One of the best things we can do for our patients is communicate with them well. Look at your day in the clinic: it’s talk, talk, talk! It is important that we talk well, as great communication is vital to becoming a great therapist. This is well covered ground on this site, as we have discussed the power of a great analogy and the role of communication in improving patient compliance. This article will discuss another valuable tool you have in your ‘Communicate Like A Champ’ toolbox… storytelling.
We all know that hamstring strains are common injuries within sports that involve sprinting and jumping. In fact, they represent a significant proportion of muscle injuries: 50% in sprinting, 40% in soccer (Yeung et al, 2009) and 14% in Australian Rules football (Gabbe et al, 2006). They have been shown to be more common than any other muscle injuries and players are 2.5 times more likely to suffer a hamstring strain compared to a strain of their quadriceps (Woods et al, 2004). This is significant as Small et al (2010) found that soccer players miss on average 3 competitive matches per hamstring injury. Consider the huge impact on the success of sporting teams when high profile players are injured!