Sports Injuries and Rehabilitation

The Team Approach

The staff at Momentum Healing Arts Centre have all had extensive experience in working with athletes of all ages and caliber. Please see the “About Us” section for greater detail on the staff’s experience levels.

Every sports injury, from a low back to a twisted ankle or rehabilitation for a separated shoulder has been treated successfully at our Clinic. Treatment will vary depending on the type of injury.  Laser therapy is the most advanced technology and preferred treatment for many of the professional sports teams.  The LightStreamTM Laser Therapy is very effective for dealing with most sports injuries, even in the case of muscle tears.  The Clinic is also equipped with other physiotherapeutic modalities, such as electric muscle stimulation and strengthening, ultrasound and microcurrent to help with muscular strains and sprains, as well as ligament damage from injury. Microcurrent is especially useful in bone injuries, such as shin splints. Our Clinic also enjoys an excellent referral system with other sports specialists, fitness trainers, physiotherapy clinics, and orthopedic surgeons in case the injury requires this type of intervention.

However the key to healing a sports injury is to restore the proper biomechanical alignment and function.  Chiropractic adjustments are the essential ingredients to healing a sports injury (explained in detail below). Rehabilitation with proper stretches and exercises for rebuilding muscle and stability is the other critical stage in recovery.The chiropractors and therapists at Momentum are fully trained in rehabilitative methods for sports injuries.  Massage therapy for muscular recovery and breakdown of scar tissue from a chronic injury is available, as well as acupuncture for pain and speeding up recovery time.  And finally, homeopathic remedies can be utilized to speed the healing and recovery of torn or strained tendons and ligaments.

Why Chiropractic For Sports Injuries

We are often asked this question, because people do not understand the difference between chiropractic care and physiotherapy for a sports injury (or in any injury). Let’s use the example of the Women’s 2000 Canadian Triple Jump Champion, M.H. (her initials). M.H. came to the Clinic with right knee pain that she had had for three months. Due to her caliber, she had already undergone extensive therapy, had an MRI and seen three orthopedic surgeons, who really weren’t sure what was wrong. She came to see us because the surgeons wanted to operate to find the cause of the problem. This would have been disastrous for a triple jumper. To make a long story short, we also did not find an orthopedic problem with the knee, but instead we found a misalignment or “torque” of the lower leg (tibia) in relation to the kneecap and upper leg (femur). With only three chiropractic adjustments, M.H. had no pain in her knee and was able to win the Canadian Championships a few weeks later, and went on to become the 5th best jumper in the World!

Not all injuries heal like this, but this is a true story that shows the power of chiropractic and correcting misalignments (subluxations). The medical doctor can assess for torn/sprained joints, muscles or ligaments, and the physiotherapist will seek to treat these injuries with physiotherapy equipment, exercises and stretches. Chiropractic can also assess these injuries and treat them with the same equipment and exercises, but what a chiropractor adds to the treatment is the detection and correction of spinal or joint misalignments that will prevent healing or interfere with the healing process. Misalignments can continually cause stress and strain to the same soft tissues, contributing to many chronic injuries that never seem to heal. This is true for a low back, shoulder, knee, ankle, wrist or any other joint in the body, and that’s why chiropractic care works so well.

Rehabilitation Services

The Momentum Healing Arts Centre is equipped to handle many rehabilitative needs as part of the overall patient recovery. The three step rehabilitative process focuses on the core and stabilization muscles of the low back, pelvis and abdomen. The program starts with a few home exercises and then becomes increasingly more difficult as the patient is brought through the stages with the help of either the chiropractors or therapists at Momentum.

These workouts are designed to not only help you recover from your specific neck or back injury, but they are designed to build “dynamic” strength. With injury, or one-sided jobs and sports activities, and especially with sedentary occupations, many imbalances are created within our neuromusculoskeletal systems. This makes us prone to further injury, pain, arthritic conditions from excess wear and tear on our joints, and a gradual loss in muscle tone and function. These exercises are aimed at improving your “core” strength and balance, as well as rehabilitating your injury. Without a strong core, full recovery won’t take place, and you will not hold your chiropractic adjustments as effectively – putting you at greater risk for re-injury. The core muscles are your postural and stabilizing muscles. These include your abdominals, oblique abdominals and the low back and pelvic muscles. If these muscles are not strong or in balance with each other, alignment will not hold and a breakdown of tissues may eventually occur.