Introducing Anil Daniel Prasad, an experienced sports and musculoskeletal physiotherapist with vast experience in the UAE and India, evaluating and treating patients with injuries stemming from simple or complex sports, orthopaedic, and occupational health. We are proud to welcome him as our new resident physiotherapist here at Living Room Health.
Welcome, Anil. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Yes! My name is Anil, and I am a physiotherapist. I have a university degree in physiotherapy from India and I have been working in India & Dubai for the last 18 years. I have a special interest in managing sports and musculoskeletal injuries as well as treating patients with chronic tendon & joint pain.
I use shockwave & exercise therapy to treat patients with chronic tendon pain. Shockwave therapy has been used for few years now and generates good response. There’s also evidence that it helps patients with chronic tendon pain. It addresses pain directly and at the same time has a regenerative aspect. When treating patients with shockwave, I also address the patient as a whole and use a biopsychosocial approach. This means incorporating various therapies to treat the patient, including physiotherapy, and a graded exercise programme, which would address their general health and get them back on track.
"I use shockwave & exercise therapy to treat patients with chronic tendon pain. Shockwave therapy has been used for few years now and generates good response. "
What got you interested in physiotherapy? What kind of physiotherapist did you aspire to be?
I was very much interested in cricket! As an Indian, we only know one sport, cricket. I always wanted to be helping those cricketers, and I still remember seeing the physio running onto the field helping the players, and I just loved it! I dreamt of becoming a physio for the Indian cricket team. In recent years, I have worked with professional athletes in various sport like tennis, polo, squash, martial arts and football.
"I am motivated by a desire to help people. I want people to be pain-free and resume their physical activity."
Do you play any sports yourself?
In 2020, I discovered running. As a physio, I used to treat a lot of runners but never got into it myself. I thought what they were doing was crazy, so I never tried it and it never really interested me. But in 2020 there was a 10k run called Dubai Run 2019 that had free entry and a friend of mine convinced me to sign up for it. I’d never ran more than 5k, but when I ran that 10k race, I knew there was something here. I immediately signed up for 10 more 10k races.
Becoming a runner actually made me a better physio and really changed my perspective on my patients. I find that I address things differently with my new perspective. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made.
I’ve gone through a few injuries on my running journey, mostly by overdoing it. I ended up having to do more strength and conditioning work as well as running. This enabled me to take my running to the next level and last year I actually completed an ultramarathon (70k).
What motivates you at work?
I am motivated by a desire to help people. I want to get people to be pain-free and resume their physical activity.
For an example, recently I had a volleyball player as a patient who had been suffering of knee pain for 18 months.
After we started the therapy, he experienced massive improvement and felt significantly better to the point that he couldn’t believe it! A key component of my therapy was to spend time educating him by explaining the problem and how he can help himself. Of course, I also treated him but giving him a different perspective was essential to his recovery. Being able to make such a change in someone’s life is what truly motivates me.
If you are suffering from an injury that’s stopping you live an active life, you can book a consultation with Anil by completing our contact form.
