A Bristol chiropractor is flying out to Finland as part of the official medical team for a British athletics squad.

Chiropractic doctor Tim Button will be looking after members of the British Masters Athletics team who will be competing in the 2009 World Championships in Lahti.

He is one of four chiropractors in the medical team who will be looking after the competitors, who are all over the age of 35. Athletes compete in track and field, road running, cross country and indoor competitions in age brackets of five years, with no upper limits.

The team will fly out to Lahti today for almost two weeks.

Dr Button said: "We go to the big events, the national indoors and outdoors championships and look after the competitors so they are used to us now.

"Whatever ailment they have, they will pop over and see us.

"Often we have someone say, I've got a race in half an hour, can you fix me. We can deal with some injuries quite quickly sometimes but other times we have to do what we can.

"The British Masters Athletics medical team is quite unique because it is led by sports chiropractors rather than physiotherapists."

Dr Button, of Staple Hill, is one of only a handful of sports chiropractors in Britain and treats Bath Rugby and Bristol Rovers players. He also runs chiropractic practices in Mangotsfield and Fishponds and treats Bristol athlete and over-50s world record holder Caroline Powell.

He said: "Events like this are good experience for me.

"The most interesting event I ever saw through the British Masters Athletics was the over-80s pole vault."

Dr Button is hoping to be involved with the Olympic medical team for the 2012 games in London.