Keith Gladstone set up Athletic Health; A company that provides sports injury and performance management for TV / media and professional sports teams. Most recently Keith Gladstone has been in Austria on set for channel 4’s TV show The Jump. With his team of therapists, Keith Gladstone worked to help the celebrity contestants get through the intense and physically challenging training and performing schedule for the show.
What is your back ground and how did you end up working on The Jump?
I’m an osteopath and sport scientist with special interest in sports injuries. I worked at Lord’s cricket ground with Middlesex CCC and the MCC for 7 seasons. Cricket was full time during the summer months but over the winter in 2011 I was asked to work on a television show looking after the celebrity contestants who were taking part in physically challenging and potentially risky activities in a show called Famous and Fearless. With more and more reality shows being produced with contestants taking part in physically challenging tasks, I found myself working on ever more shows.
Tell us about the Jump, for those that don’t already know?
The jump is a celebrity reality TV show in which contestants compete in various winter sports, including slalom skiing, skeleton, ski-cross and ultimately ski jumping. We spend 8 weeks in a ski resort in Austria while the contestants train and compete. It’s fun gig.
What sorts of injuries did you and your team have to deal with?
With 16 people skiing 4 hours a day for 8 weeks you are bound to pick up knocks. We had to deal with the usual sprains, strains and bruises and ligament ruptures and broken bones.
What is it like working with celebrities?
Just like any other patient! It makes no difference who we are treating, we treat everyone the same….which is as best we can. Some of the celebrities were ex-international sportspeople, some were current olympians and others were reality TV stars with little experience of injury and treatment. We set up a treatment area at each training location and were there at all times to help assess and treat any physical problems that occurred.
Did you use Rocktape?
Yes we did. It a stock item in my medical supplies. We have to travel with all our medical supplies and make sure we have everything we need and I would always make sure we were stocked up. Some contestants had experience with it and requested us to tape them.
What is next for you?
TV wise it’s the World’s Strongest Man Competition in May. This year it’s in Botswana. It’s an amazing event with some of the most dedicated athletes I’ve ever worked with who make huge sacrifices for their sport. I’m just restocking my medical supplies and RockTape will certainly be in our kit. We usually take the H2O tape as its extra sticky which considering we are in the hot an sweaty conditions of Africa its ideal. I will also be joining the medical department at The England National Rugby team, but after working with the strongmen the rugby players will look small!
Website: www.athletichealth.co.uk
Twitter: @keithgladstone
Instagram: athletic_health