Professor Cathy Speed presented an interesting talk on Sports Medicine in High Performance Sport. Showing how the physical attributes of sporting individuals and the medical involvement in high profile sports events, such as the Olympics, has evolved over the last century, with the biggest changes being in the last few decades.
The training needed to achieve this high level (for endurance
athletes) consists of 24 hours per week, 45 weeks of the year, which is a phenomenal
amount of time and something that those working with these individuals need to
understand. At this high level, an integrated team approach is needed to prepare individuals, not just for
training and competing, but looking at others influencing factors, such as,
travelling; the effects of jet lag, illness and injury, political influences,
fatigue etc.
It is about having the primary responsibility of the health
and well-being of the individual, but also considering their performance goals.
The sports physician has medical guardianship over their athletes.
However, there are still areas in the medical sporting world
that are still unknowns; concussion, light weight athletes, asthma and heart
syndromes, sleep and overtraining. Even though medical technologies have
improved, these conditions are still at the forefront of the physicians mind and
what the best approach might be for each individual.
After this, Professor Greg Whyte engaged the audience with videos
from some of the individuals he has worked with, from world class athletes to
ordinary women, all with a goal in mind. When working at an elite level, it is marginal
gains that are sought after to achieve a goal, when working with celebrities or
other individuals, it about changing behaviours to achieve a goal.
He suggested physical activity is on a continuum; Activities
of Daily Living àElite
Sport, of which we all sit somewhere along it. The UK is the laziest country in
Europe, with over 15 million people failing to achieve 30 minutes of physical
activity once a week (the recommendation being 150 minutes per week). Physical
inactivity alone is costing the NHS £10billion p.a. and it is becoming an
increasing problem in childhood too, with 80% of children who are overweight or
obese becoming obese adults. But what can we do to address it?
By taking ‘One Step at a Time’; using
wearable fitness trackers as one way to promote more movement. Making inactive people,
active; active people, more active; more active people, high performance; and
high performance, outstanding.
It’s about changing behaviours and considering not just the physical
factors influencing activity, but also the biopsychosocial factors.
Both Professor Cathy Speed and Professor Greg Whyte have
worked with a wide range of individuals in a variety of different environments
and it was a pleasure to listen and learn from their experiences.
Once these presentations had finished, it was down to the sports
science laboratory, where it was officially opened by the Lord Major and staff
members showcased the equipment on offer for both teaching, research and
working with the wider community e.g. the Anti-Gravity Treadmill, the diagnostic
ultrasound and gas analysers.
The afternoon was a great opportunity to allow different schools, students, individuals from all areas to see what the University has to offer.
“It was a great chance for the university to
show what they've achieved in the last year. The talks by staff members showed
that the new accredited sports lab can facilitate high performance sport as
well as being a functional space for teaching and coaching in many fields.”
Kelsey Le-Maistre 2nd Year Sports Therapy Student
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