Welcome, Dr. Anthony Hipsley!

Our new Sport and Exercise Medicine Registrar

Dr. Anthony Hipsley, Sport and Exercise Medicine Registrar

Anthony is a registrar accredited by the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians. Originally from Sydney, Anthony moved to Melbourne in 2010 where he subsequently gained his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Melbourne. He is excited by his move to Ballarat in 2018, where he feels he can become an integral contributor of the Sport and Exercise Medicine expertise provided by the team at BallaratOSM.

Having previously worked with australian rules football, surfing, rugby league, athletics, swimming and motorsports, Anthony enjoys all facets of Sport and Exercise Medicine. He enjoyed working with a Perth based ‘golden oldies’ AFL side in 2017, true to his belief that there is an inner athlete in everyone whether 15 years old or 70! He is currently the Team Doctor for the Sandringham Zebras VFL, a Match Day Doctor for the Melbourne Rebels Rugby Union and the touring doctor for the Ireland Rugby League Team.

Anthony is excited to join the team at Ballarat OSM and looks forward to helping the Ballarat community remain healthy and active!

Partnership with AFL Goldfields

We are very excited to announce our new partnership with AFL Goldfields for 2018.  We look forward to the year ahead and working with the AFL Goldfields team of trainers and of course their players across their Football and Netball clubs.

Here is the official media release announcing the partnership:

AFL Goldfields is pleased to announce a new partnership with Ballarat OSM for the 2018 season following the announcement in 2017 that a new Sports Medicine Team and Acute Injury Clinic will open in Ballarat.

Sports Physician, Doctor Greg Harris anticipated the partnership and needs of players by developing a new service unique in Ballarat. “We are overjoyed to work with AFL Goldfields to provide this service to the region’s athletes who compete in Leagues locally.”

 

“Early assessment and treatment of injuries greatly improves how well they recover”, says Dr Harris. “From my time working with elite athletes, I’ve seen players get up for matches by treating an injury properly from day one.”

 

In recognition that most sports injuries happen on the weekend, the clinic is open on Monday afternoons. Patients can easily book an appointment online. They receive an initial 20-minute consultation with a sports physician and then a further 20 minutes with a physiotherapist.

 

“Ballarat is blessed with many highly skilled physiotherapists and our new clinic is a collaboration with three of these groups. The three-way conversation between physio, doctor and patient means that patients not only get a thorough diagnosis, but also a treatment plan aimed at an active recovery as soon as possible.”

 

“Treating the injury promptly and effectively is the best way to get back to normal activities as soon as possible.”

 

AFL Goldfields Commercial & Regional Operations Manager Aaron Nunn said, “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Ballarat OSM to promote what will be a wonderful service to all Community Football & Netball players across the AFL Goldfields Region. The setup of the new Acute Injury Clinic at 107 Webster Street, Ballarat will be key to treating injured players as early as possible and provide ongoing assistance through the recovery phase.”

 

Find out more about the Acute Injury Clinic at http://bos.inkserver.com.au/acute-clinic/

 

Members of any club registered with any Community Football & Netball League in the AFL Goldfields Region will be able to book appointments online through the Ballarat OSM website or via a special link accessible via www.aflgoldfields.com.au under the TRAINERS tab.

Pre Season Tips From Dr. Greg Harris

Footy and netball season is almost here again, and while most of the pre-season work is done, here are a few tips to turn the pre-season slog into a successful start to matches.

 

Build into it

While it would be ideal to have had three months of regular, steady fitness work before the season, sometimes that just doesn’t happen. If that sounds like you, just about the worst thing to do is to try to ‘catch up’ on the training you have missed. Going from not much exercise to high volume or high intensity training is the most common cause of injuries such as stress fractures, tendon problems and joint pain. Studies from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) show that big changes in workload also lead to an increased risk of illness. While it might not seem like the ‘team thing’, you’re probably better off starting the season underdone, and building your fitness over the season. Just in time for finals!

 

Warm up and cool down

It’s also important to build into each training session to prevent injuries like muscle strains. A steady warm-up gets everything moving and starts to ‘prime’ the neuromuscular system for the movements required for sport. A good example of warm-up drills is the FootyFirst program (www.aflcommunityclub.com.au/index.php?id=906), or the Netball Australia KNEE program (www.knee.netball.com.au), both of which have been shown to decrease the rate of lower limb and knee injuries when done consistently.

 

Keep hydrated and fuelled

It’s not quite winter yet, so remember to drink enough water in these warm autumn afternoons. Being a few percent dehydrated also increases your risk of injury and decreases your performance. Refuelling after training is one of the key ways to ensure a good recovery: some good, low-fat carbohydrates (e.g. a sandwich or muffin, or some sports drink) in the first 30 minutes after hard exercise gets some energy into you to help your body repair and recover. KFC and a coke is NOT a good recovery fuel!

 

Don’t ignore the niggles

If you have a twinge that isn’t going away with a bit of rest and ice, get it looked at by a trainer, physio or doctor. Many injuries start as something just a bit annoying, and some simple treatment can fix it, but if ignored can worsen to be something that makes you miss months of sport. It might not need a scan or some treatment…but it might.

 

Have fun!

Don’t forget that sport is meant to be fun! Sure, try your best on the track or on the court, but no-one enjoys playing against, or with, someone with white-line fever. And if you feel like you’re not enjoying your sport like you should, or you’re feeling sad, or anxious, or worried, or angry… talk to someone. If you think a team-mate is not coping, don’t be afraid to ask, “Are You OK”.