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AAMT and AIS Scholarship
A synergistic approach
Winner of the AAMT-Australian Institute of Sport Scholarship
for 2014, Sandra Greacen DipRMT, BHSc (MST), Remedial
and Musculoskeletal Therapist, shares her experiences.
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“Synergy” is thrown around extensively but
when mentioned in relation to sport it is
extremely apt. The Oxford Dictionary defines it
as “the interaction or co-operation of two or
more organisations, substances, or other agents
to produce a combined effect greater than the
sum of their separate effects” - www.
oxforddictionaries.com . This applies not only to
athletes but to the associated unit of
professionals supporting them. These experts
range from coaches and trainers outwards in
ever-increasing
circles,
medical
staff,
nutritionists, psychologists, physiotherapists,
plus, of course, the very significant cogs in the
machine - the Soft Tissue Therapists! But every
one of these cogs is necessary in producing an
elite athlete.
I eagerly presented at the AIS Sports Science
& Sports Medicine building for my ten-day
intensive Scholarship. This new extended period
enabled my time to be apportioned between
the Soft Tissue Therapy Department and a
specific sporting team. This provided me with a
comprehensive overview of the functionality of
the Institute. After an induction by Vince
Cosentini (AIS Senior Soft Tissue Therapist), it
was straight into treating. I could say I was
thrown in the deep end, however, it was more
like Vince showed me the deep end and invited
me to jump in with him! A mix of Physiotherapists,
Soft Tissue Therapists and Movement Educators
all took the time to introduce themselves to me
and made me feel welcome.
Like Dougie Graham, the Scholarship winner
before me, I performed recovery treatments for
the Under 17 footballers and basketballers.
These 15-16 year olds come from all over
Australia to live in Canberra while they train and
compete as well as go to school. It’s refreshing
to see their enthusiasm and the great respect
they have for their Therapists, who take a great
deal of time and energy in working with them
and the coaching staff. The balance of a relaxed
rapport coupled with a high level of
professionalism works well in nurturing these
up-and-coming athletes. In fact, there are a
number of Sports Academies and Schools that
come to the AIS on camps to utilise the
extensive facilities. The Institute is a great tool
to develop the potential in children and young
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AAMT Director Paula Nutting and Sandra Greacen
adults who are keen on sports and to encourage
exercise for everyone. I helped Tony, another
Soft Tissue Therapist, with one such group
showing them self-massage and stretching
techniques, which promotes the importance of
our modality to young athletes. Everything
possible is done to foster the next generation
of athletes in sport at any level and to push
them to being the best that they can be. The
Soft Tissue Therapists are an integral part of
that process.
The appointment and file system software
didn’t take long to get the hang of (with a little
help from anyone who was nearby!) The AMS
“Athlete Monitoring System” allows for a
significant amount of data to be filed providing
a comprehensive picture of how an athlete is
performing. Therapists monitor range of motion
using inclinometers and goniometers, which
provide precise readings, to ensure the athlete
is progressing or recovering in the desired way.
Any changes in tone or ROM are picked up
immediately which assists the Therapist in
focusing the treatment in a specific manner and
at any stage during the athlete’s training phase.
Follow-up testing can then ascertain the
efficacy of treatment protocols.
The Senior Women’s Water Polo national
squad training camp coincided with my visit and
I had the opportunity to be directly involved
with the team, Coaches and Physiotherapist.
Sitting in on technical meetings gave me an
insight into the immense work carried out by
support staff and how the Athlete Monitoring
System works in a team environment. The team
of Therapists can react quickly to any problem
showing up on the AMS before it becomes a
major issue, and is a great mechanism to
monitor injury or illness risk, i.e., if the trainingstress balance increases then the risk of injury
or illness is also increasing relative to the
percentage. I learnt a great deal about water
polo, it was like watching swans calmly glide
across a lake not realising the tremendous
effort going on beneath the surface, they made
it look easy but they work tremendously hard
to achieve this, which goes for the athletes as
well as the dedicated support team!
After treating water polo players a
commonality of “niggles” became apparent,
being thoracic stiffness, shoulder and hip
tightness/pain.
Labral
tears,
either
glenohumeral or acetabular, (sometimes both!)
can be an issue due to the excessive, and
repetitive, forces involved. Minor tears are
often managed with physiotherapy, soft tissue
therapy and rehabilitation. There are athletes
training and playing with muscle tears, bony
spurs, calcific tendonitis, and stress fractures.
To be involved in the treatment of these
recovering athletes was paramount as I was
able to hone my skills, with the support of
the Physiotherapists and other Soft Tissue
Therapists, and see positive results when
re-assessing after treatment. To know
that they will go on to recover,
compete, and win was inspiring
but also to know that massage
plays a pivotal function in that
validates our role in the
sports medicine team.
Only evidence-based
practices are used at
the facility which is
also crucial to
substantiating
the important
field that we work
in.
Vince, in collaboration
with a Physiotherapist
colleague, has put together
a specific exercise and
stretching regime for the
junior footballers that assist
the coaching staff to ensure
the players are targeting
areas most susceptible to
injury in their sport. I had a
refresher on Functional
Fascial Taping, a great chance
for revision as I had the opportunity at the
AAMT Adelaide Conference to meet Ron
Alexander and learn his FFT techniques
firsthand. AAMT provides us with fantastic
learning opportunities by these experts and to
see their techniques being used by Therapists
at the highest level is very encouraging. Having
a tutorial session with Ari, Therapist and
Movement Educator, was extremely informative
and reinforced my understanding of “core
stability” – he utilises his extensive background
with current researched techniques of all body
movement systems to come up with programs
to assist each individual athlete. It was inspiring
to sit in on Ari completing a session with an
aerial skier (one of our Winter Olympians) to
resolve some issues she was having. It just
goes to show how much knowledge and
technical skills we, as Soft Tissue Therapists,
have in our repertoire and how important
a role we play in sport.
I was invited to listen in on the
weekly meetings where various
modalities come together and talk
about particular athletes and their
progress, especially those with
injuries, and what goals and
outcomes can be expected.
The concern for the welfare
of the athlete and getting
them back to fitness, but
not to the detriment of their
health (both physiological and
psychological) is paramount.
To have the chance to work
with such a diverse group
of athletes and to receive
expert
advice
and
mentoring from a multimodality team, who show
great mutual respect for
each other, has augmented my
understanding and knowledge
of Soft Tissue Therapy. Each
one of these professionals has
an intrinsic role to play and
makes a concerted effort for
one aim, and that aim is the
health, wellbeing and fitness of
the athlete - there’s the
synergy!
Above: Sandra Greacen with an U17 basketballer
AUTUMN 2015
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ROM testing of U17 soccerplayer with inclinometer
This opportunity
has allowed me to
collaborate with likeminded professionals
and has validated my
role as a Soft Tissue
Therapist.
Senior Women’s Water Polo training squad
It also shows that we, as Soft Tissue
Therapists, can confidently interact with other
professionals in highly specialised environments
in a positive way.
Another highlight, among many, was being
involved with Paralympians, including blade and
sight impaired runners. A blade runner with a
lower leg amputation, required treatment for
tight hip flexors (his TFL on his amputated side
being extremely hypertonic), lumbar erector
spinae and gluteals. He has all quadricep and
hamstring musculature, and even his patella so
his patella tendon has been inserted into the
back of his femur. He says the fact that they
were able to retain the muscles in his thigh gives
him a slight advantage but there is a definite
need for the Therapist to ensure he engages
correct recruitment patterns to alleviate injury
risk. To interact and gain knowledge from these
athletes was insightful and motivating as their
focus and drive is phenomenal. One of my last
treatments was a quietly-spoken 16-year-old
basketballer. I may be short, but come on! As
you can see in the photo, I fit quite comfortably
under his armpit! My expectations for this
Scholarship generously provided by AAMT and
AIS have been exceeded. I was able to view
cutting edge technology and research being put
into practice and receive expert advice and
mentoring from a diverse and dedicated group
of Therapists. This opportunity has allowed me
to collaborate with like-minded professionals
and has validated my role as a Soft Tissue
Therapist. I look forward to utilising the
techniques and knowledge that I have gained
during my time at AIS in my own Clinic and for
the benefit of my students at Endeavour College
of Natural Health. I had a fantastic time and it
was definitely well worth it, many thanks to
everyone involved at AAMT and AIS.
If this chance opens up again, don’t hesitate
to grab the opportunity with both hands, you
won’t be disappointed! Become a significant
cog – the synergy is awesome!
Sandra Greacen, DipRMT, BHSc(MST),
Remedial and Musculoskeletal Therapist.
Some of the great professionals in the Physical Therapies Department
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