With the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic games in full swing, there’s no time like the present to look at the importance of osteopaths at the Olympics, and for providing treatment for athletes in general.
As one of the biggest events in sport, awarding medals across 339 events, to athletes in 33 different sports, it goes without saying that the support and medical teams at an olympic games are huge. Alongside doctors, physios and a range of other healthcare professionals, osteopaths have helped some of the world’s best athletes to make their way to winners podiums at Summer and Winter Olympic games in 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.
At the 2012 Summer Olympic games held in London, the athlete’s village was staffed by a team of 25 osteopaths, on hand to treat Olympians from throughout the world with a whole host of different conditions, helping to ease pain, improve mobility, reduce the chances of injury, and help to improve performance.
Osteopaths also played a key part in treating Olympians and Paralympians at the 2016 games. However, the 2016 Rio Olympics was not without challenges when it came to providing osteopathy treatment. Whilst osteopathy is a widely recognised treatment in the United Kingdom, it is not regulated in Brazil. As a result, once paperwork was filled out, a team of 14 osteopaths, including practitioners from Brazil, Japan and the UK teamed up, providing 1,100 osteopathic assessments and treatment sessions.
Osteopaths and working with elite athletes
Osteopaths treat elite athletes (and indeed, any athlete, whether a hobbyist, amateur or professional) for a wide range of conditions, and osteopathic techniques can also be used to help athletes reach their very best when it comes to performance.
Osteopathic techniques for athletes can include:
- Osteopathic manipulation
- Soft tissue massage
- Sports massage
- Stretching and joint articulation
- Exercise rehabilitation
Manipulative techniques can help to encourage movement in the joints, helping athletes to achieve maximum force transfer and improved elastic energy storage. These manipulative techniques can be very helpful for high impact athletes like sprinters, long and high jumpers, and weightlifters to improve their range of motion whilst managing maximum force and explosive speed.
Soft tissue osteopathic techniques can also be helpful in improving flexibility and mobility, as well as encouraging the body to heal. Soft tissue therapies can help to stimulate fibroblast activity - these are the cells that encourage tissue repair and regeneration, helping athletes to recover.
Arrange to see an Osteopath
Whether you are watching the Olympics from you couch or are a budding athlete with dreams of competing at the highest level, osteopathy may help to treat a wide range of conditions, as well helping you to improve your performance and mobility.Call our Halesowen practice on 0121 585 8555 or our Wombourne practice on 01902 894894 to arrange an appointment, or to learn more about how osteopathy may help you, click here.
