Hamilton’s physio and other behind-the-scenes aces

In the highly mechanised sport of Formula One, a lady who works with her bare hands is grabbing headlines. She is Angela Cullen, Lewis Hamilton’s physiotherapist. Just a few days before Hamilton clinched his record-equalling 7^th F1 Championship, he spoke in glowing terms about what Cullen means to his career.

“She has been one of the greatest things that’s happened to me in my life,” Hamilton said.

Cullen takes care of Hamilton’s aches and pains and also keeps him in a positive state of mind. This is important for top athletes, who need to be mentally secure so that they can perform optimally.

“Every day I wake up, whatever time it is, she’s (Cullen) just positive – never a single day has she been negative, so that’s very, very important,” Hamilton said. “It’s important in life to put positive people around you. You can’t be going around with deadweights, you can’t be going around with people who don’t inspire you to be better and lift you up when you’re down. You need to be around people who can do that for you, and she’s one of them.”

Cullen is the latest addition to the Hall of Fame of medical support staff in sports history. It consists of doctors and physios, masseurs and confidantes, men and women whose technical or psychological skills become almost indispensable to athletes.

In Indian cricket, Dr Anant Joshi’s hands were the most trusted by generations of cricketers. The orthopedic surgeon treated many stars, including Ravi Shastri and Sachin Tendulkar. At one point Dr Joshi was the head of the cricket board’s medical panel. The current Indian team physio, Dr Nitin Patel, has also played a crucial role in the careers of many players, including Tendulkar.

But a surprising support staff hero in Indian cricket was Ramesh Mane, aka Mane Kaka. A chemical plant operator by profession at RCF (Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers), Mumbai, he learnt acupressure techniques in the course of his charity work. Once there was a Ranji Trophy match at the RCF ground in Chembur. A player complained of a stiff back and Mane was summoned. The player was none other than Tendulkar.

Mane’s treatment worked. With the blessings and recommendations of Tendulkar and Balwinder Singh Sandhu, one of India’s 1983 World Cup stars and an RCF stalwart, Mane became a fixture in the Indian dressing room. Many a star was rejuvenated after Mane Kaka’s massages. He was also famous for his adrak chai, khichadi and some other preparations. Currently, he is with Royal Challengers Bangalore, where even AB de Villiers calls him Mane Kaka.

In football, a nutritionist largely known only in Italy has been the invisible hand guiding some famous careers with his ‘Gasoline diet’. Giuliano Poser, from Sacile, Italy, had a visitor some six years ago. It was Lionel Messi, who was at Poser’s door at the suggestion of Pep Guardiola, the then Barcelona coach. Messi was going through a strange problem. Despite sparing no effort in training, he would often vomit during games or feel the urge to do so.

Poser suggests seemingly unconnected lifestyle tweaks to patients, including posture correction. After hearing Messi out, he told him the worst thing you can say to an Argentinean. “Cut down the red meat”. Messi, it can be assumed, had barely recovered when another harsh sentence was read out to him. No pizza, no white bread, no alcohol, no aerated drinks. And of course, no antibiotics and chemicals.

Instead, Messi was adviced to consume lean protein, organic vegetables, seasonal fruits, mineral water and extra virgin olive oil. He was also told to have a South American caffeine-infused drink called yerba mate tea. Poser then suggested Messi some psychotherapy and Bach flower remedies, which are used by homeopaths and supposedly work on the brain’s limbic system, the one that deals with emotions, memories and arousal.