Sue Crafer

madforsailing.com talks to Sue Crafer, Team GBR's physiotherapist, one of a team of specialists that have helped the sailors prepare for, and through, this Games

mfs - At the last Olympics you worked with the Australians, how is the set-up different this time round with Team GBR?

SC - I would say the main thing that is different is that we’ve had two years of consistent input in terms of normal regatta cover. That's pretty similar to the Australian system, but we’ve managed to put into place a system which involves a network of physios being set up so that the sailors can deal with issues that have been identified at a regatta. Conditions are normally diagnosed by myself, and then dealt with at home by top level physios, so that we’ve got the sailing specific injuries and conditions actually dealt with to try and prevent them causing problems in the future.

When I first started with this British group we had 70-80 sailors in place, and I would be working from 7am to midnight on what were quite often long-term problems, those we’ve now got under control. So instead of long-term chronic conditions, we can deal with more acute conditions as and when they arrive. It’s more of a maintenance or control programme.

With the Australian team, I was asked to join then because I had a sailing background and sailors were not known for their preparation, i.e. stretching. I was brought in because I could understand the sailing background and liase between the coaching system, which tends not to be very sports science related, and the medical people who were controlling the injuries. Then it became more of a role in which I would accompany the team around the world, and I started to educate other physios as to what the sailor's needs were.
mfs - How was the Australian system different?

SC - The Australian system was a very reactive system and I’ve made the GB system more proactive, so I’m trying to prevent injuries rather than having to react to them.

mfs - So how much of your treatment is prevention and how much is treatment of injuries?

SC - At this regatta, it’s mainly management, dealing with the injuries as they occur, but this is a pretty unique regatta. Top-level sailors go through a screening process, which identifies their high-risk areas. We send them off to a physio with an explanation of why that condition affects their sailing, I want to see at each regatta that they’ve been treated at home and the physio will then receive a report of how it affected their sailing. The system here at the Games is a reactive one, but prevention has been the biggest issue with the programme that I’ve set up.

mfs - I’ve notice that you tend to use this analogy with bodies being like a boat, could you explain it?

SC - I want to get the sailors to understand why we’re here and what we’re trying to achieve, so I try to compare their body to their boat. I give them the example of their pelvis, i.e. the centre of control of your body is a little bit like the hull of the boat and the rig is a little bit like the spine. So for these two areas to be neutral and balanced, we actually have to tune the rig, we actually have to ask is the rig standing up in the boat in the central position or is it off to one side? The sailors basically understand the fact that the rig has to be balanced and needs to be tuned, we want to get them to understand that the body needs to be balanced and has to be tuned. If one bit of the muscle is pulling harder than another it's the same as if one bit of rig is pulling harder than another, then you’re going to get uneven wear and tear. This is neither cost effective, nor is it performance effective - so why not do something about it and tune the body?

mfs - Do they get it?

SC - They should do, I give enough references to it over the treatment! I think it allows them to understand that it isn’t a gobbledygook science and it is actually related to their performance and that there is something that can be done to tune their body rigging.

mfs - Are there any injuries that are specific to any one class?

SC - That’s quite a hard question to answer. It really depends on the person and what their history is, rather than the class. As an example, you may have someone who helms a 49er now but may have come from a hiking boat previously, so he will have different problems from someone who has only ever trapezed. The only thing that runs through all classes is that backs do tend to be quite a predominant part of a sailor's maintenance and care. That's because, using the boat analogy again, you have to have a core of stability in the boat, you have to have the mast supported in the middle of the boat, and if it isn’t supported properly, then you’ll end up with problems. I’ve seen a lot less injuries at this regatta, which are related to on-going back care.

mfs - What happens on a day to day basis?

SC - Sydney is a bit different to other regattas, what I try to do is provide a programme of continuity. They know where I’m based and I’m very close to them, so they don’t have far to go to see me at any time of the day or night. They can call me at any time of the day or night.

The sailors who are going out racing come in first thing in the morning, probably around 7am. It’s a case of checking on the night before’s treatment or if someone’s had a bad night I’ll take a look at them. We warm them up and help them with stretching. Then after they’ve gone off sailing, I’ll look at those who aren’t actually sailing and again I’ll help with recovery or injury management.

In the afternoon, the sailors tend to come in around 4pm and depending on the weather, I’ll get a few people in. The windsurfers work hard in light winds so they can be demanding. The other classes work harder when it’s windy offshore, so a lot can depend on the weather. I have been known to finish at midnight! I have the help of an Australian massage therapist - Sally Anne Taylor, which helps me out a lot. I find that the treatment also helps them relax. They get away from the pressure of the boat park and relax, watch TV or chat, it all helps.

mfs - Thanks, Sue