10/28/2011

New sports medicine clinic up and running

A new sports medicine clinic is up and running at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham with everyone from joggers to elite athletes able to be treated. The new service is being provided by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust following government campaigns aimed at encouraging more people to get active.

It is the brainchild of the Trust’s Professor of Clinical Traumatology, Professor Sir Keith Porter, and Head of Therapy Services, Yvonne Pettigrew.The first informal clinic, held within Therapy Services at QEHB, was attended by junior British fencer Laura Hunter-Thomas. Dr Leon Creaney, Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine at UHB, said the new clinic would be open to any level of sport.

He said: “The plan is to open the clinic to all NHS patients, as well as university students, the military and elite/professional sports people. We will also develop an ongoing connection with UK Athletics, who are based in the Alexander Stadium, Perry Barr. “Patients can be referred by GPs and physiotherapists, but we are also probably going to get referrals from A&E and from fracture clinics.”
The Government, through Sport England, is committed to getting one million people doing more sport by 2012-13. This is measured by adults participating in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity sport three or more times a week.Dr Creaney added: “What is behind this is that the Trust has realised there is an unmet need in this area. The Government is trying to get a million people more active, but the flipside is that more people will get injuries.“But it’s not just about injuries, it’s any problem that sports people get, such as issues with fatigue or iron deficiency. And that can apply to elite and professional athletes as well as people doing recreational exercise.”The new sports medicine clinic could also be utilised by Trust staff.

“We are looking at having a designated sports clinic for employees as we recognise that we have a big staff and that a lot of them are doing sports. It’s in our interests to look after the health of our staff.”