Firstly, what path led you to the role of Head of Medical Staff at KRC Genk?
In my third year of medical school I emailed KRC Genk to see if I could have the email address of the head of the medical department. They replied and I sent an email to the doctor asking if I could come and follow him for two weeks during my holiday. I told him that I was very interested in joining his medical staff in six more years( med school is / was nine years). He answered my mail; I went for two weeks every year for the next six years and joined the club directly after my studies.
Dr Stijn consoling Genk’ s David Hubert Image: Yorick Jansens
What does a typical day in the life of a football club doctor involve?
I’ m working for approximately 20-25 hours a week for the club. I start every day-seven days a week-at 8am at the club where I check all the injured and sick players of the first team. Together with my physios we decide which players can take part in the team training, who has to do an individual program and what or who gets treatment only. On Mondays, around noon, I have my weekly meeting with the full medical staff- first, second and youth teams. On Tuesdays I have a meeting with the management. I have a meeting with the trainer / manager on a daily basis. Next to deciding who does what, we plan the prevention trainings, blood, physical and other tests. I use Smartabase to keep my data. [ The day also involves ] doing the paperwork for the insurance and keeping in touch with the orthopaedic surgeons. Next to the work at the club I have my private sports medicine practice which I think is very important because I see a lot of pathology there; this gives me a better insight into rare injuries – experience matters.
What causes some teams to pick up more injuries than others; even when playing at similar intensities? Is it purely coincidence or are there other factors involved?
There are multiple reasons. Like Jan Ekstrand shows in his UEFA research the trainer / manager and the way he gives his training is very important to reduce injury rates. Periodisation seems to be the key. This is something we try to give support with to all our medical staff. We try to do several injury prevention sessions a week and every player has his personal prevention and performance program. We try to monitor as many variables as possible and act if needed. Also, working with top orthopaedic surgeons and a very good revalidation coach is super important.
Can you recall an injury that you found particularly difficult to deal with in your time at KRC Genk?
I had a player once with algoneurodystrophy; it’ s a disease that makes other injuries very difficult to heal. After 2 crossligament operations he had to end his promising career at young age.
Has a manager ever gone against your advice and risked a player for an important match, or is your word final?
Managers always want a player to play and so does the player. So that makes the role of the doctor very important. I always try the maximum for a player to get fit but I also have to think about his health and the next months and years of his career, so not only short term. At the end I decide. With a new manager it always gives some problems, but after a while, when they see how I work, they trust me. I’ m working with my ninth coach / manager I think( I lost count) and it always works out.
Dr Stijn and his staff treating an injured player Image: Yorick Jansens
If you were to give one piece of advice to the ordinary person on how to improve performance levels, what would it be?
It all starts with basic fitness. Don’ t train blind. Do a test on a treadmill and train with a polar heart-rate monitor.
Where does the future lie in football medicine?
I’ m very curious where stem cell treatments will be able to help us and the research about the role of sleep, or how the way to make surgery less invasive is developing. Football is the most organised sport in the world and with this football medicine is too. So that’ s promising!
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