Injury prevention and recovery with elite sports physio Alison Rose

Injuries have an irritating habit of putting the brakes on the games, races and headspace we train for. Elite athletes aren’t immune either, with heavy training schedules increasing the risk of overuse injuries over time.

Sports physio Alison Rose knows what it takes to keep athletes moving. For starters, she’s credited with helping Dame Kelly Holmes stay injury-free in the two years leading up to the Athens Olympics in 2004, where she won double gold in the 800m and 1500m. 

Prevention beats cure

“Having physio regularly, whether you are injured or not, can help you to stay injury-free,” says Alison. Her advice? Work with someone you trust and see them regularly, so they can spot changes and warning signs before they become injuries.

Alison brings her own experience as an elite GB marathon runner to her work. “When I was racing, it was helpful to be able to identify that I was getting an injury and work out why, so I could address it before it became too bad to train,” she says. That personal experience also taught her how athletes think, manage performance and cope with the demands of training and competition.

Rest days matter

One of the biggest mistakes she sees? Not listening to your body – particularly when you’re tired. “Rest days are important for physiological adaptation and mental and neural recovery,” she emphasises. 

But rest doesn’t always mean doing nothing. Alison recommends active recovery, including biking, swimming and walking – they can help maintain fitness while you address the causes of injury and minimise any weak links.

Her wider advice is simple: “Stay strong, move well, be smart in your training,” she says. “Make sure your nutrition is good, and love what you do.”

Discover the drills and strategies that helped Jessica Ennis-Hill <internal link>, James Willstrop <internal link>, Sky Brown <internal link> and Shauna Coxsey <internal link> return from injury stronger.