Musculoskeletal Screening

The end of another season is once again upon us for many rugby and football teams, and I for one have had a great season with Horsham RUFC 2nd XV, providing them with pitch side first aid and dealing with any niggles that they have had.  And although summer hasn't even begun yet, pre-season is just around the corner. As well as the fitness side of pre-season, screening is also an important part. The main aims of pre-season screening are to ensure optimal medical and musculoskeletal healh, prevent injuries, and collect some baseline data on all players involved.

In light of recent events in the professional sporting world including Fabrice Muamba and Piermario Morosini, screening is now promoted in the sporting industry more than ever, not only on the professional scene, but locally as well. In a larger club environment, the club will more than likely have a large medical team who work for them, including a team doctor and a physiotherapist/sports therapist, but smaller and more local clubs may not have a medical team at all.

As a sports therapist, I am able to offer the musculoskeletal side of the screening process. Although I am not trained to carry out the health side, musculoskeletal screening alone is still very beneficial for any team, and can dramatically decrease the risk of injury. The aim of musculoskeletal screening is to assess recovery from any previous injury and to assess the presence of proven or suspected risk factors for future injury. A full injury history will be taken and any deficits remaining post-injury should be fully assessed with a view to designing a rehab programme to restore full function. It is also an opportunity to assess areas that may not necessarily impact upon health but may affect performance, such as biomechanics and psychology, and most of all it is an opportunity to identify potentially correctable risk factors and implement measures designed to reduce that risk.

Musculoskeletal screening should ideally be carried out about 6-8 weeks before the start of the season so that it leaves time to rehabilitate/prehabilitate any injuries identifed or to perform diagnostic tests and evaluate them.

Following the screening process, each player will be provided with a personalised report that will outline any injury risk factors, and a rehabilitation/prehabilitation programme to hopefully get them to full fitness before the beginning of the season.

I was lucky enough to be involved in the pre-season musculoskeletal screening of Cardiff Blues academy, Swindon Town FC, Newport Gwent Dragons Rugby, and Cross Keys Rugby when I was at university, so I am able to provide these services to any local sports teams that may be interested. Please contact me for further details via www.risesportstherapy.co.uk.