Whether you are just starting out or have just competed in the Commonwealth Games, once you develop an injury the treatment you receive from your health professional should be the same.
While an elite athlete’s goals and timeframes may be different from ours, we all still want to get back to doing the activities we love as quickly as possible. Therefore, why should only athletes have access to top quality health professionals who use the very latest in assessment and treatment techniques? We believe everyone should have access.
When assessing an injured athlete, it is key to have a thorough, consistent initial assessment process to ensure we acquire all the relevant information to
produce the best possible management plan for the presenting complaint and relevant to the goals of the athlete. This includes a thorough history; including previous injuries, current/previous training, medical conditions associated with you and your direct family, footwear and occupation as well as collecting information specific to the current complaint.
Following this a comprehensive physical assessment needs to be conducted to develop an understanding of the current function and strength of the relevant area and to determine any related factors that may be contributing to the injury. This includes a running/walking gait analysis or cycling assessment to visualise and interpret the athlete’s biomechanics. Biomechanics describe the way your body moves, for example the position of your knee at foot strike or the amount of pronation at your foot during midstance. Both are examples of variations within your gait that may lead to a specific injury.
At Melbourne Podiatry Clinic, we believe that everyone should be treated like an elite athlete. That is why even if you only want to participate in your local parkrun each week you should receive the best quality care that is usually only reserved for athletes competing at the top level. We work closely with the best radiologists in Melbourne, we conduct detailed video running gait analysis and we use treatments such as Extra Corporeal Shockwave Therapy, amongst others, usually only found at elite sporting clubs.
However, the most important component to all of this is we have some of the most passionate and experienced practitioners in the field of sports medicine. We continually attend conferences and seminars run by the very best minds from around the world so we can bring to you the very best and latest treatment options to not only work towards getting you pain free but also help you to achieve your ultimate goal, whether it be improving a PB or taking gold at the Olympics!
