From track and field athlete Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, to cricketer Joe Root – and quite a few of the England 2018 World Cup squad – Yorkshire has produced lots of great sportspeople.
We’re a proud sporting county and as a care provider in Yorkshire, we also have a love of these pastimes. Our Medical Director, Stephen Feldman, was a keen footballer when he was younger and now works with top athletes in the Premier League and other sporting divisions across the globe. Rob Evans, Lead Radiographer at our MRI and sports injury clinic, also has a passion for sport which has seen him take on the role of Lead MRI Radiographer at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, scanning athletes, workers and dignitaries.
It is no coincidence that this in-built passion for sport has transferred into the care we offer at our Thorpe Park headquarters and specifically at our imaging clinic. Since its opening in June 2017, our imaging division has undertaken over 1,300 MRIs, ultrasounds and X-rays.
Referrals have come from over 20 different professional sports clubs and institutions, as well as numerous private clinicians, including physiotherapists, GPs, osteopaths and chiropractors.
We also teamed up with local Yorkshire sporting heroes the Brownlee brothers to open the purpose-built clinic, which features the region’s first private 3T MRI scanner and the team has now carried out MRI scans on over 1,200 patients and 1,500 body parts since we launched 12 months ago.
With Yorkshire being well-known as a key sporting region, in particular for marathons and triathlons, it’s not surprising that knees have been the most popular body part to be scanned, followed by ankles and lumbar spine.
Our expert team of consultant radiologists at LivingCare has expanded in the past 12 months, now offering brain scans in addition to the unrivalled musculoskeletal service. The team has over 50 years’ combined experience delivering sports radiology and imaging, including at the 2003 Commonwealth Games, 2003 World Indoor Athletics Championships and the 2012 Olympics, as well as for a host of other sporting stars and top clubs.
The 3T MRI scanner offers twice the resolution of older 1.5T scanners, is quicker and has 30 per cent more internal space. This significantly helps patients who find traditional scanners uncomfortable and claustrophobic. You can find out more about our scanner here.
We have always been passionate about providing the best care possible to all in Yorkshire – including our local sporting stars – so on Yorkshire Day, we’re pleased to celebrate the achievements of the athletes themselves and also those who get them back up and running after an injury.
In certain circumstances, patients with a sporting injury or joint problem can book an appointment with LivingCare without being referred by their GP, avoiding waiting lists and helping to lighten the load on the NHS. Should it be required, private GP consultations can also be organised.
To book an appointment at LivingCare’s Thorpe Park Clinic, call 0113 397 0981 or visit www.livingcare.co.uk/imaging