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SPORTING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Wirral Life talk to Dr Jim Kerss , a Consultant in Sport and Exercise medicine at Spire Murrayfield Hospital , Wirral
Our area is well known for its sporting prowess , whether that ’ s football , rugby , or even cycling ! With that comes the need for experts to keep our athletes in tip top condition .
Dr Jim Kerss is a Consultant in Sport and Exercise medicine at Spire Murrayfield Hospital , Wirral . He also provides medical care for Great Britain ’ s Olympic , Paralympic and Commonwealth athletes at the English Institute of Sport in Manchester , is the team physician for the England Netball team and for professional cycling team EF Education-EasyPost . He told Wirral Life how every day is different …
How do you share your expertise across all the areas you work in ? I strive to bring what I have learnt from the elite sport world to my daily practice , both in the NHS and private clinics . I ’ m a musculoskeletal physician and the last two or three years have been interesting to see a variety of injuries ! What I found was that people were going one of two ways , either very much more inactive , possibly gaining weight because they couldn ' t access their normal sport or exercise they would usually do , or they went completely the other way and undertook exercise much more than normal because it was one of the things we could do and control . I saw a lot of repetitive overuse type injuries to tendons or bone , for example . Since COVID has moved forward and we ’ ve been able to get back to a more normal life , I ’ ve tended to see a return of more traumatic injuries related to team sports - football , rugby and other team sports ; and then as the weather has got a bit nicer , my clinics are full of people who are doing more endurance based sports , so a lot of runners , cyclists or triathletes who have got a particular event or target in mind and are suffering from an injury or persistent pain affecting their performance or stopping them from training . So , the type of injury I see tends to vary across the year , I would say .
How have you tackled these sorts of injuries differently at Spire ? We try to have a one stop shop clinic for patients , with quick access to diagnostic imaging so patients can get answers on the nature of their problem and we can agree on a management plan for them . For example , in clinic we can do a clinical history and examination alongside a diagnostic ultrasound where that ' s necessary . Recently we were able to quickly diagnose a patient with a stress fracture that way , and to be able to turnaround answers like that for people is beneficial .
We also developed a clinic where one of the physio team at Spire joined my clinic and we were seeing patients together . They were struck by the variety of cases ! You can see an ultra-distance marathon runner followed by someone who ' s had a long history of back or joint pain and who struggles to build much physical activity into their life . Every case is different , and they can be quite complex at times with patients suffering from persistent pain , so we wanted to create a joined-up approach with effective communication - which is what I try to do in elite sport . There , I see most of my athletes I look after with the physiotherapist , and work closely with the other members of the team such as strength and conditioning coaches , nutritionists and psychologists to maximise the chances of returning the athlete back to their
sport , as quickly and safely as possible . I want to replicate that approach as much as possible in my NHS and private practice .
How does that make a difference ? Often when patients come to me with an ongoing issue , they might have already seen a couple of physios , other healthcare professionals such as a chiropractor and they may have also seen their GP a few times . Often when I ask them - what ' s been explained about the diagnosis or the problem – they often can ’ t recall , are unclear about the diagnosis or they may have been told conflicting information .
It causes confusion and uncertainty , which is not good for recovery from injury or musculoskeletal pain . So , the real benefit , I think , of seeing myself with the physio is that we assess things together and come to an agreed plan with the patient - we give the explanation to the patient , listen to what they would like and understand what their concerns are . This way of ensuring consistency and certainty with the communication really helps patients understand their problem , how to help themselves and manage things daily and to engage as best as they can with an agreed management plan .
It ’ s continuity really , and that ' s what we do well in elite sport . People get very disillusioned if they don ' t find their symptoms improve quickly . So , what you ' re aiming for is that they understand their problem and they are on board with the rehabilitation strategy that you ' re aiming to do . I talk to patients to explain it may take time , but strength and function will improve , pain will decrease over time . Most athletes just want to go back and play that weekend , but you ’ ve got to be open with realistic expectations to get the best recovery .
If somebody wanted to see you at Spire , what would they need to do ? There are a few ways . Some patients have seen physiotherapists or GPs locally and have been recommended that they come and see me for an opinion – usually as they haven ’ t responded so far to rehab , for consideration of imaging , an injection via Ultrasound guidance or because their symptoms warrant seeing a Dr . For others , its more appropriate they see a musculoskeletal physician like me to begin with for an accurate diagnosis first , perhaps some further diagnostic imaging , so we can put together a management plan for them . And then the other group is patients who selfrefer directly so they may have found me online or via a recommendation . You just need to give us a call and book in , it ’ s as simple as that , with no requirement for a GP referral .
At Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral , our consultants have wide experience in the latest techniques and innovations and our inclusive prices and access to 0 % finance options make the process easy and more affordable . For further information on our broad range of procedures , and to find out more about our team of expert Consultants , search ‘ Spire Wirral ’ or call our specialist advisors on 0151 929 5408 .
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