Just because you don’t have an injury doesn’t mean you don’t need physiotherapy, athletic therapy, massage or chiropractic care. Research has shown that the majority of injuries can be prevented. Some of the main risk factors for injuries include tight muscles, strength deficits, imbalances, poor proprioception and lack of stability. All of these issues can be assessed and treated at Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinics in Oakville and Burlington, PRIOR to an injury in order to ensure athletes stay active and healthy. Injury prevention strategies include targeted exercise programs, functional movement screens to identify at risk athletes, sport specific assessment and rehabilitation, as well as preventative massage therapy and core strengthening.
Note: Sheddon’s physiotherapists from the Oakville and Burlington Physio Clinics are prepared and determined to help you get back to the sport you like.
ACL Injury Prevention
ACL injuries continue to be one of the most common and devastating sports injuries. As many as 1 in 20 collegiate-level and 1 in 50 high school-level athletes sustain an ACL injury during any given year of varsity sports. But what can be done to prevent this? It has been shown that preventative rehabilitation and neuromuscular exercises can help reduce ACL risk by anywhere from 24% to 82%. The team at Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic can help you understand how to prevent ACL injuries by teaching you strategies which could help to overcome vulnerable positions such as cutting, landing and twisting, as well as improve strength, flexibility and proprioception.
Functional Movement Screen/Injury Prevention Screening
Many injuries can be prevented if athletes worked on their specific imbalances, strength deficits and flexibility issues. Oftentimes, athletes are not aware of their underlying biomechanical weaknesses until an injury occurs. Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic works with teams and individual athletes during preseason in order to determine if an athlete is at risk for injury. Our therapists will evaluate strength, flexibility, stability and balance, as well as utilizing the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). The FMS was developed to identify limitations, asymmetries and inefficient movement patterns. Early identification of weaknesses, tightness, poor stability or inefficient patterns could help prevent future injuries, as each athlete is given an individualized exercise program which targets any weaknesses.
Core Strength
When people hear about the benefits of core strength and injury prevention they usually think of lower back weakness and kegels. While core strength is essential in the prevention and rehabilitation of lower back injuries, it plays a much bigger role in overall function and sports performance, and goes well beyond the kegel exercise. Core strength plays a major role in posture, strength, coordination and power in all types of activities from running to throwing. At Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic we assess both static and dynamic core stability as it relates to your sport. From our assessment findings, specific core exercises will be prescribed and progressed in order to prevent injury and improve athletic performance.
Concussion management programs have become a major focus in sports medicine clinics due to increased public awareness and recognition of concussions. In order to know when an athlete has fully recovered from a concussion, the different areas of the brain that could potentially be affected with a concussion must be assessed. These different test results need be compared to pre-injury values in order to know when an athlete has returned to their normal pre-concussion baseline values. As such, the best way to ensure that you return to sport safely following a concussion is to get baseline tested before a concussion even occurs. At Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic we offer the most comprehensive concussion baseline testing of any sports medicine clinic in the Mississauga and Oakville area.
Individualized Therapeutic Exercise Program
If you’re not an athlete but would love to start becoming more active and leading a healthier lifestyle, we can also help you out. At Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic, our physiotherapists can tailor a personalized exercise program, just for you, while taking into consideration your age, lifestyle, medical conditions and stamina. Whether you’re looking to maintain muscle tone, control your weight, increase your energy level, prevent injury or reduce pain, we can help get you started on the right track.
Massage
Poor posture, repetitive movements and muscle imbalances can all lead to tension and tightness in the muscles. This tightness can lead to restrictions during everyday activities, as well as during sports and exercise, eventually leading to pain and injury. Massage therapy can help relieve muscle tension, improve joint mobility and prevent injury. Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic offers massage therapy with both male and female registered massage therapists. Each therapist specializes in different techniques, such as relaxation massage, deep tissue, fascial release and lymphatic drainage.
Sport Specific Conditioning
Golf Specific Rehabilitation
Sheddon Physiotherapy & Sports Clinic has certified providers who are trained in golf injury prevention. During your initial visit, a physical assessment will be completed in order to identify any areas of weakness or potential limitations. They will also assess different movement patterns that may affect a player’s golf swing and potentially lead to injury. 
From this assessment, a plan will be put in place addressing any areas needing improvement, which is usually achieved through physiotherapy and golf specific exercises to improve fitness and performance. Don’t wait until injury prevents you from a swinging a club. Get assessed before the season starts in order to find out how to prevent injuries, get stronger and take your golf game to the next level.
Running Gait Analysis
Whether you’re training for a marathon or a 5km race, if your running technique is inefficient, the constant pounding you’re doing is eventually going to lead to an injury. At Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic we perform a general physical assessment, as well as a biomechanical running analysis to identify any deficiencies. Once specific limitations and faulty movement patterns are identified, runners will be given specific exercises, as well as some guidelines on running technique in order to maximize their running and prevent injury.
Don’t wait for an injury to sideline you. Contact Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinics in Oakville and Burlington right now and prevent those future injuries from ever happening.
For more info, contact Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic at 905-849-4576.
We are located less than 10 min from Sheridan College Oakville and 4 min East from Oakville & Milton Humane Society.
The Burlington physio clinic is located only 5 min west of Spencer Smith Park and 6 min north-west of Burlington Beach, on Plains Rd East.
