Dr. Dominic Radford
MB ChB, MRCGP, MSc Sports Med, MFSEM (UK)

Dominic graduated from Birmingham Medical School in 1996, after which he worked and travelled in Australia for 18 months. Upon his return to the UK he completed his General Practice training in Hampshire, successfully becoming a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

He has always been a keen sportsman and developed his interests in this area by studying for a Masters degree in Sports Medicine, graduating from the Royal London Hospital in 2003. In September 2007 he was awarded Membership of the Faculty of Sports & Exercise Medicine by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and is now actively working towards obtaining his Fellowship.

Dominic has developed his sports medicine experience within a variety of elite sports. He has worked for the England Rugby League and as team doctor for Leyton Orient Football Club. For the last 4 years he has worked for England Rugby Football Union as an academy doctor and he is currently the RFU Sevens doctor. He has also been employed on a consultancy basis at Fulham Football Club. He now works in the Sports & Exercise Medicine department of the Homerton University NHS Trust Hospital, Hackney an official hospital of the London 2012 Olympics.

Dominic is a recognised specialist in sports medicine by most major insurance companies including BUPA, AXA PPP, WPA, CIGNA, PRU Health, Standard Life, C S Healthcare & Exeter Friendly.

Previous experience has been obtained working at the sports injury clinic at the Royal London Hospital and within the city at Rood Lane Medical Ltd.

He continues to compete in many sports including football, squash, running and triathlons.

What is Sports Medicine?

Sport and exercise medicine is a relatively new medical specialty created in order to provide the most appropriate medical support for sports men and women who have sustained injuries or developed medical problems related to exercise. The early specialists worked primarily for professional and elite teams or athletes but with time started to provide similar support for the more social and casual athletes or those experiencing problems in participating in various exercise programmes for health.

The National Health Service had been slow to recognise the importance of exercise as a health tool but with the successful bid for the London 2012 Olympics came the promise to create Sport & Exercise Medicine (SEM) as an official NHS specialty. Structured training schemes were rapidly organised and the first few specialists have now been recognised and entered onto the specialist register.

The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (UK) was given the role of generating a suitable curriculum suitable for the needs of an SEM physician. This evolving document demands specialist skills necessary for an effective sports medicine physician including competency in; musculoskeletal medicine (MSK), imaging, investigation and injection techniques, rehabilitation, team medicine, exercise physiology, sports nutrition, gait and biomechanical assessment and research.

Treatment regimes may include graded rehabilitation programmes, steroid or cortisone injections, prolotherapy, sclerosant therapy, traumeel injections, diagnostic local anaesthetic injections, hyaluronic acid (hyaluronans) otherwise known as viscosupplementation, high volume injections, autologous blood and platelet rich plasma (PRP). These are often delivered under ultrasound guided scans (USS).

Which Sports?

In order for sports doctors to effectively treat and manage injuries and medical problems they need to have an understanding of a variety of different sporting disciplines in terms of the physiological demands required during training, prehabilitation and competitive scenarios. In addition, to be able to safely and effectively  provide support within competition they have to be familiar with the relevant governing bodies rulings regarding medical care.

The range of different sports necessitating medical  and injury support is impressive and includes;

Team Sports

Football or soccer, rugby union, rugby league, cricket, field hockey, rowing, netball, basketball, baseball, softball, rounders, handball, volleyball, water polo, lacrosse

Individual Disciplines

Athletics, marathon and cross-country running, triathlon, cycling, boxing, wrestling, golf, equestrian, gymnastics, sprinting, fencing, weight lifting

Racquet Sports

Tennis, badminton, squash

Water Based Sports

Swimming, sailing, diving, kayaking or canoeing

Winter Sports

Skiing, snowboarding, skating, ice hockey

Martial Arts

Karate, judo, taikwondo

Gym based exercise

Aerobics, spinning, free weights, machine weights and resistance work.

What Medical Problems Are Encountered?

Physicians working in sport injury clinics often see a huge range of different pathologies (injury and illness).Most commonly injuries are encountered at or near joints as this is where changes in forces are most likely to occur. Nearly all of the structures of the spine, upper and lower limbs can be effected including;

Neck, Cervical Spine, Sternoclavicular Joint

Shoulder, Glenohumeral Joint (GHJ), Acromioclavicular Joint (ACJ)

Arm, Upper Limb, Scapular, Rotator Cuff, Supraspinatous (SSP), Infraspinatous (ISP), Subscapularis (SSP), Pectoralis Major, Pecs Minor

Biceps, Triceps

Elbow, Epicondyle, Olecranon Bursa, Radioulnar Joint

Forearm, Lateral Epicondyle, Medial Epicondyle

Wrist, Hand, Finger, Thumb, Scaphoid Bone, Carpel Tunnel

Thoracic Spine (TSP), Dorsal Spine, Upper Back, Spinal Nerve, Nerve Root, Dorsal Spinous Process

Lumbar Spine (LSP), Disc, Facet Joint, Zygapophyseal Joint, Pars, Lower Back, Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ), Sacrum, Coccyx

Rib, Intercostal Muscle

Abdomen, Abdominal Wall, Abdominals, External Oblique, Internal Oblique, Rectus Abdominis, Conjoint Tendon, Hip Flexors

Hip, Pelvis, Groin, Pubic Symphysis Joint, Pelvic Wall

Gluteal Muscle, Gluts, Iliotibial Band (ITB), Piriformis, Glut Medius, Abductors, Buttock

Hamstring, Biceps Femoris, Semimembranosus, Semitendinosus

Adductors, Adductor Magnus, Adductor Brevis, Adductor Longus

Quadriceps, Rectus Femoris, Vastus Medialis Oblique (VMO), Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Intermedius, Quads, Thigh

Knee Joint, Patella, Knee Cap, Patellofemoral Joint (PTFJ), Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL), Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL), Fat Pad, Patellar Tendon, Retinaculum, Femoral Condyle, Tibial Plateau, Tibial Tuberosity, Popliteus, Plantaris, Meniscus, Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL), Coronal Ligaments, Synovium

Tibia, Fibula, Tibiofibula Joint, Syndesmosis, Shin, Calf, Soleus, Gastrocnemius, Triceps Surae, Tibialis Anterior (TA), Tibialis Posterior (TP), Flexor Hallucis Longus (FHL), Flexor Digitorum Longus, Peroneus Longus, Peroneus Brevis, Peroneal Tendon

Anterior Compartment, Lateral Compartment, Deep Posterior Compartment, Superficial Posterior Compartment

Ankle Joint, Talocrural Joint, Subtalor Joint, Talus Bone, Talar Dome

Anterior Talofibular Ligament (ATFL), Deltoid Ligament, Lateral Ligament Complex, Medial Ligament Complex

Achilles Tendon, Calcaneus, Foot

Tarsal Joints, Tarsometatarsal Joints, Plantar Fascia, Tarsal Tunnel, Heel Spur

Metatarsal Bones, Metatarsophalangeal Joint (MTPJ), Hallux

A whole range of mechanical injuries typically occur to active people including;

Stress fracture, tendon avulsion

Tendonopathy, tendonosis or tendonitis

Muscle strain, sprain, pull, rupture or tear

Ligament strain, tear or rupture

Bursitis, hernia, soft tissue strain

Synovitis, tenosynovitis

Altered biomechanics & gait

Overtraining syndrome or unexplained underperformance syndrome (UUPS)

Acute or chronic overuse issues

Shoulder Problems

Impingement or subacromial bursitis, rotator cuff pain , ACJ pain, scapulothoracic dysfunction, glenohumeral arthritis, shoulder dislocation and instability

Elbow Problems

Medial epicondylosis or golfer’s elbow, lateral epicondylosis or tennis elbow, olecranon bursitis

Wrist and Hand

Carpel tunnel syndrome, fractured scaphoid, dequervains tenosynovitis, trigger finger, finger dislocation or subluxation

Spine Problems

Whiplash, torticollis ,low back pain, lumbago, sciatica, disc prolapse or slipped disc, facet joint pain, pars defect or spondylothesis, sacroiliac joint pain or sacroiliitus, spinous process impingement, referred pain of radiculopathy

Pelvic or Groin Problems

Hip and groin pain, pubic symphysitis, sports hernia, Gilmore’s groin or conjoint tendonopathy, adductor strain, iliopsoas bursitis, somatic radiation

Thigh Problems

Pulled quads, hamstring strain, posterior thigh pain, sciatica, femoral nerve entrapment, iliotibial band syndrome, muscle cork (contusion)

Knee Problems

Meniscal tear, osteoarthritis (OA), fat pad impingement, patellofemoral maltracking or anterior knee pain, torn anterior or posterior cruciate ligament, Osgood schlatters disease

Lower Leg Problems

Medial tibial stress syndrome or shin splints, tibial stress fracture, compartment syndrome, torn calf muscle

Ankle Problems

Recurrent ankle sprain, deltoid ligament strain, achilles tendonitis or tendonopathy, retrocalcaneal bursitis, Sinding Larson Johansson syndrome

Foot Problems

Plantar fasciitis, turf toe, metatarsal fracture, tarsal tunnel syndrome, Lisfranc sprain or fracture.

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