Sports Medicine Clinic - Sarurday 23 June 2007
An enthralled audience at the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) headquarters at Jalan Besar sports complex on Saturday heard words of wisdom
and much mirth from Australian football team doctor, Peter Brukner, at a seminar for coaches, players, administrators and the medical fraternity.
A joint initiative of FAS and Football Federation Australia (FFA) the seminar was the first in a series to be scheduled this year by the Singapore
body, with the promise of more to come on diverse topics such as Coaching, etc
This one on sports medicine went down extremely well as the Socceroos'
physician was able to relate many matters of relevance to his largely
football and medically informed audience.
Dr Brukner, who was introduced in an opening speech by Dr S Krishnamoorthy
and was accompanied on the podium by Singapore's former Olympian sailor, Dr
Benedict Tan, gave an enlightening talk about this emerging and still
evolving branch of medicine which has only recently been recognised by
governments and the medical community as matching the importance of the more
traditional streams.
Australian football is fortunate to have a specialist of Dr Brukner's
calibre at its disposal, even though the doctor can only join them from
time-to-time due to his many other commitments and patients' needs.
"It is a constant juggling act," he said
Peter Brukner is Medical Director of the Olympic Park Sports Medicine
Centre, Melbourne, and was Australian Team Physician at the Olympic Games in
Atlanta 1996 and Sydney, 2000.
It is a far cry from the days when Australia relied on a prominent heart
surgeon as their honorary medical advisor when sports medicine as we know it
now was barely in the public eye.
Dr Brukner is co-author of a book regarded as the definitive work in the
Sports Medicine genre, 'CLINICAL SPORTS MEDICINE', with Dr Karim Kahan and
colleagues, published by McGraw Hill in Australia.
FAS physiotherapist, Yeo Kwee Koon, has a prized copy in her office.
"It's like a bible to me," she says.
Those who attended the seminar would like to get their hands on her copy;
but they will have to wait until they can buy their own as Kwee Koon has her
copy under lock and key.
The seminar was a huge success, largely due to the topicality of the
Socceroos' visit and to the presenters' delivery which was light and
informative.
Dr S Krishnamoorthy, Chair of the FAS Medical Committee, was the perfect
m/c.
When Dr Brukner spoke on subjects such as advances in sports medicine and
changing views on matters like nutrition, podiatry, psychology and even more
interestingly the many suggested cures for groin strains he had his audience
in the palm of his hand.
More on the doctor and his book can be found at: http://www.clinicalsportsmedicine.com
