September - Bridget's month of events

September has been a busy month for me outside of clinic, working at some great sporting events across the country and beyond! At the beginning of September I was away for a five day trip with the Royal British Legion, supporting their Pedal to Paris event.

As part of a team of therapists we provided massage and injury support at all food stops along the route for over 100 cyclists, as well as providing valuable treatment late into the evenings at the hotels. Our job role varied from massage, kinesiology taping, advice on stretching/

recovery and injury assessment.

The days were long, often starting at 6am and finishing at 11pm, with lots of driving, but they were very rewarding.

We saw some fabulous sights along the way, met extremely welcoming locals (who often provided wine!) and we were honoured to attend lots of ceremonies in the towns we stayed at.

In total they cycled 285 miles and every single cyclist arrived at the Arch de Triomphe in style! Yes it was emotional and we were proud to get them all there in one piece!

I have worked at two running events in the past few weeks as well: The Great North Run, the biggest half marathon in Europe, and the famous London Marathon. For both events, I provided much needed recovery massage. As you can imagine most runners had very tired legs so we were mainly massaging calves, hamstrings and quads. It was also nice giving some post-race recovery advice to everyone (click here for more info).

Finally switching sports completely, I provided first aid and injury support for Basingstoke Gymnastic Club for their club competition. It was in fact a quiet weekend with little injuries so I was able to watch and learn for two days. This was so valuable for me as I treat and rehab a lot of gymnasts, so watching them in action in competition was fab.

So you may be wondering what differs about my role when working at events vs in the clinic?

I see events as ‘patch up and keep going’ (within reason). Most people want to finish the event or competition even if they are in a little discomfort. Therefore, if safe to do so, I will treat the person to allow them the best chance of achieving their goal. This could be moving the joints (mobilisations), lengthening the muscles (stretching and massage), taping them (for joint stability, offload or proprioception) and giving recovery advice.

Basically I try anything to get the person through, hence I call it ‘patching up’!

In the clinic, it is very much a ‘fixing’ attitude, where we will address any biomechanical, strength or flexibility issues to help an injured athlete get back to their sport and remain un-injured. I give all patients a tailored exercise programme and a treatment plan devised to ensure the long term result.

If you have any questions, or you think you could benefit from seeing me in clinic, don't hesitate to contact us on 01256 770022 or visit our website for more details and my full availability.

Bridget Daly - Sports Therapist

Read more about Bridget in Our Team section