Development and Performance
Welsh Athletics Sports Injury Clinic
Sports Physiotherapy & Sports Massage Specialists in Cardiff
Based in the National Indoor Athletics Centre, Welsh Athletics in partnership with Cardiff Met University, offers a range of physiotherapy, sports massage and injury rehabilitation clinics.
Our goal is to provide the same high-level physiotherapy and soft tissue therapy services our athletes receive to the wider running and athletics community.
With an extensive background in sports injury management and rehabilitation, our highly experienced practitioners work with each individual to undertake a comprehensive assessment and build treatment plans which work towards your goals with the aim of getting you back to full function and performance.
Common Sports and Musculoskeletal Conditions:
- Achilles pain/tendinopathy
- Hamstring/calf strains
- Ankle/knee ligament injury
- Lower back pain
- Plantar fasciitis
- Shin splints
- & many more
Treatments Offered:
- Soft tissue therapy (sports massage)
- Acupuncture
- Manual therapy (including mobilisations and manipulations)
- Rehabilitation/exercise programmes
- Graduated return to sports programmes
- Student led rehabilitation
Strength Diagnostics:
We offer a range of strength diagnostic tests to help you identify a specific weakness you may have or to help facilitate your return to training/sport from injury.
We offer a range of strength diagnostic tests including;
- Hand held dynamometry (E.g. Hip or ankle strength)
- Capacity testing (calf, glute/hamstring, trunk)
- Variety of VALD Forceplate testing including;
- Isometric push tests (calf, lower limb, run specific tests)
- Countermovement jumps
- Drop jumps (double or single leg)
- ASH Test for shoulder strength
- VALD Nordboard testing (hamstring strength)
Should I book a physiotherapy or sports massage session?
Meet the Team
|
|
Adam Rattenberry |
Clinic Lead Physiotherapist |
Adam is the Lead Performance Physiotherapist within the performance team at Welsh Athletics. His role is to oversee the provision and delivery of physiotherapy and support services to athletes on a British Athletics or Welsh Athletics support programme. Adam joined us in 2015 after previously working as the senior first-team physiotherapist at Cardiff City FC and holds a Masters in Sport and Exercise Physiotherapy from Cardiff University. |
|
|
Jonny Harper |
Physiotherapist |
Jonny Graduated from Cardiff University in 2016, and since then has worked in several different settings including Welsh Premiership rugby, Dragons rugby, England Snowsports, Hockey Wales, and GB Hockey. Jonny has a special interest in the lower limb, particularly knee injuries in runners, and attended the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 with Team Wales as part of their medical team. Jonny started working for Welsh Athletics in the summer of 2023 and has recently finished his Masters in Sports Physiotherapy from the University of Bath. |
|
|
Dave Rowe |
Soft Tissue Therapist |
Dave has enjoyed a varied journey in providing sports massage therapy over a number of years. Initially working with the general public, amateur & semi-professional athletes; then graduating to hold key positions with Sport Wales’ High Performance Centre, providing support for many sports, including Track & Field Athletics. His experience within the elite sports environment provided a springboard to selection for Team Wales at the 2014 and 2022 Commonwealth Games as Lead Soft Tissue Therapist. |
BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY!
Further student led clinics are available through the Cardiff Met Uni Injury Clinic – please use the link below.
CARDIFF MET UNI INJURY CLINIC
FAQ's
We are based at the National Indoor Athletics Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Pay & Display parking is available on site, and our friendly staff will meet you in the main reception area.
Our physiotherapy, sports massage and strength diagnostic services are open to anyone. Whether you are new to sport, physically active, involved in athletics at any level or an elite athlete, we have support services to suite your needs.
Physiotherapy helps restore movement and function, reduce pain and promote a return to daily activity/sport when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability. Physiotherapy is delivered by our highly qualified physiotherapists, and regulated under the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and Health and Care Professions Council standards.
Physiotherapy is more than a massage, it is a science based profession which takes a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. Our highly experienced physiotherapists provide assessments to help formulate treatment and rehabilitation plans to suit your needs and goals. These plans can include massage, manual therapy/manipulations, acupuncture, taping and exercise rehabilitation.
We have a range of services to suit your needs and price points. Our services range from an injury assessment appointment with one of our supervised Masters Sports Rehabilitation students for £20, with follow up appoints £10 to 1:1 appointments with our highly experienced physiotherapists and soft tissue therapists (ranging from £30 to £60). All of our process are available to view on the booking section of our website.
For any of our services, your first appointment will include a thorough discussion about your symptoms, how they affect your daily life and physical activity/sport. This will be followed by a physical examination to help determine a diagnosis. Based on your history and physical examination a treatment and rehabilitation plan will be discussed with you to meet your needs.
Your physiotherapist will re-assess your symptoms and function during each session to help decide whether you are achieving your goals and improving. This will help discussions on treatment and exercise progressions, appropriateness to return to physical activity/sport, whether you need a follow-up appointment, and how long to leave it between sessions.
You will need to be able to move around comfortably in your physiotherapy or sports massage appointment, so we advise you wear something comfortable. Sports clothing or gym kit is ideal.
Your physiotherapist or sports massage therapist will need to see the affected area so try and wear something that you feel comfortable removing or moving for ease of access. Your therapist will ensure you are comfortable at all times.
You are more than welcome to have someone with you during your appointments. In some cases, a chaperone is compulsory, such as for children or someone with accessibility requirements.
Yes, we hold a Special Procedures licence with Cardiff Council to be able to carry out acupuncture within our appointments. If you wish to specifically have acupuncture, please contact us in advance of your appointment to ensure you are booked in with a qualified therapist.
Unfortunately, very occasionally, an appointment may need to change due to staff sickness/absence. Every effort will be made to rebook you an appointment with minimal inconvenience.
If you inform us more than 48 hours prior to your appointment that you are unable to attend the appointment it can be rearranged or cancelled. If you fail to attend an appointment and do not provide notice, we are unable to provide a refund for the appointment.
Yes, our physiotherapists are able to refer to local clinics should it be appropriate to seek further information regarding a diagnosis. If this is appropriate in your case, our physiotherapists will discuss this with you and explore your options for local imaging. If you would like to use private medical insurance for an imaging session, you may need to be referred by a doctor registered with your insurance company. We can help explore this with you and make recommendations for local sports and exercise doctors.
We have a dedicated clinic email address which is checked regularly on a daily basis. If you have any questions about your appointments, need to change an appointment or have any questions about your treatment/rehabilitation plan, please contact us on sportsinjuryclinic@welshathletics.org
Featured links
Useful pages within this section you may like to consider visiting.
