The ACPSM is respected as a leader within the sports and exercise medicine scene with representation on the board of the International Federation of Sports Therapists(IFSP) and World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy (WFATT) plus involvement with the National Coaching Foundation (NCF), British Olympic Association (BOA), British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM), British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES) and the National Governing Bodies of Olympic and professional sports.
ACPSM has been working with the BOA and UK Sport to produce a national education framework that is appropriate for the range of the membership. The framework allows the member a graduated pathway for career development as a Sports Physiotherapist. To facilitate this pathway specialised courses and a mentoring network are being developed.
ACPSM has been working with the IFSP on a European Union Leonardo Da Vinci Funded Project to develop Sports Physiotherapy Competencies. These have been adopted world wide as a Gold Standard for Sports Physiotherapy of which our Gold CPD is recognised.
ACPSM has also had involvement in the development of various MSc courses that are now being run from universities throughout the country.
The ACPSM has been responsible for modifying the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s ‘Standards of Physiotherapy Practice in Sports Medicine’ so that they apply more specifically to working in the sporting environment.
The ACPSM has developed clinical guidelines for the PRICE regimen in the early management of soft tissue injuries. An extensive review of the literature and an analysis of current practice resulted in the production of ‘Guidelines for the management of soft tissue (musculoskeletal) injury with Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (PRICE) during the first 72 hours’.