Spotlight on: First Team Physio, Nicole Jones
First team Physiotherapist Nicole Jones joined the Bristol
Ladies set up this season and has been an invaluable addition to the backroom
team. She runs a weekly clinic for the girls on a Thursday evening at the
clubhouse and travels to every home and away game to support the girls. Her
advice and support has been vital in maintaining a fit and healthy squad and
she took some time last week to talk us through her journey and thoughts
on the world of rugby.
When did you decided you wanted to become a physiotherapist?
I knew that I wanted to be a physiotherapist around the age
of 16. I’d been working at a local stables and thought I wanted to be a
veterinary physiotherapist, but to do this you have to study human
physiotherapy first. During the course I realised how much I enjoyed working
with people, getting them back to normal function and normal activities, so
decided to continue down this route.
So how did you become a
physiotherapist? Was it a long process?
I got my A levels and then went onto University. I graduated
five years ago from Plymouth University and since then have been involved in a
mixture of NHS and private work. I’ve got a special interest in elite sport and
chronic pain. I’ve also spent three months working in Africa, helping patients
with spinal cord injuries and those who had suffered strokes. I’ve also done a
post graduate course in veterinary physiotherapy, but have decided to stick
with humans for now!
What would you say to
anyone considering physiotherapy as a career?
Research is key! I’ve
created a resource to help anyone considering this route (http://www.physiowizz.co.uk).
Physiotherapy involves a lot more than just sport – working with patients in
intensive care, looking after the chest and breathing through to rehabilitation
of patients with spinal cord injuries. Making sure you know exactly what’s
involved is key in making the right decision and taking that first step to
become a qualified physio.
So how did you get involved in rugby physiotherapy - do
you play?
I used to! I started at University and played at scrum half
– I got involved when my university didn’t have a lacrosse team which was what
I’d been involved in before. I loved the team aspect, being involved in
something with lots of other girls and keeping fit and healthy. I really
recommend it to anyone – it’s such a great game.
How did you get involved with Bristol Ladies?
I saw an advert on Facebook for the position and jumped at
the opportunity. Bristol Ladies has a fantastic squad with lots of international
players, both young and experienced. It’s fantastic to work with elite, highly
motivated players at such a passionate and well supported club.
What have you enjoyed most about being part of Bristol
Ladies so far?
The great family atmosphere definitely makes it special. The
connections with RFU medical team have also been a great help with my
continuing professional development. All the girls have been friendly and
welcoming and have worked with me to introduce injury prevention management
schemes and to get each injury sorted quickly, but also safely.
What’s the most common rugby injury you see?
I see a lot of ankle injuries, shoulders, and ACL injuries -
although not too many this year touch wood!
What is your top tip for players before they run out for
a game?
Every player should do a thorough warm up and include
dynamic stretches (stretches through movement) and a ball specific warm ups. At
Bristol Ladies we use the PEP programme to prevent knee injuries and I would
highly recommend it to any athlete.
What’s the easiest thing players can do to avoid injury
before and after games?
A thorough warm up and cool down is the best and simplest
thing any player can do to avoid injury, but unfortunately I often see players
miss or skip at club level teams. Bristol is an exception to this, and the
girls are all extremely serious about their health.
It’s also extremely important to allow recovery time, commit
to your exercise programme and keep an eye on your sleep pattern and diet. The
biggest reason people don’t do well with their physio is because they don’t
follow the advice their given! It’s not about restricting players, but
facilitating the recovery process and getting you back to playing as soon as
possible without the injury recurring.
Concussion has been in the news a lot this season – what
are your thoughts on the current guidelines?
Concussion is a controversial subject, but the new
guidelines are essential to keep players safe.
The consequences of a knock on the head can be severe. It
can result in a brain bleed, long term brain damage and early onset of dementia,
and it’s vital that concussion is taken seriously in young players.
To promote good safety guidelines we use a SCAT 3 test to
assess baseline brain function – if you get a concussion we repeat the test to
see if there are any difference between the two. On organisation called The
Physio Crew will do free baseline test for anyone who is interested - please
call 0117 951 2328 and book in for this free of change.
What is the best advice anyone has ever given you about being
a physio?
Keep learning, always. Keeping up with advances in the
medical profession is such an important part of my job. There are always news
studied and new discoveries that can benefit my patients and I need to be on
top of them to help serve my patients to the best of my ability.
Who is your professional idol?
Phil Harris is one of the most inspirational guys I’ve ever
met. He got me my first job and took a chance on me when I was newly qualified.
The way he is with patients is brilliant and he’s always striving to be better
physiotherapist.
What are your thoughts on the status of women’s rugby in
the UK?
It’s brilliant – the world cup really put all the girls in
the limelight and it’s been building for the last few years. The perception of
the game is changing, and even though I still get comments like ‘I can’t
believe you used play rugby’, barriers are still being broken down. Anyone has
the right to enjoy the game, it doesn’t matter what gender they are, and that’s
slowly becoming more and more accepted.
What is difficult about your
profession?
Managing players can be
difficult, players want to play (so to speak!)! When they’ve taken a knock sometimes
it’s best to wait a few games to recover rather than going back into training too
quickly and causing more damage, but getting them to see that can be tough!
