February 7 2012

Alex Manos

Crystal Palace were hit by a virus that swept through the squad last month and club physio Alex Manos explains how a player recovers from illness.

Football fans will have health insurance in place to cover for any loss of earnings while off work but players have to worry about getting back to full physical shape again.

And Manos, speaking to HotScores.tv, said: "The problem with illness is that a player is often completely incapacitated. With injury, conditioning and strength work can be continued. The general consensus is that after two weeks of inactivity a considerable degree of fitness is lost, then it goes down daily.

"The problem is when you’re ill, the body gets really tired and dehydrated. It’s really about monitoring their weight and hydration when they return. If it’s a case of three or four days, players will often get thrown straight back into training.

"Some managers request players have the flu [vaccination] jabs, I’ve never had to deal with a player who had suffered with a long viral illness. [I suppose when players have children they pick up more illnesses?] Yes they do, they definitely do!

"Often it’s minor illnesses like vomiting and diarrhoea, which are easily spread throughout the squad. For the benefit of the team we’re pretty strict about players not coming in until they are completely symptom free." Better start looking into group health insurance then!

Manos has helped players like Alex Marrow, Kagisho Dikgacoi and Owen Garvan successfully recover from injuries this season and says they are still closely monitored when they return to action.

He added: "I specifically track players who have just returned from the treatment room. I tend to look at things close-up, so when someone jumps or lands or goes in for a tackle I’m watching how their body is working. If someone is sprinting for a ball, I’ll be looking how the body reacts, it’s a natural part of being a physio."

To read the full HotScores.tv interview with Alex, click here