New technology at ASPIRE ensures student health and safety

Qatar's Academy for Sports Excellence has recently developed an 'Assessment Station' within the Health Center, which now houses a broad range of innovative equipment, including some that only the world's top sporting organizations possess.

The 'Cryonic gun' is one of the most impressive examples of the physiotherapy team's kit. Increasingly popular with top European sports clubs, the gun plays a crucial part in caring for ASPIRE students.

The equipment is based on advanced knowledge of the principle of 'thermoshock': its CO2 cylinder produces temperatures of down to minus 78 degrees Celsius. The process reduces an athlete's skin by up to five degrees within 30 seconds, helping to prevent serious inflammation and swelling in the case of acute injury. It is also particularly useful for the treatment of injuries specific to young people.

Much of the Academy's equipment is obtained before other top sporting institutions. The Laser FP3 system, which is used to greatly reduce recovery times, was famously used by Rapha Nadal during the 2007 US Tennis Open. ASPIRE recently became the first establishment in the whole of the Middle East and Asia to begin to use this sophisticated apparatus.

Such innovations are just one element of the Health Center's role of helping the development of student athletes by ensuring the best possible clinical examination, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of injury.

By constructing a detailed profile of each student and his injury risks, the team is able to build tailor-made prevention strategies.

While at a professional level such equipment is used to race athletes back to competitions as quickly as possible, at ASPIRE the emphasis is always on long-term development. The aim is not to rush the students back in time for tournaments but to help guarantee that ASPIRE athletes possess the physical strength to minimize the risk of suffering injuries typical to their sports.

ASPIRE Senior Sports Therapist Oliver Materne said: "Our task it to maintain and improve the maximum health of our students at all times. We cannot avoid injury in sport, but we can reduce the risk."

"We explain to students that when they feel something wrong, that they come to us as early as possible. Any injury is easier to manage when it is acute. We can therefore help prevent major complication. Now with our new equipment we can make further headway in such dynamic assessment."