Sporting Injury Clinic

Here at Abbey Physiotherapy, we offer sports massage and therapy solutions to treat and rehabilitate sports, hard and soft tissue injuries which cause pain and lifestyle limitations.  This is a unique sports injury clinic dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of sports and exercise-induced injuries.

Sports Injuries Clinic

Management of musculoskeletal injuries in sports and exercise is extremely important, using specialised assessments, our physiotherapists focus on returning you safely and effectively back into your sporting activity. Getting the correct diagnosis is critical and Abbey Physiotherapy's specific treatment plans include knowledge and a wide exposure of different sports with bespoke plans used, ensuring that your injury is swiftly assessed and treatment started as soon as it is safe to commence. Abbey Physiotherapy will provide you with support on any rehabilitation to ensure that you can return to your sporting activity minimising the risk of re-injury or further complications.  

What is Sports Physiotherapy?

Our Sports massage and Physiotherapy will focus on restoring, maintaining and maximising movement, relieving pain and improving the quality of life. This includes being able to 

• Assess and diagnose injuries
• Deliver a personalised treatment plan to maximise movement and physical independence
• Teach patients how to reduce pain and manage chronic injuries
• Maintaining optimum performance
• Massage, bodywork and mobilisations
• Electrotherapy modalities
• Taping
• Personalised exercise plans
• Biomechanics analysis
• Acupuncture
• Patient education

Our Physiotherapists are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and have graduated from an approved course of study, meeting the specific criteria established by the HCPC. Physiotherapists share a similar background to sports therapists however work to a broader knowledge base and medical background. Our physios are actively involved in the local sporting community where we have close relationships with local sporting clubs and fitness centres

Treatment Techniques We Use

• Acupuncture through our Acupuncture Clinic
• Customised foot supports with Orthotics
• Electrotherapy through ultrasound and TENS
• Exercise Rehabilitation Therapy
• Health and Fitness Classes with Sports and Fitness Clubs In Nuneaton 
• Massage and Soft Tissue Therapy
• Mobilisation and manipulation of joints and soft tissue
• Sports Taping

Common Sports Injuries that we treat

Achilles Tendonitis

ACL tear

Ankle Sprain

Groin Strain

Hamstring Strain

Ligament and Muscle strains

Lower Back Pains

Patellofemoral Syndrome

Shin Splints

Shoulder and Neck Pains

Tennis Elbow

Sporting Injury. Ensure that your sporting injury does not hold you back from your sport or exercise regime. If you are suffering with an injury received whilst taking part in a sporting activity, then optimise your health and performance by getting in touch with us at Abbey Physiotherapy in Nuneaton

ACL Tear

One of the most common injuries to the knee is an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries usually suffered by athletes participating in sports where a hit on the side of the knee, an overextension of the knee joint, landing from a jump incorrectly or a quick stop and change of direction. Movements like this can be seen in Rugby, Football, Netball and other high demand sports. Symptoms of an ACL injury usually include:

• A Large 'pop' or 'popping sensation' in the knee
• Loss of range of movement
• Severe pain and inability to continue the sporting activity
• Swelling around the knee joint within a few hours
• Instability of 'giving way' when weight bearing 

When the ligament is damaged, there is usually a partial or complete tear across the tissue. A mild injury may overextend the ligament but leave it intact

People who experience an ACL injury are at a higher risk of developing knee osteoarthritis, in which the cartilage deteriorates and its smooth surface roughens.

Ankle Sprain

Most of us have suffered a twisted ankle at some point in our life where the joint is twisted violently which causes pain and swelling but not dislocation. This twist stretches or tears the ligaments. Most types of Ankle sprains occur when ligaments that connect the bones in the foot, ankle, and lower leg stretch or tear. There are three different types of ankle sprains. An Inversion injury, which is the most common cause of ankle sprains, occurs when the footfalls inwards and stretches the outer ligaments too far. An Eversion injury occurs when the foot is twisted outwards and the inner ligament is stretched too far and finally a High Ankle Sprain, the high ankle sprain is the least common injury which occurs when the foot is forced to rotate away from the other foot towards the outside. It can also occur when the foot is planted so that it cannot move and the leg is rotated toward the inside.

With Ankle sprains, you feel pain immediately at the site of the ligament tear, commonly the ankle joint starts to swell immediately and may bruise leaving the area around the ankle joint tender to touch and pain with an attempt to move the joint.

Groin Strain

Adductor Strain or often referred to as Groin strain are common in people who play sports that require a lot of running and jumping. The strain occurs when you overstretch or tear an adductor muscle around the groin. In particular, sudden jumping or changing direction is a likely cause. Groin strains commonly appear in people who play rugby and football. Symptoms of a groin strain are pain and tenderness in the groin area and the inside of the thigh, this can be more noticeable when bringing your legs together or when raising your knee. Groin strains are often graded classified according to their severity.

• 1st Degree Groin Strain Mild pain, but little loss of strength or movement.
• 2nd Degree Groin Strain Moderate pain, mild to moderate strength loss and some tissue damage.
• 3rd Degree Groin Strain Severe pain, severe loss of strength and function due to a complete tear of the muscle.

Hamstring Strain

Your hamstring is in fact a group of four muscles which run along the back of your thigh, allowing you to bend your leg at the knee. During a hamstring strain, one or more of these muscles gets overloaded and may even start to tear. Hamstring injuries are tears to the tendons or large muscles at the back of the thighs. They are common among footballers, rugby players and athletes who partake in sudden lunging, running or jumping, especially when suddenly stopping and starting.

Methods of avoiding damage to your hamstring is to ensure that you complete a full warm-up prior to exercising, the quadriceps muscles at the front of your thigh can impact of your quads are tight, they pull your pelvis forwards which in turn tightens the hamstrings. Another cause can be weak gluteus maximus, your gluteal muscles (gluteus medius and gluteus minimus) work together with your hamstring and if the glutes are not as strong as they could be the hamstring is being overloaded and may become strained. A mild hamstring can result in a gentle pull, however, severe strains can be very painful making it a struggle to walk or to stand.

Patellofemoral Syndrome

Caused by overuse, injury, excess weight, misaligned kneecap (Patellar tracking disorder), or changes under the kneecap which results in wearing down, roughening, or softening of the cartilage under the kneecap Patellofemoral pain syndrome is pain in the front of the knee. It frequently occurs in teenagers especially athletes and noticeable when you are sitting with bent knees, squatting, jumping, or using the stairs (especially going downstairs)

Patellofemoral pain syndrome can be relieved by avoiding activities that make symptoms worse. Avoid sitting, squatting, or kneeling in the bent-knee position for long periods of time. Also Avoid bent-knee exercises, such as squats or deep knee bends.

Shin Splints

Shin splints or medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), often occurs with doing too much too soon. Its lower leg pain that occurs below the knee either on the front outside part of the leg (anterior shin splints) or the inside of the leg and the condition is the bane of many athletes, runners, tennis players, even dancers. Not all shin pain means that you have shin splints. Pain on the outside of the lower leg could be compartment syndrome which is a swelling of muscles contained within a closed compartment which creates pressure. Pain in the lower leg could also be a stress fracture, this is a far more serious injury than shin splints.

There can be a number of factors which contribute to causal factors associated with shin splints, these can include inadequate stretching, worn training shoes, excessive stress placed on one leg or hip if you always run in the same direction around an oval track for example. This can also be due to a runner's dominant leg, if you are right-handed you tend to also be right-footed, typically this is the leg which feels the pain.

Tennis Elbow

The elbow joint is surrounded by muscles that move your elbow, wrist and fingers. The tendons in your elbow join the bones and muscles together and control the muscles of your forearm. Tennis elbow is usually caused by overusing the muscles attached to your elbow and used to straighten your wrist. If the muscles and tendons are strained, tiny tears and inflammation can develop near the bony lump (the lateral epicondyle) on the outside of your elbow. As the name suggests often caused by playing tennis. However, it is often caused by other activities that place repeated stress on the elbow joint

Clinically known as lateral epicondylitis the term you are most likely to recognise is Tennis elbow, a condition that causes pain around the outside of the elbow which often occurs after strenuous overuse of the muscles and tendons of the forearm, near the elbow joint. You may notice pain on the outside of your upper forearm, just below the bend of your elbow when lifting or bending your arm, when gripping small objects, such as a pen, when twisting your forearm, such as turning a door handle or opening a jar