Yamba's Ruse helps athletes

Clarence Valley physiotherapist Simon Ruse is back home after working with the Australian Winter Youth Olympics team.

A YAMBA-based physiotherapist was one of the behind the scenes staff who kept Australian Winter Youth Olympic athletes performing at the best at the games in Innsbruck, Austria.

The Australian Winter Youth Olympic Team has this week returned from their successful Games campaign, bringing home two medals and a huge amount of hope for the nation's future in Winter sports.

Yamba's Simon Ruse brought his wealth of experience working with winter athletes to the team.

For the last four years, he has worked in Yamba and at the Grafton Physiotherapy and Sports Injuries Clinic as well as spending the winter months working with Australia's elite skiers as Principal Physiotherapist at Thredbo Altitude Physiotherapy.

The 30-year-old physiotherapist worked with the Australian alpine skiers at the Vancouver Winter Olympics and has been fortunate to tour with some of Australia's finest athletes including dual Olympic moguls medallist Dale Begg-Smith and World Champion snowboarders Nate Johnstone and Holly Crawford.

"Being able to use that experience and bring it to the Youth Olympics has been great," Ruse said.

"It's been a really good opportunity for some of these athletes to experience life as an elite sportsperson and it's also been a great experience for me.

Working closely with Australia's 13 young athletes at the Innsbruck Games, Ruse put a strong focus not only on treatment but on education to prevent future injuries.

"Athletes walk a fine line between achieving the perfect amount of training and getting injuries," Ruse said.

"I've been really lucky at these Games to be spend time with each of the athletes and help them with techniques that will hopefully help them develop the ability to perform at the top of their sport with a healthy body.

"As a physio, what I aim for people to not get injured. If they can achieve results without pain and injury and I have helped that, then I'll be happy."

Ruse is passionate about helping people realise their full potential whether in elite sport or everyday life and it is this ethos that he brings to his practice in Yamba.

Fluid Physiotherapy is located inside the Raymond Laurie Sports Centre.