Bournemouth Student and Aspiring Olympic Swimmer Receives Golden Chiropractic Treatment
Aspiring Olympic GB swimmer, Kayla van der Merwe, a 15-year old student from Bournemouth Collegiate School, was referred to AECC University College’s Chiropractic Clinic in October 2018. Struggling with shoulder pain, Kayla feared that this was effecting both her training and competing. Thankfully our Chiropractic Clinic was able to assess Kayla and provide the tailored treatment befitting of an elite athlete.
For leading competitors such as Kayla, demanding training is routine and can take its toll on athletes health and wellbeing. An average training session for Kayla will consist of swimming 8,000 – 12,000 metres per day, across two sessions for 5-7 days of every week. This rigorous training programme accumulates to an average of 9900 strokes per week for males and 16,500 strokes per week for females – an enormous load being placed on the shoulders.
The repetitive nature of swimming means that often athletes of Kayla's calibre are prone to developing injuries, but whilst Kayla is young and at the beginning of a very promising career, the University College's expertise is well-placed to support and assist her throughout this exciting progression.
Kayla has since been working with chiropractic intern, Eleanor Pennycook, at our on-site chiropractic clinic. The initial chiropractic care Kayla received focused on reducing pain and inflammation, followed by restoration of full and pain-free range of motion for her shoulders. Once this was achieved, restoration of the optimal biomechanics of the shoulder was addressed.
Kayla continues to receive chiropractic care where the focus remains on the rehabilitation of the shoulder complex and the upper extremity in conjunction with specific spinal adjustments. The aim of on-going care is to prevent shoulder pain limiting Kayla's future performance and career as a professional swimmer.
Since beginning chiropractic care, Kayla has seen a significant reduction of shoulder pain during her training and competing. This has allowed her to continue to train as the intensity required of an athlete of her ambitions. Kayla recently ended 2018 with three national age group titles, broke a British junior national record that stood unbeaten for 15 years, and moved up to 5th place in the Senior National Final. To conclude a transformative year, Kayla has been selected to represent England for the FFN Golden Tour to Nice in 2019.
AECC University College is proud to support our local aspiring athletes, and to partner with Bournemouth Collegiate School providing them with specialist health science support and expertise.