Tigers High Performance Sports Medicine Centre

Leicester Tigers Rugby Football Club operates a world class rugby team and is supported by a world class Sports Medicine Department. We constantly strive to maintain the players in peak physical condition and when injuries inevitably occur, we aim to make them stronger, better and less injury prone than before. High level athletes go hand in hand with high level sports medicine professionals in the modern world of professional sport. Here at Leicester Tigers we aim to be at the cutting edge of sports medicine and push the boundaries of care and rehabilitation to the next level.

Julie Hayton - Head of Medical & Rehabilitation Services

Julie has a vast amount of experience within the sporting environment. Julie has Sports Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation degrees as well as specialising in massage and soft tissue with numerous high level qualifications. Another area of specialist expertise is rehabilitation of the lower limb having trained under some world renowned sports medicine practitioners. Julie started work with Leicester City Academy and Senior squads before starting with Leicester Tigers in 2002. Julie's rise has progressed through massage therapist, rehabilitation coach, deputy department head to the most current role, Head of Medical & Rehabilitation Services. In addition to this, Julie has worked with the Welsh National Rugby Squad on a consultancy basis, Gladiators and McLaren Formula One.

Bobby Sourbuts - Head Physiotherapist

Bobby graduated with BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy Degree from Brunel University in 1998, and has recently completed his MSc in Sports Physiotherapy form Cardiff University. Bobby has a vast amount of experience in the management of sports injuries and joined Leicester Tigers in 2008. Bobby has previously worked with Nottingham Rugby, Welsh Touch Rugby Association at European and World Championships, in the NHS, private practice and lecturing on the undergraduate Physiotherapy course at Nottingham University. Bobby utilizes his clinical reasoning skills and a variety of assessment and treatment techniques in the management of the Tigers 1st team squad.

Kal Parmar - Sports Medicine Doctor

Kal has been involved in treating sports and musculoskeletal related injuries since 2002; he spent 5 years in Australia, including a year at the Australian Institute of Sport to complete a full time MSc Degree in Sports Medicine, prior to commencing advanced specialist training with the Australasian College of Sports Physicians. This training was interrupted when he relocated to the UK to take up the position as Club Doctor at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club where he stayed for over 2 years before concentrating on his private practice in Sports Medicine.

Current positions include Club Doctor, Leicester Tigers Rugby Union; Honorary Physician for the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine; Honorary Clinical Teacher, Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, University College London; private practice in Sports Medicine at: Pure Sports Medicine, London, The London Centre for Musculoskeletal Services, The Gilmore Groin & Hernia Clinic, 108 Harley Street and the Spire Leicester Hospital.

He has worked with sports from grass routes through to National Teams, having been on tour with the National Australian Men's and Women's Senior Hockey Teams as well as Australian National Football teams. Other clubs have included coverage for The Australian Cricket Team 2009 Ashes 5th test and 2009 One Day International series; The Wallabies - whilst on tour in the UK in 2008; The Brumbies Rugby Union and Sydney Swans AFL reserve teams and the Sydney International Tennis tournament. He also has recently attended the World University Games in Serbia in 2009 as Team Doctor to the Australian Team.

Martyn Newey - Sports Medicine Doctor

Martyn studied Medicine at St George's Hospital Medical School, London, and qualified in 1986. He trained in orthopaedic surgery around London, the south-east of England and the West Midlands. Following an additional year training in spinal surgery in Oswestry and a second year as a Neuro-orthopaedic Spinal Fellow in Adelaide, South Australia, Martyn became a consultant surgeon in Leicester in 1998.

Martyn works predominantly in the NHS and his main interest is in the management of common spinal disorders and spinal trauma. Martyn is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and a member of both the British Association of Spine Surgeons and European Spine Society. Lastly, he is also a member of the Faculty of Examiners and Regional Surgical Adviser for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Dave Orton - Senior 1st Team Physiotherapist

Dave graduated with his BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy Degree from the University of Hertfordshire in 2004. He spent three years within the NHS whilst working part time for Saracens Rugby Club and playing County representative rugby before moving to Watford Football Club. Dave worked with the Academy for two seasons and then onto the 1st team for another two seasons in the Championship. Dave utilises a variety of treatment adjuncts including acupuncture, Kinesio tape, manipulations & strapping and he has now come back to rugby and joined Tigers in 2010 working with the 1st team and is also due to complete his MSc in Sports Injuries in June 2011. In addition to this, Dave has consulted for Red Bull Formula One and other National competitors in athletics and martial arts.

Rowan Sil - Academy Doctor

Rowan qualified in 2003 as a doctor from Leicester Medical School and pursued an interest in Orthopaedics and Emergency Medicine as a junior doctor, mainly in the Leicester hospitals. Rowan started work with the Tiger's Academy team in 2007 as their pitch side Doctor and finished postgraduate training as a GP in 2009. Currently, Rowan works in a busy practice in Coalville as well as covering the majority of the home matches for the Academy and A League Teams. Rowan is a keen road/mountain biker and snowboarder (when he can get away).

Alena Dostalova - Academy Medical Services Manager

Alena qualified as a physiotherapist from Coventry University in 2006. For the last five years she has worked for University of Wales Institute Cardiff RFC and the NHS in Cardiff, whilst also touring with Crawshays Welsh RFC Youth and North Wales Exiles 7's teams. Alena is currently completing her research project to finalise her MSc in Sports & Exercise Medicine at University of Wales Institute Cardiff. Having worked extensively in the Under 21 age category Alena has a keen interest in long term development and injury prevention as well as rehabilitation and soft tissue work.

Will Gowtage - Rehabilitation Coach

Will graduated from Salford University in 2008 with a degree in Sports Rehabilitation. He then went onto work in private practice and with local amateur and semi-professional sports teams. In January 2009 Will established his own small sports injury clinic and in the same year spent a summer working for the Manchester United Soccer Schools. Will joined the Leicester Tigers medical team in January 2010 and focuses much of his work on injury prevention, rehabilitation and Active Release Techniques.

Jay Pancholi - Head Masseur

Jay qualified as a Sport Therapist in 1997 and has been associated with Leicester Tigers since 1996. He was introduced to Leicester Tigers through his former tutor and Tigers legend John Duggan. Jay is the massage therapist for the senior squad and has gone on to specialise in Active Release Techniques & Kinesio tape. His interests include music, playing the drums and supporting Leicester Tigers and Leicester City Football Club. Jay has also worked with many rugby teams whilst on tour in England including Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland 'A'.

Stuart Bartlett - Medical Sports Science & Masseur

Stuart attended University of West of England, Bristol where he studied BSc Sports Coaching Science specialising in sports therapy. Upon graduating University in 2010 with a Second Class Honours Degree, Stuart continued his professional development at Oxford School of Massage, where he undertook a Level five Sports and Remedial Massage Diploma. To further his experiences Stuart joined Leicester Tigers Medical Team, gaining understanding and practical experience in elite sport. Nearing completion of the Sports Massage Course, Stuart began full time employment with Leicester Tigers. Utilising his Degree in Sports Science, Stuart accumulates and analyses medical data with intentions to prevent injury, whilst combining his professional training to rehabilitate the players with Sports Massage.

Becky Judkins - Head of Medical Administration

Becky started at Leicester Tigers in 2005 as the strength and conditioning administrator then moved to the medical department at the end of 2006. Becky supplies administrative support to all members of the medical team and works closely with the club doctor to arrange hospital appointments for the senior and academy squad. Becky has also recently spent time at the Leicester Spire Hospital learning how the private hospitals work and how we can bring different ideas into our environment to provide a better overall service.

Ulrik Sandstrom - Chiropractor

Ulrik joined Tigers at the start of the 2009/10 season and has 20 years of clinical experience behind him. Fifteen of those have been involved with treating elite athletes ranging from rugby and football to basketball and motorsport. He has delivered his services to a number of clubs and teams including Chelsea Football Club, Great Britain Basketball Team, Sheffield Wednesday FC and Sheffield United FC as well as working at several international sporting events. Ulrik lectures nationally and internationally on Sports Chiropractic and is the past president of the British Chiropractic Sports Council. He uses a range of therapeutic techniques including Manipulation, Graston Technique, Dry Needle Therapy and Manual Muscle Testing, and apart from getting Tigers' necks and backs in order, he is also looks at how disturbances in the spine can affect the nervous system and contribute to injuries of muscles such as hamstrings and groins.