Students link with Scarlets physios’

Sports therapy students at Coleg Sir Gâr’s Graig campus are getting hands-on experience in a work placement programme set-up at Parc y Scarlets.

Part-time students are benefitting from the college’s partnership links with the club whose physiotherapy team have taken them under their wing to supervise massage therapy treatments for players.

Victoria Kalmaru from Pwll took-up the course following redundancy and as a result she’s recently started her own business, Revive Sports Massage. She said: “This placement gives us the chance to practice the techniques we learn at college such as soft tissue release and muscle energy techniques.

“Working with a professional team is a confidence booster and it’s definitely given me some pointers for my own company.”

Patrick Moran, head physiotherapist at Parc y Scarlets, said: “Sports therapy treatments help players cope with the demands of a professional game by offering relief for aching muscles and targeted treatments on body areas at high risk of injury.”

Students are on-hand at the club’s treatment room for two hours, once a week and will spend approximately 20 minutes focussing on a particular area of the body such as calf muscles or hamstrings and will treat around three players each per session.

Student Melanie Kanz from Burry Port added: “The scheme works on a rotational basis, so everyone gets the opportunity of working at the Scarlets.

“Under the supervision of the club’s physiotherapy team I’ve also learnt other techniques like using ice massage for therapeutic benefit.”

Picture:

Scarlets head of physiotherapy Patrick Moran oversees Coleg Sir Gâr sports therapy students Victoria Kalmaru (front) from Pwll and Melanie Kanz from Burry Port, working on Scarlets development squad and Carmarthen Quins player Rheon James and (back) Scarlets first team player, Rob McCusker with a soft tissue massage.