Carlisle United Supporters’ Club London Branch have once again donated funds to be put to good use on approved club projects, with the latest club purchase being a leg extension machine for the gym at Brunton Park.
The equipment is designed to help with any knee tendon issues or general knee pain, as players can benefit immensely from the use of loaded leg extensions.
First team physiotherapist Chris Brunskill described the addition as probably the most important piece of equipment in the gym.
Speaking on behalf of the London Branch, Chair Dave Brown said: “This is a special piece of equipment that we know Simmo was keen to acquire.
“We immediately sat down with Chris to understand how we could help. Injuries are part of the game but anything we can do to support the club to manage player availability should improve the chances of the team doing well. That is ultimately what all our fans want.”
Describing why he was so keen to have this equipment available for use in the gym, Chris explained: “The leg extension machine has already become an important part of our injured players’ rehab sessions as it gives us the opportunity to isolate the quadriceps muscle group, which is an integral muscle group for football players, and plays a big role in the rehab of injuries such as ACL ruptures, quadriceps strains and hip flexor strains, all of which are very common within the game.
“The machine also allows us to get some pre-training ‘prehab’ work into some of the players who struggle with more chronic issues, such as patella tendonitis, through the prescription of isometric contractions.
“Having the leg extension machine within the gym now means that we can keep injured players rehab on-site whereas, before we had it, we were having to send players out to local gyms to get the use of this.
“We are also able to incorporate this machine into the players' gym programmes throughout the week to help improve their lower limb strength.“