Physiotherapy – Jeanette Wright
Jeanette Wright
As an endurance athlete you will pick up the odd injury from time to time, this might be the result of falling off your bike or the result of incorrect technique or posture. Physiotherapy plays a vital role to ensure that your problem gets diagnosed correctly and the correct rehabilitation and strengthening plan is put in place to get you back out training and racing to your potential.
Jeanette Wright
Jeanette is a Physiotherapist who has been working at SportsMed for the past 7 years. She specializes in muscle balance assessments – specific to triathlon, multisport, running and cycling – and works closely to link this with the gait retraining work of Karen Muller and Bruce Baxter. Jeanette also specializes in knee injuries and knee rehab, but also does anything else that is thrown her way! She has an Honours degree in Physical Education (Exercise Physiology) and a Bachelor of Physiotherapy Degree.
Jeanette is currently a member of the NZ Elite Cross Country Mountain Biking Team to compete at the 2009 World Championships.
Past sporting history – Athletics, Surfing and Multisport (Coast to Coast teams, 2-day individual and Longest Day).
Jeanette also specialises in Muscle Balance assessments
A ‘muscle balance’ is an important tool for injury prevention. It is conducted by a Physiotherapist, and involves testing the length and strength of different muscle groups to determine if there is any ‘imbalance’ that may predispose an athlete to injury.
A muscle balance can also identify certain muscle groups that may not be ‘pulling their weight’ and helping the athlete to be as efficient or as fast as they can be. At SportsMed we link our muscle balance testing to what is required for the athlete’s specific sport. We are then able to create and prescribe specific exercises to correct the imbalances present, and enable to athlete to get the most out of their training and performance.
When presenting at SportsMed for a muscle balance assessment, it is important that the athlete comes dressed appropriately. This means shorts and tee-shirts that enable the athlete’s limbs to move freely. If the athlete is a runner, it is also useful for the Physiotherapist to view them running in their running shoes.