Rob Swire (physio)

Robert "Rob" Swire (born 1965) is an English physiotherapist who currently works for English football club Manchester United as their chief physiotherapist.cite news |first=Mark |last=Ward |title=Man Utd's hi-tech answer to injuries |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2558743.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=2002-12-10 |accessdate=2007-12-31 ]

Swire attained his physiotherapy qualification from the Salford School of Physiotherapy in 1985, before completing a postgraduate diploma in Sports Injury, Neuromusculoskeletal Dysfunction and Manual Therapy and earning an MSc in Sports and Exercise Science.

Before taking a job in football, Swire worked a private sports injury clinic. He has worked at Manchester United since 1991, beginning as the club's assistant physiotherapist, first under Jim McGregor and then under David Fevre. When Fevre was hired by Blackburn Rovers' manager and Manchester United's former assistant manager, Brian Kidd, in 1999, Swire was promoted to the position of chief physiotherapist, a position he has held ever since.

In the run-up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Swire was heavily involved in the early stages of Wayne Rooney's recovery and rehabilitation from the foot injury he suffered just six weeks before England were due to play their first match. [cite news |first=Jon |last=Brodkin |coauthors=and Ogden, Mark |title=Eight people to save England's World Cup |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1766196,00.html |publisher=Guardian Unlimited |date=2006-05-03 |accessdate=2008-01-02 ] [cite news |first=Sam |last=Wallace |title=FA wrests control of Rooney's recovery from United |url=http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/internationals/article622070.ece |publisher=The Independent |date=2006-05-31 |accessdate=2008-01-02 ] Although he was not fit for the first game, Rooney made a substitute appearance in the second match against Trinidad and Tobago, playing 32 minutes of the match. This speedy recovery was attributed to the methods used by the physios who treated Rooney, Swire included, although it was plain to see that Rooney was never at full match fitness throughout the tournament.

Following a recurrence of Rooney's metatarsal injury in August 2007, Swire was charged by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson with finding out the cause of Rooney's injury. Media sources had pointed the finger of blame at Rooney's Nike football boots, though these accusations were quashed by Ferguson. Swire and his team posited that Rooney's powerful running style may have contributed to the break, but others say that this instance was just bad luck that Michael Duberry happened to land on that particular bone. [cite news |first=Jonathan |last=Northcroft |title=Boffins rebuilding Rooney |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article2327440.ece |publisher=Sunday Times |date=2007-08-26 |accessdate=2008-01-02 ]

During his time at Manchester United, Swire has been involved in the development of an "injuries database" designed to assess each of the club's players' susceptibility to injury, and the causes of the injuries. The data from the database could then be used to fine-tune the players' training regimes and, ultimately, prevent injuries from taking place.

References

External links

* [http://home.no.net/olavree/?PlayerNo=1303 Profile] at redStat