Dubai: The medical director of the French Football Federation (FFF) has paid tribute to the role played by physiotherapists in protecting top sportspersons around the world.
Delivering a lecture on the concluding day of the Dubai Health Regulation Conference (DHRC) on Thursday, Dr Regis Boxele stressed that physiotherapists have become genuine saviours, both in protecting and containing injuries, in modern-day sport.
The Frenchman, who has worked with several past and present French footballers, was one of the speakers at the lecture on ‘Sports Medicine Management in Europe and France’. The event was backed by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and was meant to tackle the growing role played by medicine in the world of modern-day sport.
“Not everyone can afford a specialised sports doctor. It is here that the physiotherapists step in and they have been doing a fantastic job in protecting and keeping many injuries under check,” Boxele told Gulf News.
“Every sportsperson has to go through a mandatory medical test at least once a year and this is the best way to ensure they start the season on a healthy note. But, during the course of the season, it is the physiotherapists who step in and ensure each sportsperson can contribute in the best possible manner.”
The FFF doctor further stressed that every sports club needs to invest in at least a physiotherapist if they are to succeed.
“The size of the club really does not matter. They need to concentrate on having a physiotherapist so that the damage is minimised. The doctor can step in at a later date, but the primary work should be entrusted to the physio,” Boxele said.
A study conducted in Europe has shown that Finland has the highest rate of sporting activity, with 70 per cent of its population involved in some form of sport at least once a week, compared to 42 per cent in France.
“But we have 15 million players practicing different sports that are registered in France. Of these, two million alone are footballers involved in one million matches in a year. This means these players need to be protected and treated for sports-related injuries,” he added.
DSC’s participation in the conference was part of the Memorandum of Association signed between DSC and the Dubai Health Authority in April that aims to integrate the efforts of both entities while making Dubai a healthier place.
