In Person: Maggie Bush

Maggie Bush has had a busy morning; "I was working with the lawn bowlers this morning who are going to Delhi, passing on feedback to coaches about their progress from the training session yesterday," she says. "Our main concern is the change in climate between Scotland and Delhi because it is so much hotter out there."

Bush has been working tirelessly with the lawn bowlers and gymnasts from Team Scotland preparing them for the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi this October. Their training has been stepped up a notch as the time to head out to India comes ever closer. The planning is already under way, with Bush having visited Delhi with some of the athletes in early April for a different competition as a trial run for the change in conditions.

"It was a great chance for the athletes to experience the temperatures and for us to consider strategies to ensure they stay in good shape, things such as cooling and re-hydration techniques," she says.

"One of the major challenges of Delhi is always going to be the heat and the water, and making sure they avoid hidden dangers such as salads or ice cubes where the water might trigger illness and affect their performance."

Bush, 35, has always wanted to be a physiotherapist - since she was five or six, she says, an unusual aspiration for such a young age maybe, but one which has led her to some interesting opportunities career-wise.

"My first day as a physio at Perth Royal Infirmary, putting on that uniform was the most exciting feeling," she remembers.

Bush graduated from Queen Margaret College in Edinburgh in 1997 with a degree in physiotherapy before moving on to complete a Masters Degree in Sport Physiotherapy at University College London, form where she graduated in 2004.

She worked in London for six years, spending the last two in a Harley Street clinic, specialising in dance and performance physiotherapy. She worked with West End theatre companies, the cast of Mamma Mia! among them.

"That's one great thing about this job, working with different people, in different areas," she says. "Dance, sport, just meeting really motivated people from all different backgrounds who want to be at the top of their game."

Bush is modest when it comes to considering her role in helping the athletes to victory. She says: "My part is only the physical side of maintaining the athletes' health but in fact there's a whole team at the Scottish Institute of Sport devoted to the athletes. I work alongside nutritionists, physiological specialists and medics who are on hand to help avoid illness and injuries."

She's positive about her experience so far and hopeful that the team will be successful. "The numbers aren't 100 per cent finalised but we do have a particularly exciting gymnastics team. It's hard to pick out any one person to watch really."

She's enjoying her role, especially the fact that she's able to assist her home country to victory in some way. "Times like this are the only time Scotland is represented as a nation in a multi-sport capacity so I feel privileged to have been a part of it."

Bush will be on hand in the run up to the games and during the events themselves to ensure the athletes remain fit and healthy, but, she says, the focus is on the individual as some athletes like more support than others.

Bush's past experiences at international competitions have varied. "I was head physiotherapist in Calgary, Canada, for the Winter Olympics and I'm hoping to be a part of the 2012 Olympics in London," she says. "I'm also looking forward to being a part of a few smaller events in the future such as the World Curling Championships."

But sport is a fickle game, Bush has come to realise, and the peak conditions that athletes find themselves in don't always last as long as they'd like.

"In sport, there's always a chance of injury, I've had experience of people having to retire for one reason or another. Either from getting older as their bodies are winding down or through injury. You can't predict how long your career will last, all you can do is take really good care of yourself."

Bush's loyalties are lying firmly with Team Scotland and she's hoping to remain with them for the next few big international events.

"I would very much like to continue working for Team Scotland. There's the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 which of course is on home turf, and that would be a fantastic experience. I'd jump at the chance to work that one."

• This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday, August 15, 2010