Contribution of Osteopaths to Team GB in Athletics World Championship 2019

Keywords – Contribution of Osteopaths to Athletics

Where there’s a sport, there are probably sport-related injuries. 

Even if it’s not a contact sport such as rugby, there’s still a possibility that you might suffer from some kind of sporting injury from overexerting yourself or suffering an accident. With professional sports being so competitive and frantic, it’s become clear that medical attention from professionals is needed to help keep athletes at optimal performance.

This is just one of the reasons why Team GB has placed a heavy emphasis on including specialised professionals, such as osteopaths, in their medical team. Rob Hill, one of the osteopaths that work with Team GB, has seamlessly integrated osteopathy into the team’s existing medical practices. As Rob himself states, “Osteopaths are very much a part of elite sport with many of us working at the highest level of football, rugby, golf and athletics to name a few.”

The Acceptance of Osteopaths in Elite Sports

The primary goal of osteopathy is to identify problems with the muscles, bones and tissues. 

When it comes to elite sports such as athletics, osteopathy is often used as a preventative measure to ensure that athletes are performing at their optimal condition to reduce the risk of being injured. By helping to keep the muscles and joints loose, it reduces the risk of injury while also allowing the athlete to maintain peak performance.

In addition, sports that subject certain muscles to repetitive strain have also found osteopathy to be helpful. 

In order to strengthen those muscles and joints, specialised stretching routines need to be performed on a daily basis. By educating these elite athletes on how to stretch correctly and improve their overall flexibility and strength, the risk of injury is greatly reduced.

Also, recovery periods can be shortened with the correct stretches performed at different levels of the recovery process. Any kind of injury that affects the muscles can be soothed with the right technique. But, it takes a specialised osteopath to determine the condition that the athlete is in, so they can devise the correct treatment plan.

The Future of Osteopathy in Elite Sports

Given how competitive elite sports have become over the past couple of years, getting every possible advantage has now become a priority for many clubs and organisations around the world.

Rob Hill says that, despite osteopaths working at the highest level of sports like athletics, golf, football and rugby, “there is potential for growth. My wish is for us to be viewed as an essential component of all successful performance/medical teams in any sporting environment.” While there has been a lot of growth already in terms of pairing osteopaths with elite athletes, there’s certainly a long way to go for it to become accepted globally.

In the future, we may see more osteopaths working with professional sports teams and athletes in order to help prevent sports injuries from occurring in the first place. It’s a powerful set of skills, and the knowledge will certainly help many athletes push beyond their perceived limits to reach new heights, break world records and pave the way for a new generation of elite athletes.

To learn more, get in touch with us today.