One of the key questions I am asked as a Sports Physiotherapist almost everyday is, When do I see a Sports Physio, versus a Podiatrist or a Sports Doctor? Ok so lets spell it out...... Podiatrist - They are amazing at anything to do with your feet. I have learnt a lot from Pods over the years! They have incredible ways of altering the load going through your foot as you run through tapping, pads or support. Their job is to analyse the mechanics of your foot function and determine if there is a correlation with this to your pathology. Orthotics are NOT always the answer. Simple advice around footwear, padding or load management can make a massive difference to your pain and function. They have incredible diagnostic skills to do with the knee down to the foot. Sports Physiotherapist - My role is to analyse the above (with less detail then a Podiatrist), also to integrate factors such as your training volumes, loads, core stability, gluteal strength and flexibility. So looking at the big picture of how your body is moving. So both professions work together beautifully! Commonly my role is to determine how much of an influence your factors outside the foot are playing into your symptoms. If there are a lot of factors relating to your foot function, I always refer my patients to the pods for further analysis. This enables me to focus on your strength, training loads, hands on massage etc etc. Additionally Sports Physiotherapists have sound clinical reasoning skills and a very good at diagnosing your problem. The key is to know when you can fix someone yourself, or when you need to integrate other health professionals. Sports Doctor - They are a fountain of knowledge. I use a Sports Doctor when I am confused with the diagnosis, or if we need to gain clarity with what path to take concerning your management. Their job is to provide a diagnosis and a clear path forward to recovery. So for more complex issues a Sports Doctor is worth their weight in gold! I hope this helps to clarify a few things..... Happy running Rosco
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 04:00:12 +0000
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