SSPA news

The SSPA, founded in 2002 as a non-profit organisation, is a recognised subgroup of Physioswiss (the Swiss Association of Physiotherapy) and since 2004, a member organisation of the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy (IFSPT). Currently the SSPA, a BJSM member society since 2011 (the first sport physical therapy (PT) group to join BJSM), counts about 600 qualified sport physiotherapists involved at national and international level. To further improve athlete care, SSPA introduced in 2019 for their members the national Continuous Professional Development pathway (IFSPT approved), with three accreditation levels (where the highest level allows one to apply for ‘Registered International Sports Physical Therapist’) based on the 11 IFSPT competencies.1 Under the leadership of our committee member and IFSPT board member Suzanne Gard, we have recently launched the SSPA mentoring project. ‘Mentoring’ is part of informal (or non-formal) learning,2 that is, everything you do not learn in a course or conference, but through contact with other experienced colleagues and/or other experts. Combining different form of learning with reflective practice is an effective way to acquire new (practical) knowledge and to develop sport PT expertise.2 The SSPA developed validation statements and reflective practice documents so the mentors and the mentees can certify the time shared together, which is of a great value in a portfolio.

Furthermore, this project promotes the exchange of knowledge and skills among sports physiotherapists, with the aim of constantly improving the care and well-being of athletes.

#sportfisio2023

Muscle injuries were and still are among the most common sports injuries. In professional football, muscle/tendon injuries show a higher incidence compared with contusions, joint and ligaments and bone fractures.3 Lower extremity muscle injuries (with hamstring as the main location) accounted for >90% of all muscle injuries and 40% of all injuries in international athletics championships.4 Therefore, a continuous knowledge update on prevention and rehabilitation of muscle injuries is of utmost importance for sports medicine and sports physiotherapy.5

After celebrating our 20 years with a stellar ‘Best Practice’ edition 2023, this year we will showcase a ‘Muscle & Sports’ edition with some of the latest developments in this field.

The 2023 conference will feature some of the most respected clinicians and researchers in sports PT worldwide: Natalia Bittencourt (Brasil), Rod Whiteley (Qatar), Nicki Phillips (UK), Olu Owoeye (USA), Nicol van Dyk (Ireland), Carles Pedret (Spain) and Jean-B Morin (France) will be our stars in the conference line up! Participants will have plenty of time to follow presentations on various topics, and to engage in discussions with peers and speakers.

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In this 13th Swiss SPORTFISIO issue

This 13th Swiss Sports PT annual issue of BJSM includes contributions covering some of the most relevant areas in our clinical sports PT practice, and some very important topics in sports and exercise medicine (SEM). Let us start with two brilliant editorials. There is still so much to be done for women in SEM at any level, from diversity to inclusion (see page 498) . Sport offers health, psychological, social benefits, and has to deal with several problems including child safeguarding, discrimination and exclusion (see page 497) . Within SEM we are all concerned by these issues, and only if everyone of us is acting accordingly, then we have a chance to move forward! Along these lines, Denison et al (see page 515) conducted a randomised controlled trial on homophobic language use by young male athletes: educational intervention delivered by professional athletes was not effective to reduce this type of behaviour (which is detrimental to the well-being of all sports participants), indicating how comprehensive, multicomponent intervention strategies are needed.

Purcel et al (see page 535) present an interesting scoping review on the assessment and classification of upper and lower limb pain in athletes, highlighting how the biopsychological framework (currently less represented) should also be used in relation to sports injuries, thus not forgetting the under-represented populations (ie, athlete with disabilities).

The other papers in this issue are ‘knee-dominant’, highlighting the role of exercise therapy in patients after meniscal tear (see page 521) , after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) (see page 528) and after multiligament injury (see page 543 ).

We would like to mention the consensus paper on the Aspetar clinical practice guideline on rehabilitation after ACLR led by Roula Kotsifaki (see page 500) , which is based on the available scientific evidence. While there was a low level of certainty for most components of rehabilitation, expert clinicians were largely in agreement with the recommendations. You will find the related interactive infographic (see page 551) in this issue.

Finally, please mark the name ‘Eline Lievens’ on your SEM notebook, because her PhD on the relevance of muscle fibre typology in sports is groundbreaking, with the use of a novel non-invasive examination technique, which may have several implications in science and practice (see page 553) .

Keep in touch!

As always, keep track of the SSPA (@SportfisioSwiss) and BJSM (@BJSM_BMJ) via your favourite social media channel(s) and keep your member society abreast of what YOU want in your clinical sports medicine and physiotherapy career.

Enjoy this Swiss issue of BJSM, keep safe and we really hope to catch you in person in Bern on 24 November 2023!