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Getting to know... Paige Burrows, Sports Therapist


SAINTS Southwest Marketing & Communications Officer Kyle Tagg sat down with Paige Burrows this week to find out more about her role as a Sports Therapist...


Hi Paige! Could you explain to us a little bit about your profession and what you do?


Hi Kyle, of course! I’m a sports therapist and in a clinical environment my role as a sports therapist is to assess and treat sports specific injuries, musculoskeletal conditions and any general aches and pains. Alongside this I provide personalised exercise and rehabilitation programs to suit the clients' needs. For example, some will want to work on functional skills, which are used in everyday life scenarios, whereas in a football environment the programs will be based around strengthening and conditioning while working on injury prevention. My role as sports therapist varies slightly when it comes to working pitch-side, although I still provide injury assessment (initial first aid) and treatment there too. I give pre and post match massages which provide several benefits to the players. Massage is great way to enhance muscle flexibility and will therefore allow the players to have better range of movement during a game.



How long have you been doing it for and what do you enjoy most about it?


I have been working as a sports therapist for around nine years now and it all started with my first role at Buckland Athletic Football Club. In that time there have been many enjoyable moments for me, from watching players returning to the game following serious injuries to watching the boys reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Vase. I love my job, I have achieved so much in my time as a sports therapist so far and I look forward to all the incredible moments that are yet to come.



Can you take us through a typical working day and what it involves?


A typical day for me would be around 10-12 hours, ranging anywhere from 7am to 10pm. My working day includes assessing and treating clients, creating rehabilitation programs and completing other administration work; I like to check in with my clients and teams to ensure everyone is looked after and work out what I need to start planning for next. Treatments would usually take around 45 minutes depending on what we want the outcome of the session to be, but can vary depending on assessment and the plans I put in place. When taking on a new client their first session would take around an hour and half as I like to be through and ensure all of my clients complete a full S.O.A.P form before providing treatment and aftercare advice. Most treatments are based around massage, however in some cases we would use the ultrasound machine, complete a session of dry needling or go over exercise and form.



What does the time you spend working with Saints Southwest usually involve?


Most of the time I am pitchside providing general first aid and advice on muscular injuries. I am always happy to answer any questions or queries from players or parents during training, games and through our communication platforms. On Tuesday mornings I am based in the office at Saint Southwest's headquarters and during this time I’m creating rehab programs and answering messages from our parents and guardians across all Academy and Development Centres through Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. The aim in the future seasons is to have a routine set up where I get to visit all centres to provide one-to-one help and support.



What do you enjoy most about working with Saints Southwest?


One of the most enjoyable things about working with Saints Southwest is watching the players progress in their footballing abilities, character building both on and off the pitch and seeing the enjoyment on their faces when they’ve accomplished their achievements (especially when coming back from an injury).



Thank you for your time! Where can people find you if they want to get in touch?


No worries at all Kyle! Thanks for having me. People who are already involved with Saints Southwest can find me on the 360Player app (I do believe I am on all the age groups across all centres). Those who are not on the app can also find me on social media pages at FirstKicks Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation. I am always happy to answer any injury or muscular questions or any other general enquiries.

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