The Role of Osteopathy in Professional Sport
Item
- Title
- The Role of Osteopathy in Professional Sport
- Title
- The Role of Osteopathy in Professional Sport
- Author(s)
- de Groot Coenraad
- Abstract
- Background: This project investigates the role of Osteopaths in professional sport and seeks to identify how the philosophy of osteopathic practice is applied in the areas of prevention and rehabilitation. It also aims to collect views from Osteopaths working in this field on how their role compares to that of a Physiotherapist and whether they support a view that osteopathy is becoming more prevalent in the care of professional sports men and women. Objectives: To explore Osteopaths’ opinions about their role and responsibilities in the management of the physical well being of professional sportspeople and to gain an insight into supplementary training and development opportunities in this field. Methods: Nine semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of Osteopaths working with professional sportspeople were conducted. Interviews were analysed using Content Analysis, consistent with elements of Grounded Theory. Results: Four key themes emerged regarding the Osteopaths’ perceptions of their role; prevention of injuries; treatment and rehabilitation of injuries; differences between osteopathy and physiotherapy; and the development of sports’ specialism in osteopathy. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that although the Osteopaths offered a consistency in their reference to the osteopathic principles, there was less commonality in the description of, or the approach to, the application of preventiative treatment and the rehabilitation of injury. There was, however, more consistent opinion on the development of sports specalisms and the post graduate qualifications and training required to work in this specialist field. This study suggests that in the field of professional sport the role of the Osteopath is still somewhat undefined, lacking a sense of commonality of approach and community membership which appears to exist for the Physiotherapist.
- Abstract
- Background: This project investigates the role of Osteopaths in professional sport and seeks to identify how the philosophy of osteopathic practice is applied in the areas of prevention and rehabilitation. It also aims to collect views from Osteopaths working in this field on how their role compares to that of a Physiotherapist and whether they support a view that osteopathy is becoming more prevalent in the care of professional sports men and women. Objectives: To explore Osteopaths’ opinions about their role and responsibilities in the management of the physical well being of professional sportspeople and to gain an insight into supplementary training and development opportunities in this field. Methods: Nine semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of Osteopaths working with professional sportspeople were conducted. Interviews were analysed using Content Analysis, consistent with elements of Grounded Theory. Results: Four key themes emerged regarding the Osteopaths’ perceptions of their role; prevention of injuries; treatment and rehabilitation of injuries; differences between osteopathy and physiotherapy; and the development of sports’ specialism in osteopathy. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that although the Osteopaths offered a consistency in their reference to the osteopathic principles, there was less commonality in the description of, or the approach to, the application of preventiative treatment and the rehabilitation of injury. There was, however, more consistent opinion on the development of sports specalisms and the post graduate qualifications and training required to work in this specialist field. This study suggests that in the field of professional sport the role of the Osteopath is still somewhat undefined, lacking a sense of commonality of approach and community membership which appears to exist for the Physiotherapist.
- presented at
- British School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2011
- Date Submitted
- 3.2.2012 00:00:00
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Pub-Identifier
- 15049
- Inst-Identifier
- 780
- Keywords
- Prevention, rehabilitation, sports Osteopath, Physiotherapist, education, specialism
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
de Groot Coenraad, “The Role of Osteopathy in Professional Sport”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 14, 2024, https://www.osteopathicresearch.com/s/orw/item/1787