Sports Osteopathy

What is sports osteopathy?

All osteopaths diagnose, treat, manage and aim to prevent muscle, joint, tendon and nerve injuries occurring in sporting activities. Sports osteopaths often focus on one or two specific sports and have a broader role in sports skill management. They have detailed knowledge and experience in managing health and performance issues within these sport/s. They may focus on rehabilitating players, performance issues, or developing the physical skills needed for a sport/s.

How does it work?

Sports osteopaths may work with players with or without an injury and with both competitive/elite sports people and patients who play recreationally. They work in sporting clubs, athletic arenas and private practice. A sports osteopath assesses injury risks, injury impact and sporting performance. A sports osteopath might review how the body moves and physical skills against demands in a sport.

Physical skills include things like muscle strength or muscle length, force, speed/agility, balance and flexibility. They might also examine for imbalances or weaknesses in the body that could put a player at risk of injury during sporting activity or when performing certain movements.

Sports Injuries

After a sports injury, a sports osteopath may perform clinical tests of the nerves, joints and movement patterns to assess level of the injury and how it could impact sporting abilities. A sports osteopath then develops sporting rehabilitation and performance plans to assist the athlete in returning to their chosen sport. For players without injury, a sports osteopath might also create a program aimed at improving performance within a sport. In addition to manual therapies, a sports osteopath may use taping, bracing, splinting and other approaches when managing an injury. Sports osteopaths form part of a network of sports health professionals. They give referrals to and work with sports physicians, general practitioners, exercise physiologists, physiotherapists and other health professionals.

Osteopath Catherine McDuling enjoys treating athletes of all abilities. She has over 10 years’ experience in sports osteopathy, and has a special interest in working with female athletes.