THE MOST challenging part of recovering from an injury isn’t just rehabilitating the physical injury but staying motivated to stick with the rehabilitation plan.
Former West Coast physiotherapist Paul Tucker joined Bec Goddard on The Inside Game podcast to talk about his time at the club, which included two premierships.
Tucker said that while injury rehabilitation presented many challenges, getting athletes to feel like they’re still part of the team was perhaps the greatest.
>> LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW IN THE PODCAST BELOW
"The challenge is that they end up having to work at different times outside the group times," Tucker said.
"Their separation from the group becomes probably one of the biggest issues.
"The rehab guys often have to do more work and different work, so we need to set some short-term goals.
"Like anything, you need the challenge of trying to achieve something. So having lots of little short-term goals does seem to help.
"Sometimes doing things where they have to beat the old physio or the young strength and conditioning guy on a bike or a swim... Athletes are very competitive, and as soon as you set that sort of challenge in front of them they tend to respond with great delight when they beat you."
Tucker also shared his experiences of the Eagles' 2006 and 2018 premierships, and how player attitudes to physiotherapy changed over the course of his career.
This week’s episode guide…
2:00 – What do footy physios do?
2:50 – How has physiotherapy changed over the years?
4:35 – How was the Eagles’ 2018 premiership different to the 2006 premiership?
7:55 – How hub life impacted physiotherapy treatment
11.25 – What makes AFL unique?
13:05 – How players deal with rehabilitating injuries
15:50 – How Paul got involved in footy
17:05 – The extra things players do to keep their body in check
18:12 – How injuries are identified
22:00 - Takeaway Tips, fuelled by the John West Protein+ range
22:54 - Quick Hands: Worst injury Paul's seen, most stubborn player
'The Inside Game' is a new podcast series that takes a peek behind the scenes of the high-performance world of the AFL and AFLW. Join AFLW Premiership Coach Bec Goddard as she chats with high-performance experts who share the one-percenters that make the difference between an average day and a great day, fuelled by the John West Protein+ range.
