions and the wider community. Read about Sports Therapists in schools here: https://www.kristianweaver.com/post/gradsportstherapist