Rehabilitation programme helps Barrow battle back

Rehabilitation programme helps Barrow battle back [372 KB]

The Challenge

Sarah Barrow is a Leeds based individual and synchronised 10m diver.  She suffered a reoccurrence of a stress response in the right side of her low back at the end of the 2010 season, an injury common in elite divers and gymnasts due to extension forces through the low back forcing micro fractures in affected bone in the low back. Sarah spent the majority of the 2011 season, after the Commonwealth Games, rehabilitating and taking her time to build her diving work back up to an elite level

The Approach

The English Institute of Sport (EIS) team driving Sarah’s rehabilitation programme included her regular Physiotherapist Alison Rose, Lucy Follett working alongside Alison in Sheffield and Leeds, Rob Johnson, Dr Alistair Park and Strength and Conditioning coach David Parker. 

The programme initially consisted of low back strength and control work whilst also working on other areas of Sarah’s body, such as a tight upper back and weak shoulders, which also predisposed her to back injuries. Having improved in these areas Sarah was started on a strength and conditioning programme, set between EIS Physiotherapists and Lead Strength and Conditioning coach to Diving, David Parker.

This gradually ramped up to the point that the S+C work was lead by Sarah and David and once Sarah had completed a number of weeks of this and was deemed to be improving in global strength she was able to gradually build up diving specific pool work. 

The Outcome

Sarah competed for the first time following her period of rehabilitation last May 2011 and has continued to work closely with Alison and David in Leeds.  Sarah’s period of rehabilitation has allowed her greater control of her low back which can lead to a performance gain on water entry on all dives.
 

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