How to be a sports physiotherapist, with Randall Cooper and Mick Hughes

In this week's episode, Zuzana and I talk to specialist sports and exercise physiotherapist Randall Cooper and APA sports and exercise physiotherapist Mick Hughes from learn.physio about the foundational knowledge and skills that helped them become leaders in the field of ACL injury and management. We talk about the experiences that shaped their early careers, their pathway towards a career in sports physiotherapy, what motivated their special interests in ACL injuries and rehabilitation and the roles and responsibilities of a sports physio travelling and working with a team and with elite athletes. Zuzana co-hosts the episode and talks about her own experiences travelling the world and working as a sports physio. This episode is full of worldly and sage advice from three highly experienced practitioners and educators. Enjoy! In this episode: 0:00 Introducing Randall and Mick 0:28 About Randall and Mick 3:12 Randall's foundations 7:35 Mick's foundations 10:00 Students - It's not all about the grades 10:58 Zuzana - Learn from your patients 11:55 Randall - What does a sports physio do? 14:28 Mick - Roles and responsibilities of a sports physio in a team 18:30 Zuzana - travelling and working in teams 20:50 Randall - Working in a team makes you accountable 21:50 Mick - Being accountable for athletes makes you reflect on your practice 22:35 Zuzana - Working in a sports team is a completely different experience from working in a clinic 25:55 The most important knowledge and skills for a sports physio 27:12 Randall - The most successful practitioners and the best communicators 27:50 Mick - Bring your personal experience and communication skills into your practice 31:00 Zuzana - Don't forget athlete's mental health. Keep them in some type of sport 33:10 Randall - The Winter Olympics!   Find out more about Mick, Randall and Learn Physio at learn.physio Find out more about Zuzana  You can find a video version of this podcast on the Perraton Physio YouTube channel For a list of episodes, transcripts and associated blogs, visit perraton.physio/physiofoundations Find the follow or subscribe button on your podcast app. Follow @PerratonPhysio on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linked In. Share this episode and tag me in @lukeperraton   Do you have a topic you would like me to cover on the podcast? Email me: [email protected] Always seek the guidance of a qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition