Team GB doctor offers services to amateur athletes at London sports clinic

 
First-class treatment: Dr Noel Pollock with British hurdler Perri Shakes-Drayton
Danny Buckland24 April 2014

A sports clinic that helped propel the likes of Mo Farah, Greg Rutherford and Christine Ohuruogu to Olympic glory is offering its unique service to amateur athletes.

Dr Noel Pollock, the official doctor to Team GB’s track and field stars, uses the same array of diagnostic technologies to provide precisely targeted rehabilitation exercises for both Olympians and amateurs.

Some treatments are relatively new, such as Platelet Rich Plasma therapy, which involves concentrating the platelets from a sample of the patient’s blood and injecting them into the site of the injury.

The clinic also provides shock wave therapy, which stimulates collagen cells to carry out repairs.

Dr Pollock, a former 1,500-metre runner for Northern Ireland who shared a house in Teddington with Usain Bolt when they were breaking into the international circuit, said: “All the track and field team have been through here, including Christine, Mo and Greg.

“We have the same ethos for everyone — you need a prompt, accurate diagnosis and then you can plan interventions and management.

“We may have people coming out of the consulting rooms and Christine Ohuruogu is the next person in for the exact same treatments.”

The London Sports Medicine Unit, based at the Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth in St. John’s Wood, is now preparing teams for the Commonwealth Games and the 2016 Olympics.

Of his pioneering service, Dr Pollock said: “The whole range of techniques that we use for gold medallists is available. We combine it all with physio, nutrition and tips. These are things that can give the professional athlete a one per cent improvement but can lead to massive gains for the amateur.”

He added: “It is about getting the best possible treatment and recognising it is not just reserved for the stars but I expect it would be a bit of a thrill to bump into Mo Farah on your trip.”

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Prices start at around £200 for a consultation. Sessions at the clinic are covered by medical insurance.

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