Football? Hockey? Cross Country? Soccer? Basketball? Volleyball?

September means back to school, but for many young athletes and active adults, it also means the start of a new sports season.

Practices get underway, tryouts begin, training intensity increases and the schedule can quickly fill up with games, races and tournaments. But before you jump into another busy season, it may be worth asking one important question:

Is your body ready for your sport?

At Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic, we believe you shouldn’t have to wait until you’re injured to see a physiotherapist. A pre-season assessment can help identify your current strengths, areas for improvement, previous injuries that may still need attention and the specific physical demands you may need to prepare for before the season gets into full swing.

September Sports Preparation

Every sport places different demands on the body. A cross-country runner logging kilometres each week needs something different from a hockey player preparing for repeated skating shifts. A football player has different physical demands than a volleyball or basketball athlete who spends much of their time jumping and landing.

That’s why a one-size-fits-all approach to preparing for sport doesn’t always make sense.

Our goal is to help athletes start the season knowing where they stand.

Depending on your sport, history and goals, a physiotherapy assessment may include:

• A review of previous injuries and current concerns
• Sport-specific movement assessment
• Functional strength testing
• Balance and single-leg control
• Mobility assessment
• Jumping and landing assessment
• Running assessment for runners
• Guidance on returning to sport following a previous injury
• Individualized exercises to address specific areas of weakness or reduced control
• Concussion baseline testing

🏃 Cross Country and Running Sports

Fall is a busy time for runners. Cross-country teams return to regular practices, races begin and many recreational runners are preparing for fall events.

A sudden increase in training can place greater demands on the calves, feet, knees, hips and other tissues involved in running. Rather than waiting until shin pain, knee pain or another issue starts affecting training, a running assessment can help us look at the bigger picture.

Depending on the runner, we may assess:

• Running mechanics
• Training history and recent changes in training
• Single-leg strength and control
• Foot and ankle strength
• Hip strength and control
• Mobility
• Previous injuries

Whether you’re starting your first cross-country season or training for a fall race, understanding your current strengths and areas that need attention can help guide your training and rehabilitation plan.

Click here to learn more about why a gait analysis is important, the benefits, what it involves, and why you need to book one today to become a better runner and prevent injury.

🏈 Football

Football requires a combination of strength, speed, power, balance and the ability to tolerate contact.

An assessment may look at areas such as:

• Previous injuries
• Lower-body strength and control
• Single-leg stability
• Mobility
• Movement patterns specific to the athlete’s position and goals
• Concussion baseline testing

The goal isn’t to predict every injury or guarantee an injury-free season. Instead, it is to understand the athlete’s starting point and identify areas that may benefit from targeted training or rehabilitation.

🏒 Hockey

As hockey season begins, athletes are quickly returning to skating, practices and games. The demands of the sport can challenge the hips, groin, core and lower body, while the repetitive nature of the season can also expose issues that weren’t noticeable during the off-season.

A hockey-focused assessment may include:

• Hip mobility
• Lower-body strength
• Single-leg control
• Groin and hip strength
• Ankle mobility
• Previous injury assessment
• Sport-specific functional testing
• Concussion baseline testing

The beginning of a new season is a great time to check whether you are truly ready for the demands ahead. Click here to learn about the benefits of movement screening and what it involves.

⚽🏀🏐 Court and Field Sports

Sports such as soccer, basketball and volleyball require athletes to accelerate, decelerate, change direction, jump and land, often repeatedly throughout practices and games.

A sport-specific functional assessment may look at:

• Single-leg strength and control
• Balance
• Jumping and landing mechanics
• Lower-body strength
• Hip and ankle mobility
• Cutting and change-of-direction movements
• Previous injuries and return-to-sport readiness

🧠 Concussion Baseline Testing

For athletes participating in sports where concussion is a concern, such as tackle football and hockey, pre-season is the best time to discuss concussion baseline testing.

Baseline testing is completed before a suspected concussion occurs and provides information about an athlete’s pre-injury performance on selected measures. If an athlete later sustains a suspected concussion, healthcare professionals use a comprehensive clinical assessment to help guide management and return-to-sport decisions. Baseline results may provide useful additional information, but they are only one part of the overall assessment.

For athletes and parents, the key message is simple: if baseline testing is something you plan to have done, do it before the season begins, not after the first injury. 

Click here to learn more about concussion baseline testing at Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic.

Pain-Free Doesn’t Always Mean Fully Ready

One of the most important reasons to consider a pre-season assessment is a previous injury.

Many athletes stop rehabilitation once they are no longer in significant pain. But being pain-free and being fully prepared for the demands of a new sports season are not necessarily the same thing.

You may still have changes in:

• Strength
• Mobility
• Balance
• Single-leg control
• Confidence
• Sport-specific capacity

If you injured your ankle last season, had knee pain during the summer or are returning after a shoulder, back or muscle injury, now is a great time to make sure you’re ready for what comes next. Click here to learn about our step by step guide for return to sport following an injury.

Don’t Wait for Pain to Find Out Where Your Weaknesses Are

No assessment can predict every injury. However, understanding your current movement, strength, mobility, training history and previous injuries can help guide a more individualized approach to preparing for your sport.

At Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic, we can help you prepare for the season with services such as:

🧠 Concussion Baseline Testing

For athletes before the season begins.

🏃 Running Assessments

For cross-country athletes and recreational or competitive runners looking at running-related concerns, movement and training demands.

💪 Sport-Specific Functional Movement and Strength Assessments

Designed around your sport, previous injuries and individual goals.

What Sport Are You Starting This Fall?

Football? Hockey? Cross Country? Soccer? Basketball? Volleyball—or another fall sport?

Before the practices, games, races and tournaments start piling up, take the time to understand where you are starting from.

Book a physiotherapy assessment at Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic and get ready for the season ahead.