WHAT do an elderly paraglider, an exhausted marathon runner and a future Olympic athlete have in common?

The answer is that all stand to benefit from a cutting-edge physiotherapy service at the University of Worcester.

The physiotherapy team based at the MARRC building treats everyone from desk-bound office workers with lower back pain to talented Paralympic athletes with aches and strains.

The 206 Physiotherapy and Sports Massage Centre moved into its university base last November from its previous home in the city's Foregate Street.

The change of scenery has brought the team considerable advantages, not least access to the £1.5 million MARRC (Motion Analysis Research and Rehabilitation Centre) which has a motion capture device.

The technology, which uses multiple cameras to record the subject in three dimensions, identifies faulty movement patterns which could lead to an injury.

Because the 3D images can be played back in slow motion it is an invaluable tool to help identify and correct a problem.

The team could, for example, look at a fast bowler and isolate motion problems which are the result of, or could potentially cause, an injury.

Those to benefit include a snowboarder, a 75-year-old paraglider who landed badly and an ironman who swims, cycles and runs back-to-back marathons.

Boxers, rugby players, footballers, university staff and students, and non-sporting types who simply want an "MOT" for their body, have also been helped.

The team uses a combination of treatments including sports massage from Chris Smallman, electro-therapy based on ultra-sound which helps heal damaged tissues, pilates and acupuncture.

Recently they have had their hands full, quite literally, treating about 50 London marathon runners before and after the race.

Some were patched up ready to run the race but others were told to defer entry until next year and "rest", the word all athletes, amateur or professional, most dread to hear.

Chartered physiotherapist Rachel Stevens, aged 42, of Lower Wick, who is based at the centre, said: "Some marathon runners came in two weeks before the marathon with an injury and their expectations have been blown out of the water."

However, she said the emphasis at the centre is placed firmly on what athletes can do to stay fit when they have an injury, such as swimming, rather than putting a complete stop to their exercise regime.

She said the correct type and level of physical activity can aid rather than hinder recovery and rehabilitation.

Chartered physiotherapist Mindy Davey, aged 35, of St John's, Worcester, who works alongside Rachel, said: "Whether they are sports people or Joe Public, they are often very motivated to get themselves better.

"The last thing athletes want to be told is to rest. But as good as we are, there's no substitute for the body's natural healing system."

The university has already been shortlisted as a training centre for the 2012 Olympic Games and the physiotherapy team wants to offer reduced prices for treatment for athletes as part of a sponsorship deal to raise the profile of the service.

The team is already involved with the university's talented athlete scholarship scheme, which is focused on developing the skills of young sportsmen and women who could become the stars of the future.

Work is not only directed towards the treatment of sports injuries but also work-related ones.

You might expect that people who suffer injuries at work would perform manual jobs but it is often desk-bound jobs such as telesales where people suffer with conditions such as sciatica or lower back pain, because, as Rachel says, the human body is "not designed to sit all day".

It is physical jobs which involve both cardio-vascular and muscular work that help people stay fit and in good shape.

Mindy said: "Often there's a relatively simple solution to the problem - just because we have back pain at work doesn't mean you have to stop working."

One of the most important ways people can reduce the risk of injury is to develop their core strength - the legs, shoulders, chest, back, arms and abdominal muscles - for example, with the inflatable gym ball which is now a feature of most fitness centres and is recommended by physiotherapists at the MARRC building to aid recovery from injury.

By creating an unstable surface during a workout the ball is especially useful for a training regime which helps work a wide range of muscle groups, helping the body recover from injury or to reduce the risk of it happening at all.

l Call 206 Therapy on 01905 857520, e-mail 206therapy@marrc.co.uk or visit www.marrc.co.uk/206therapy.