The need for physios

A training session

The last thing any player wants to do is to be laid up on the treatment table when the big games come around. We explore some of the ways players can help prevent those dreaded injuries from occurring in the first place, and some advancements which can help them get back to action as quickly as possible.

Gerard Nolan (GN Physioworks)…
Physiotherapist Gerard Nolan believes that the blight of back problems is something which is all too often tolerated or dismissed by GAA players, when treatment could in fact resolve the problem completely.

Having previously worked with the Monaghan and Down senior football teams, Nolan is currently part of Seamus McEneaney’s Meath set-up and earlier this year worked with both Joe Kernan’s Ulster side and the all-conquering Crossmaglen senior outfit.

He is firm in his belief that what are often dismissed as chronic problems can easily be solved with the right treatment, and help extend the playing career of GAA athletes, with accurate diagnosis the key.

“Unless you make an accurate diagnosis, then no treatment you can give is going to resolve the problem. So for me that’s the first priority. Back pain and back problems are sweeping statements, but they can take so many different forms and there are a multitude of possible reasons for the pain.

“Low back pain is the most frequent I would come across, but in Gaelic games it is also common to have associated neck problems from when someone is in a collision when they go down to pick up a ball.”

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published on Thursday July 5. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent, or you can purchase the online version – for only 90p – by clicking here