Physiotherapists focus on excellence in knee injury care and pelvic issues at football conference
Physiotherapist Clare Ardern will fly in from Canada to speak at the prestigious three-day Isokinetic conference, titled Football Medicine: The pursuit of excellence, which will be held from 27-29 May at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in central London.
It is the sixth time that London has played host to the event, which celebrates its thirtieth birthday this year. With the current football league season all but done and dusted in the UK and Europe, the event will offer opportunities for the ‘very best practitioners in the world to learn about the latest advances in football medicine’, according to the organisers.
The conference was organised in collaboration with FIFA (International Association Football Federation), with research data from the last World Cup Championship being aired. This year’s event will bring together more than 2,000 delegates from 80 countries.
‘Excellent' physiotherapy
Dr Ardern’s 15-minute presentation – to be held in the afternoon of 27 May – is titled ‘Excellent physiotherapy for excellent knee injury care’. She is one of five speakers lined up to speak in an afternoon session titled ‘Best in class for imaging, surgery and rehab of knee injuries’.
Dr Ardern is a physiotherapist and senior researcher who is based at the University of British Columbia. The university’s website says she has expertise in sports medicine, rehabilitation and meta-research.
Her work focuses on
- return to sport after injury (rates, determinants of success, improving the clinical approach)
- measuring the impact of health research on public policy, the economy and society
- how high-calibre meta-research (including systematic reviews, network meta-analyses, and clinical practice guidelines) can help clinicians make quality decisions
Dr Ardern, who is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, will also speak at a workshop on the topic of women in sports physical therapy on the last day of the event. She shares the platform with J Whittaker, who is also from Canada, and J Kemp (Australia). The workshop is sponsored by the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy, which represents 29 national sports physical therapy organisations.
Emma Brockwell
Another physiotherapist lined up to speak is Surrey-based Emma Brockwell, who specialises in the pelvic health field. She will give a 12-minute case-study presentation on the morning of the final day, which is titled ‘A pelvic health physio’s role in a footballer’s return to play post-partum’. Hers is one of 14 case studies entered in a competition, with the winner being announced in the afternoon.
To read a PhysioUpdate 2021 interview with Emma Brockwell, click
Other topics to be covered at the event include video analysis, robotic surgery regenerative medicine, biomechanics, neuroscience, nutrition, and ‘all technologies related to return to sport’. For the first time, the conference will include the British Football Sessions.
How do top-class British football teams apply the latest methods in their daily pursuit of excellence and success? Speakers on this topic on 29 May will explain how prominent UK football teams apply the latest methods in their ‘daily pursuit of success’.
The sessions will provide some examples from the ‘real world of high-level football’, according to the organisers. One of the keynote speakers is applied sports scientist Jo Clubb, from Global Performance Insights
Our philosophy is guided by medicine … we believe in prevention and using technology to makes changes to load, stance and style in advance to minimise injury risk during activity [Andrea Tartaglia, Isokinetic London]
Isokinetic London
Andrea Tartaglia, Isokinetic London’s managing director, said the company’s Harley Street clinic treats many elite athletes, supports football clubs and helps people from all backgrounds. ‘Our philosophy is guided by medicine … we believe in prevention and using technology to makes changes to load, stance and style in advance to minimise injury risk during activity. This grounding in science and medicine is crucial to our process and we are extremely excited that we are bringing the world’s very best to London.’
The Isokinetic London team includes former Real Madrid medical director Jesus Olmo and former Brentford club doctor Matthew Stride. Other specialists include Chris Jones, a former Charlton Athletic club doctor, and Alberto Scavone, a former team doctor at Italian club FC Modena.
Isokinetic information
As well as physiotherapists, the event attracts sports medicine physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, chiropractors, sports scientists, fitness coaches, athletes and students. There will be 70 congressional sessions, 12 workshops, and poster presentations.
Isokinetic is a specialist sports medicine and rehabilitation group, recognised as a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, and describes itself as a reference point in the orthopaedic and sports rehabilitation sectors.
Previous Isokinetic conferences have been held in high-profile sporting venues, such as Wembley Stadium in London and Camp Nou in Barcelona.
To find out more about the event, click
For further information about Isokinetic London click or on Instagram
Author: Ian A McMillan
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