Public Sports Injury Treatment

If ever I had been in doubt about the need for the public health service to integrate sports and exercise medicine into mainstream practice, my recent visit to my local A&E (rated excellent) clinched the argument for me. Not exactly a sporting injury, I had been floored by an out-of-control teenager careering downhill on a mountain bike (minus brakes). In need of an emergency stop, he decided I was his best bet – not a bad choice, given the alternatives of preschool kids and seniors bearing white canes…

True to reputation, the A&E processed me super-efficiently. But having decided there was no broken neck, no dislocated shoulder and no scaphoid fracture (!), they sent me smartly on my way. My pathetically voiced ‘what about soft tissue damage?’ was met with: ‘It’ll all feel a lot worse in three days’ time. Goodbye.’

So it was back to the frozen peas and the private physio clinic for me. Most people, of course, don’t know about the peas (why on earth doesn’t A&E even tell us that much?) and can’t afford the physio. Roll on, SEM.

We have a great mix of the practical and the soon-to-be-possible in this month’s SIB. Our recap of ACL injury from editorial consultant Fares Haddad and his colleague Sam Oussedik allows us to glimpse what’s just around the corner in knee orthopaedics – fascinating stuff. We also have a report from Raphael Brandon on latest research on tendon properties – helpfully translated into why it might matter for the sports therapist!

I am particularly pleased, also, to have finally dragged out of Chris Bradshaw a written version of an entertaining and enlightening talk he gave last winter on injection therapy in sports rehab. Read, learn and enjoy!

Have a good summer break, and we’ll be back in September.

Jane Taylor

Editor

Email: sib[@]electricwordplc.com (remove square brackets)