For the first time in the history of the Commonwealth Games a team of Chiropractors, all which are members of the British Chiropractic Association, are taking part in a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare professionals providing integral medical services to athletes competing this year.
The Chiropractor, Osteopath, Physiotherapist, Sports Massage (COPS) team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games brings these healthcare disciplines together to provide manual therapy options to the athletes. With patient choice being an important part of any healthcare setting, athletes are able to access a range of high-quality services across these professions.
Twenty Chiropractors, all of which are members of the BCA, have joined the COPS team, providing a presence throughout the entirety of the Commonwealth Games to assess, diagnose, refer on and/or treat athletes for a wide range of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.
With 280 medal events set to take place across 20 different sports, the Chiropractors have been brought on board for the first time in the Commonwealth Games’ history, following an understanding developed through successful COPS services at the Olympic games, that it is vital for athletes to have access to a diverse range of regulated, musculoskeletal medical services. Chiropractors regularly form part of medical teams for professional athletes at all stages of training and competition for a combination of manual therapy, exercise prescription and lifestyle advice.
Olivia Cambridge-King, Medical Services Workforce Manager at Birmingham 2022, said: “Throughout the Birmingham CWG, athletes and officials have the freedom to access care from a wide variety of healthcare professions, ranging from Optometry and Dentistry to Physiotherapy and Chiropractic. Ensuing this integrated approach to patient-choice for both injury prevention, treatment and performance-based care is of utmost importance.”
BCA President, Catherine Quinn, who will be part of the COPS team at this year’s Commonwealth Games said:
“Ensuring athletes have the freedom to choose the most effective type of treatment for both injury prevention and performance-based care is of utmost importance.
“By working as a team in our Polyclinics across all healthcare professions from Optometry and Dentistry to Physiotherapy and Chiropractic, athletes are able to consult the healthcare profession who can best deliver their care, regardless of which profession they belong to, and in most cases are able to see multiple professions working together to provide best practice.
“The Commonwealth Games’ model of providing a wide range of options to athletes is one which offers a great deal of patient choice, as well as providing opportunities for the professions to better understand each other’s skill sets and competencies as well as their professional status. I am very much looking forward to working within the diverse, integrated COPS team, getting to know my colleagues, and developing my knowledge of other professions. Having been involved in the initial set up to the Games, we have all taken the time to educate and learn from each other, much like current University students are able to.”
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games take place between Thursday 28 July and Monday 8 August at a number of venues across Birmingham and the West Midlands.
