What is your profession?
I am an HCPC registered Physiotherapist and also an MSc qualified Sports Therapist registered with The Society of Sports Therapists.
What’s the difference between Sports Therapists and Physios?
I’ll do a more detailed blog about this soon, but to summarise, Sports Therapists are allied health professionals with expertise in musculoskeletal conditions. They help rehabilitate people with injuries back to optimum functional, occupational and performance levels. They work in a similar way to musculoskeletal physiotherapists, but physiotherapists have a wider scope of training than Sports Therapists as during their university degree they also cover cardiorespiratory and neurological conditions. Both Sports Therapists and Physios work in sport on injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Another difference is that Physiotherapy is a protected title and Sports Therapy isn’t, which means there are lots of other people who might say they are a Sports Therapist when they have done little or no formal training. There is a useful definition of sports therapy and sports therapists on the Society website What is Sports Therapy? – The Society of Sports Therapists (thesst.org).
How did you train for your profession?
I’m Italian and I studied for my BSc degree in Sports Sciences in Italy prior to coming over to the UK. In the UK I studied a MSc in Sports Therapy at Bucks New University which involved academic teaching, placement with a professional sports team and a research dissertation. After working in private practice for a few years, I then completed a two year MSc Pre-Reg in Physiotherapy at Oxford Brookes University. MSc training as a physiotherapist is a very intense process and includes several placements, classroom-based learning, written, oral and practical examinations, and a research thesis.
I’ve been working in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years and I’ve also undertaken several other professional courses during that time, such as in sports massage, postural and movement therapies, strength and conditioning, and exercise instruction for cardiac rehabilitation.
How has your career been so far?
My first roles were within semi-professional football teams within the Italian leagues supporting the medical staff as a Sports Masseur. I also worked as a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach within a gym. On moving to the UK I worked in private practice and also with a community cardiac rehabilitation group, providing exercise prescription programs for people who were recovering and rehabilitating after suffering cardiac conditions. Prior to going back to university I worked with a local council on a Sport England project to increase physical activity levels in people over the age of 60 in rural areas. Since qualifying as a Sports Therapist I’ve worked in a sports therapy clinic as well as setting up my own business with Dr Clare Churchman.
What does a typical week look like for you?
Since finishing my physiotherapy training I’ve been able to focus much more on building Evolve Rehabilitation & Therapy. Over the week I have client clinics at our base in Harwell, and also spend time working “behind the scenes” preparing patient resources, developing partnerships, and doing further study to ensure I’m always on top of my game.
What do you like most about your work?
I love working with people and helping them get back to their best. I’m a sociable person and enjoy being face to face with clients, I couldn’t have an office job! I’ve always enjoyed learning about anatomy and physiology and right now I’m really interested in concussion and whether neck strengthening exercise programmes can help prevent sport related concussion.
What recommendations do you have for clients who may be thinking about or actively looking for professional help?
As I mentioned above, there are lots of people working in health and fitness, many of which are appropriately qualified and unfortunately many who are not. Practitioners can use lots of different clinical sounding titles that are confusing for potential clients.
Clients should remember that only the title of Physiotherapist is protected by law in the UK, meaning that only people who have completed appropriate training programmes can call themselves Physiotherapists. However, this isn’t the case for Sports Therapists, Sports Massage Therapists or such like. As a result, make sure your professional is registered – HCPC for physios and Society of Sports Therapists (SST) for Sports Therapists, and BASRaT for Sports Rehabilitators. If someone isn’t registered with any of these then it’s unlikely that they’ve completed a comprehensive course of study, if any at all. If you’re not sure if you need treatment, then contact a professional, give them a few details if you feel comfortable and see what they say. Don’t be afraid to shop around before you choose.
