Between ordering the right tape, to having plenty of ice on hand at the end of the games, a sports trainer's job is sometimes a thankless one for such an important role they play at a club.

Trainers spend their Saturdays with early morning starts, packing up the end of the day, not to mention the time spent at training sessions, making sure players bodies are at their best.

Injuries are every player's heartache, a coach's worst nightmare - this season like no other has had it's fair share of injuries in leagues across the region, some resulting in seasons ending abruptly.

Ararat Physiotherapy and Health Services' physiotherapist and club trainer at the Ararat Rats, TJ Deshmukh supports players in the reserves, seniors, and all of the netball sides.

"For football, a lot of common injuries include getting kneed in the back, hamstring injuries, calf cramps and shoulder injuries," she said.

"With netball, it's normally rolled ankles, ACL injuries in the knee, and sometimes calves.

"Concussions are always bad. With the new rules, you have to get a doctor's clearance and a minimum of two weeks off the sport. Even if it's not bad and you send them out again, it can still go really badly. Either way, if a person is concussed they can't go back out again.

"In the last couple of weeks of the season, you and the players need to make a decision about any injury and the possibility of skipping one game to come back stronger for finals, or suffer through it and miss out on finals."

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Ms Deshmukh said the stream (of appointments) usually starts at about midseason.

"By the end of the season, we're just trying to manage people and get them through. Unless it's really bad then your main aim is to manage it as best you can," she said.

"Injuries are a mental game. With sports injuries, it's more the mental game than a physical game because the body usually recovers pretty well, but the fear sticks in the head.

"You kind of associate your injury with a particular court or ground so you think 'I did this injury in Stawell so I'm going probably do it again on the same ground.'

"Even if your injury takes six weeks to recover, mentally players can be struggling with it for another four to six weeks. You have to convince yourself that you've done everything and you've put in the work and you're not going to hurt yourself."

Ms Deshmukh said the use of tap can also make the players feel safer because of past injuries.

"Mentally it feels a lot better because if you feel safe you're not as likely to hurt yourself again," she said.

"Even with other clubs I've worked with, people would have had an ankle sprain three years ago, and three years later they are still taping it up really heavily and they say they need it to be there.

"You can't argue with them because 100 per cent they will injure themselves if they don't feel safe via the tape. It's like being between a rock and a hard place."

Tape is a huge budget consideration for clubs - roll after roll used weekly to support the player's bodies to get onto the field.

"There are different kinds of tape you have to have on hand - rigid, stretchy, different widths," Ms Deshmukh said.

"On a game day, you would literally go through three different kinds of tapes and maybe five or six rolls, or even more sometimes. You've got thumb tapes, shoulder tapes and rigid tapes, wrist tapes."

Donald's Pat Allen has been in the business of fixing the region's sporting identities, as well as many AFL and international players for over 40 years.

Known in circles as "football's magical healer", the sports therapist was trained by Stawell's Burt Donald and considers himself very lucky to be trained to heal one of a footballer's modern curses; osteitis pubis.

"I work on the muscles and the tendons and underneath that, I work on the nervous system in the body," Mr Allen said.

"To my knowledge, there is no one else in the world who does it.

"I get soccer players coming in from Greece and athletes from London."

During his long career, Mr Allen has treated Geelong's Cameron Mooney, Brisbane Lions' Jonathan Brown, Collingwood's Nick Maxwell, Carlton's Heath Scotland, Anthony Koutoufides and Chris Judd.

"Osteitis pubis is the most common injury I deal with, along with hamstrings and migraine headaches," he said.

"I'm not boasting, but I have about a 95 per cent success rate for successful treatment in one session.

"The other 5 per cent need a second visit and normally it's fixed after that."

Osteitis pubis is an inflammation of the pubic symphysis and surrounding muscle insertions. Mr Allen said there were two areas which cause osteitis pubis.

"There is the tendon over the top of the pelvic bone which goes into the groin," he said.

"That blocks circulation to the groin. I have to release that tendon. Then with the nervous system in the groin. I have to get that activated. That's what I do."

The 81-year-old can't see himself retiring anytime soon.

"My mother lived until she was 97 so I'm hoping I have her genes," he said.

"I don't want to retire. At my age, if you retire at 81, you could die in the next few years with nothing to do.

"I still enjoy the work that I do."

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Mr Allen treats about 40 patients per week in his clinic in Donald.

"I only work four days a week now," he said.

"In my heyday, I was working a lot more and seeing a lot more patients including travelling to AFL clubs once a month."

Mr Allen said he believed the injuries sustained in modern-day football are a result of over-training.

"At AFL level the players are training three hours on the track," he said.

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"After they come from the oval then they are in the gym for two hours. It's too much on their bodies."

Stawell and Ararat chiropractor Dr Tyler Humphris said he only treated athletes during the season on an at-need basis.

"Usually injuries are more muscular and strains and hip issues for netballers," he said.

"There are a variety of different conditions but it all depends on how hard they push themselves in the games."

Dr Humphris said players visit his clinic before the season starts and again once the season is finished.

"They get themselves right for the season ahead," he said.

"It's when players play through injuries more damage is done. If something is niggling at a player they will generally come in and get is seen to during the season.

Dr Humphris said the most common complaint from players was "it hurts when I do this".

"The only way to fix it is to not do it," he said.

"I understand they love the sport and it comes down to their choice of wanting to play and not let their teams down. An injury is an injury. Beyond playing sport, when they reach retirement, the body generally catches up with them.

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"It doesn't matter which method of therapy players choose, from physiotherapy, chiropractic they are all complementary.

"Every field has an aspect to it which can enhance the body to work at it's best."

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