Specialist teams at the hospital and wellbeing centre will use state-of-the-art ultrasound imaging technology to help the Foundation identify, evaluate, treat and rehabilitate talented athletes as they complete TSFA programmes and local residents as they recover from sporting injuries.
August 2016 – Canon Medical Systems today announces the launch of a formal partnership between the Tessa Sanderson Foundation and Academy (TSFA), Homerton Hospital and the Sir Ludwig Guttman Health and Wellbeing Centre. The partnership sees sports injury and musculoskeletal specialists from two nationally-renowned centres of sports medicine excellence using state-of-the-art medical imaging technology within a sports foundation to manage athletes’ health and wellbeing.
The Partnership will continue to build on the legacy of the London 2012 Games by providing health and wellbeing services that meet local needs and expectations, and to encourage local people to improve their own health and wellbeing.
Based at Newham College, TSFA employs a growing number of experienced ex-international class coaches and works with teachers and managers in local schools, community centres, sports clubs and academies. The Foundation and Academy has a structured programme that helps youngsters identify and experience the positive benefit of sport on lifestyle, nutrition and wider life skills.
Dr. Peter Resteghini leads the Sports and Musculoskeletal Clinic at the Homerton University Hospital, where he has trained and worked with staff who have gone on to work in high level sport including the Football Premiership, Rugby and also specialists in sports medicine at the 2012 Olympics. Dr Resteghini and his team will help the Foundation manage medical health initiatives using the Aplio™ 500 ultrasound scanner, helping TSFA maintain their young athletes’ fitness and wellbeing as they participate in sporting activities and prepare for major sporting events such as the Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
Homerton University Hospital will provide a one-stop service for sports injuries and musculoskeletal problems for the Foundation. Providing treatment at Homerton University Hospital and Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health and Wellbeing Centre, a specialist team will assess and treat sports injuries and musculoskeletal problems including; sports injuries, tendon and muscle sprains and strains, joint pain and arthritis among other conditions.
Through the unique partnership, injured athletes and local residents will have access to Sports Physicians, Physiotherapy, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Radiology services including ultrasound guided injections. Additionally patients will have access to biomechanical (podiatric) assessments, a full range of investigations including X-ray, ultrasound, MRI and blood tests where appropriate, and treatment for activity related injuries. The team will provide advice and education for Foundation athletes in order to reduce the risk of future injuries.
As an NHS clinic there is no charge for patients who are referred with sports injuries or musculoskeletal problems. Access to the clinic is generally considered via a referral letter from a GP or local hospital but the clinical will occasionally accept patients via an A&E pathway for a wide variety of MSK conditions.
As well as providing a treatment for injured athletes, the partnership will help promote the rapid development of novel sports medicine and exercise-related applications for ultrasound scanner technology as well as helping TSFA medical staff and the wider community it serves develop an understanding of ultrasound scanner technology as a fundamental building block for young athlete well-being and development.
Canon’s ultrasound technology will enable the TSFA team in partnership with Canon Medical Systems to develop scanner applications and best practice guidelines regarding the early diagnosis, improved rehabilitation and preventative care for these young athletes as they travel through the Foundation and Academy programmes. The partnership will help TSFA maintain their young athletes’ fitness and wellbeing as they participate in sporting activities. By using imaging in innovative ways to track the physical and physiological development of youngsters playing sport, the partnership will identify best practice treatment and exercise regimes for athletes at varying skill and aptitude levels.
TSFA and its partners will use Aplio™ 500 ultrasound scanner technology, which is used by many of the UK’s leading imaging research centres. Designed for high-resolution musculoskeletal imaging, the system features exceptional spatial and contrast resolution to visualise muscle and tendon architecture in super-fine detail. Advanced Dynamic Flow and elastography applications will allow the earliest possible detection of vascular flow interruption and muscle and tendon damage, enabling the Foundation’s medical staff to make fast and accurate decisions on treatment for its growing base of young talent based on immediate diagnosis.
Tessa Sanderson, CBE is excited at formal launch of the partnership: “Our original partnership with Canon Medical Systems gave us a unique opportunity to explore the capabilities of medical imaging within our Foundation environment. Now with a fully developed partnership that involves Homerton Hospital and the Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health and Wellbeing Centre, we’re able to treat athletes quickly and effectively as well as open a pathway for them to learn about sports medicine and sports science by giving them opportunities to learn about how the body performs during exercise and heals after injury.”
Canon Medical Systems UK Managing Director, Mark Hitchman is proud to be part of the partnership: “Our technology is being used by some of the world’s leading sports organisations and community-based sports facilities for significant player and athlete medical care – from Manchester United and Barcelona to the Barnet FC and Imaging Academy, our technology and expertise is helping develop sports science in applied settings for elites athletes and importantly, for the wider community these organisations help to serve and support.
“Our continued efforts in the pursuit of medical imaging excellence is a perfect fit with the aims of Tessa’s Foundation and Academy and its partners. Together we’ll be able to quickly diagnose young athletes and local residents with MSK injuries and get them on a recovery pathway so that they can recover well and realise their sporting and healthy living ambitions.”