A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A LIONS PHYSIO T
Phil Pask provides an insight into an average day on tour for the medical team
Breakfast. We’re up early but not ridiculously early as sleep is important to the players. There are six of us on the medical team – the doctor, Eanna Falvey; three physios, myself, Bob Stewart and Prav Mathema; and two soft-tissue therapists, Dave Revins and Angela Rickard.
The players have breakfast but if anything is fl agged up in that morning report, they come back to the medics to see if there is anything we can change to fi x things straightaway or if there are limitations for what the player can do in training that day.
The match- day squad have a lie-in but the fi rst thing the other players do is a wellness questionnaire – how they slept, what their energy levels are like, any aches and pains etc. We also weigh them and do a urine test to check hydration. This gives us an idea of how well recovered players are before we go again and allows us to potentially adjust sessions.
During morning training, Eanna and a physio are ready on the sideline should there be any injuries. Afterwards we help with recovery, which could be a mixture of cryotherapy, a pool session, fl exibility and mobility etc.
After breakfast we do any taping needed for that morning’s contact session as well as any treatments, activation/massages that they want so they’re prepared to train. This is all done at the team hotel.
Before the tour we went to all the players’ clubs to fi nd out what taping, treatments, massages, stretches and fi re-ups they like, so we had a good volume of knowledge before the tour started. It’s a credit to the clubs to allow us to go in and get that information and to share it with us.
Training aid Helping Liam Williams
As the midweek games are evening kick- offs, we may do it all again for a second session in the afternoon. The morning is technical units – defence, scrum, lineout – then in the afternoon it’s putting that all together. Sessions are quite short, say 35- 40 minutes, but intense!
Lunchtime. The players might have a sleep around this time as part of their recovery too. The match- day players will have a couple of meetings during the day and a gentle walk through before getting together to leave for the game. The medical team have a presence throughout the day to help with any massage, mobilisation or stretching. Strapping may be done at the hotel if requested.
For a match we split up. the doctor and two physios stay with the team in case any last-minute things come up. the other physio will join the advance party going to the ground. i usually go to set up the tape and so on. We get there about an hour and a half before the team.
it’s back to the hotel before dusting ourselves off for the game. the afternoon will comprise treating non-playing players and occasional prep work for the team. this might include a short ‘power up’ session in the gym to activate muscles.
His is Phil Pask’s fourth consecutive Lions tour – he’s also done 20 Five/six Nations Championships! – and he loves the experience of four nations pulling together.
“Players are massively competitive in the years between Lions tours, but within two or three days everyone has bonded so well and it brings the best out of all the nations,” says the ex-Northampton
Kick- off. During the game Eanna and two physios will be pitchside and the third physio will be their eyes – looking at the video for any concussions and head injuries, and he’ll feed that info into us. the soft-tissue therapists check on the health of any players who come off.
the team arrive and it takes about an hour to get all the strapping done – with two of us going flat out. Who’s the fussiest? Well, that might be a toss-up between Alun Wyn Jones and george Kruis!
saints player and current England physiotherapist. “Everyone’s a little different and we combine to make this whole – it’s a special environment to be part of.”
Pask says all the back-room staff are “inherently workaholics” so to prove his point we asked him to talk through a typical tuesday on tour, when there is both a match and training for the non-playing squad…
We’ll review any of the more serious injuries again back at the hotel. We then have to write up all the medical notes and organise any further investigation. We also contact the club’s medical staff so they know about the injury sustained in the game and if there’s anything they’re concerned about they can discuss it with us. We are available 24 hours a day to chat about players.
All in all, it’s a late finish – we won’t get to bed this side of midnight. then it’s up early to prep the other players for training for the next game in a few days.
After the game we see every player and do an injury audit, making plans as a medical team as to what to do with players over the next few days. if they need X-rays/ imaging, we’ll get them sent to the hospital and look at the info at the hotel.