MEDICAL NETWORK REFERRAL

SWAS may support athletes with referrals to medical providers who may offer benefits such as priority access or discounted consultation rates.

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With the expansion of tele-health, SWAS may refer to practitioners who reside outside of the south west region.  In some instances, SWAS may be able to connect athletes with personnel from the VIS or other leading sporting organisations.  Athletes may consider the type of assistance they require in the fields of physiotherapists, sports doctors, sports psychologists, massage therapists, osteopaths, podiatrists, orthopaedic surgeons, chiropractors, dieticians and diagnostic imaging.

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Musculoskeletal Screening

Musculoskeletal screening represents a critical component of medical screening among athletes. Musculoskeletal screening entails a series of physical assessments to determine the health and function of joints, nerves, muscles and other connective soft tissue.

The musculoskeletal screenings for SWAS are performed by Ultimate Performance and Rehab in Warrnambool.

The purpose of the routine screenings is to obtain musculoskeletal profiles of all athletes through the assessment of various physical components such as;

• joint and muscle ranges of motion (ROM),

• indicators of movement control and stability,

• postural and movement alignment, and

• proprioceptive balance.

These assessments help determine any problematic or vulnerable aspects of the athlete’s physical condition that could predispose the athlete to injury during participation in training or competition. Musculoskeletal screening protocols contain core screening tests across all sports, as well as particular assessments for sport-specific injury risk identification.

At the completion of the musculoskeletal screening, the results from the assessments are considered and are used to suggest strength and/or stretching exercises or modifications to an athlete’s training program or, in severe cases, refers the athlete onto a specialist medical physician. Coaches are also alerted to areas of concern and given recommendations about modifying the athlete’s training program to minimise the risk of injury to the athlete.

Musculoskeletal screening is an important component of preventive and treatment for athletes.

Past injury assessment

A second core aim of screening is to record the details of athlete results and significant past injuries and to assess for any ongoing effects of training/sporting postures and the mechanics of the injured and non-injured parts of the body.

Looking for injury trends

Recording of injuries and areas of concern across the whole of SWAS also enables us to identify and correct patterns of injury which may arise from any number of external factors, such as training programs, training surfaces, the intensity of training or competition, etc. This type of information helps each sport to understand the importance of screening and enhances athletes’ willingness to adhere to their exercise regimens.