Tell us how you got inclined towards Sports Physiotherapy?

Since childhood I was always inclined towards sports, I used to play cricket and other sports. When finally, it came to choosing a career, I got an opportunity to be a Sports Physiotherapist. This way I could always be associated with sports.

Tell us about your journey of RIO OLYMPICS? 

Rio Olympics was my first Olympic experience; it was an amazing journey working with the Indian wrestling team. Being at an international competition like Olympics is like ones in a lifetime experience, you get to learn and experience a lot of things when you interact with other foreign athletes and support staffs.

How was it working with the Indian Wrestling Team, especially  working with athletes like Bajrang Punia, Yogeshwar Dutt and Narsingh Yadav ?

Working with the Indian wrestling team was more focussed on management and training load guidance. Wrestlers usually have the mind set to train long and hard every session even if they are injured. So initially when I started with them, I had to work more upon making them understand how and when to listen to their bodies and adjust their training load accordingly. Star wrestlers like Yogeshwar Dutt , Bajrang Punia and Narsingh Yadav they are matured and intelligent athletes, so it was easy to work with them. All together it was fun working with the wrestling team along with the never stopping loud haryanvi music in every training sessions.

Please share a summary of Wrestling Training plan.

The basic rule to be followed working with the wrestlers is to make them understand that, they have to listen to their bodies. and make them understand the red flags of injury. 

Training hard and long every single session is just going to increase their chances of injury. 

A customised injury prevention plan need to be designed depending upon the initial assessment of every wrestler. Most common injury sites for wrestlers are knee and the lower back. 

Communication with the coach regarding athletes injury status and overall fitness is very important. It will help the coach design and modify the training plan accordingly. 

In case of an injury explain the athlete what has happened , how and why it might have happened, how much time it will take to recover back and finally what the athlete has to do in the future to prevent injuries.  

Are you interested in imparting your hands-on experience to the budding Physios?

Definitely I would love to do that but I would rather love to discuss and share my real time experience with athletes and injuries on field and off field. I feel the upcoming physios need more of an overview what actually has to be done on field rather than just theoretical learning. 

How will you express your experience of being NEERAJ CHOPRA’S Physio at TOKYO OLYMPICS?

I have been working with Neeraj Chopra since 2017 as his personal physio and I can tell you it has been a roller-coaster like experience. Together we have experienced both highs and lows in his career. From winning golds to undergoing elbow surgery it has been an amazing journey. Neeraj chopra is one of the best athletes you could work with. He is an amazing human being.  

Can you recollect an incidence where Neeraj got an injury where Physiotherapy came out as a saviour?

It was his elbow injury which could have ended his career. So after the elbow surgery we had planned out his proper rehab plan at Inspire Institute of Sports and within 4 months he was back to throwing javelin again. 

Do you think Indian Physios are equally talented and trained as their Foreign counterparts? 

Definitely the Indian physios are equally talented, we get more patients on daily basis as compared to foreign physios which helps us get more exposure. 

 Your message to the upcoming Physios.

Stick to the basics. Don’t go for the quick fixes , try  to get to the root cause of the injury. 

Explain the athlete what the injury is, why the injury could have happened, how can you help him and how to prevent injuries in the future. 

What are the latest techniques you consider as game changers for Sports Physiotherapy? 

The latest recovery equipments like normatec , game ready, thera-gun are really a game changer in todays sporting world.