Interview with Christos Sotiriou, trainer and rehabilitation coach
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What led you to follow the path of fitness coaching with a particular focus on rehabilitation
From a young age I was involved in sports, having managed to turn professional playing football and studying at T at the same time.E.F.A.A.A. Komotini. Finishing my studies and continuing to play football, I started to see the sport from a different point of view and became more interested in the coaching aspect of the sport and the process of a football player returning to his activities after an injury. This image appealed to me and I started to think about how I could help athletes to improve, from the role of a trainer and in particular a rehabilitation trainer. The decision was immediate, starting work immediately as a trainer for a football team as well as privately, rehabilitating athletes in a rehabilitation centre.
What are the three most important skills that a gymnast specializing in injury rehabilitation needs to have?
The first and most important is knowledge as, in addition to basic fitness knowledge, he needs to know medical and physiotherapy definitions. Second characteristic is good communication because he has to communicate with the patient, the doctor and the physiotherapist. Third is communicability and the ability to transfer his knowledge to the patient about the whole procedure to be followed and make the patient feel confident and safe.
In which cases does someone need to follow a special rehabilitation program?
Anyone who has a musculoskeletal injury or pain in their body needs a rehabilitation program in the gym. E.g. (after knee, back, neck, shoulder injuries). Exercise prescription is always prescribed with the agreement and diagnosis of the doctor and physiotherapist.
As a rehabilitation coach what stage of rehabilitation are you involved in? Do you use any particular approach in the rehabilitation programmes you undertake?
In no way do we diagnose the problem. The doctor has the first say where he diagnoses and corrects the injury problem surgically or by prescribing a physical therapy program. When the patient is able to follow a rehabilitation program in the gym after physical therapy, that is exactly when the rehabilitation trainer takes over. Our role
is to reintegrate the patient back to normality and improve the parameters that have been affected by the injury. The approach has as much to do with the patient's clinical picture on the day we take over as it does with their psychological state. A correct understanding of the situation helps us to find out exactly what stage to start working on for the best possible outcome.HTTPS:/CYPRUSTIMES.COM/WP-CONTENT/UPLOADS/2022/01/DSC_8537.JPG
How can someone keep fit if they have a back injury?
It is very important to keep active as much as the pain allows. There are specific exercise methods and programs that we can create and incorporate into the schedule of someone suffering with low back pain to improve their quality of life. The first goal is to maintain and/or reduce body weight. With specific strengthening exercises to improve motor control and stop being in pain.
What advice would you give to an athlete who is under a lot of stress after a long layoff following a serious injury?
The advice in these cases is not one. Fear and insecurity about reintegration into sporting activities is something we work on at the same time as the rehabilitation process. Through the right program the systematic training and the guidance of the athlete, the feeling of self-confidence is cultivated. Daily communication and solving all the questions our athlete has about the process we follow will bring about the desired result.
Do you think that coronavirus has created more movement problems in people?
It is a fact that we have all changed our lifestyle with coronavirus. We have restricted our activities of daily living. The process has forced us into a more sedentary lifestyle. This has created more problems (back, neck, knees).
Find Christos Sotiriou at Fit2thepoint Fitness Boutique & Rehab Studio in Nicosia!
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