My love for sports has always been a driving force in my life. Throughout my childhood, I actively participated in various sports, and I knew I wanted them to remain a significant part of my future. The Tertiary Education Scholarship Scheme (TESS) played a crucial role in making this dream a reality. Their support allowed me to advance my physiotherapy career in the field of sports.
I embarked on a Master's degree in Sports Medicine, Exercise & Health at University College London. This program provided an invaluable opportunity to learn from leading professionals in the sports field. From doctors and physiotherapists to sports scientists, I gained insights from diverse backgrounds across various sporting environments. I was thrilled to study abroad in an environment with a rich sporting heritage where sports receive significant attention and importance.
To balance my studies with my existing career, I opted for a three-year distance learning program. This structure allowed me to continue working as a physiotherapist in Malta, treating patients in both hospital and sports settings. The curriculum covered core modules like exercise physiology, advanced sports injuries and prevention, rehabilitation of sports injuries, and health & physical activity.
Completing my Master’s degree allowed me to think and rationalize more critically when treating and managing various types of sports injuries. It emphasized the importance of viewing an athlete holistically, considering the specific attributes required for their sport, and gaining the necessary information to provide the best care.
In my dissertation, I focused on how hamstring injuries in professional athletes affect the body as a whole. I always had a keen interest in hamstring injuries as they remain a significant concern for athletes despite a growing body of research. Often time following an injury only the individual muscle is addressed, disregarding how the injury affected the body as a whole. My study consisted of comparing muscle activation patterns whilst running in various muscles by means of surface electromyography, comparing the injured to the uninjured limb. The muscle activation patterns were also compared in athletes who opted for surgical treatment to those who underwent conservative management of their injury, investigating if one treatment option was superior to the other.
The rationale surrounding the project is that muscles never work in isolation, but instead work in conjunction as muscular chains. Intrinsic capabilities of muscles in isolation are not enough to produce complex task such as running, jumping and cutting manoeuvres, but requires the combined effort of muscles and connective tissue, working in conjunction as anatomical ‘slings.’ The results of this study demonstrated no significant electromyographic differences in the muscles tested along the 2 ‘anatomical slings’ investigated, including between the surgically treated limb to the one managed conservatively. This signifies that there were no post-injury neuromuscular deficits in the hamstring muscle, no compensatory patterns emerged along the anatomical slings and both treatment approaches resulted in successful rehabilitation of the hamstring injury with there being no preferable treatment choice.
I am grateful for the Tertiary Education Scheme for giving me this opportunity to further my career and open the door for new and exciting challenges.