
The Occupational Athlete
The Oxford Dictionary defines an athlete as “A person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise.” or “A person who takes part in competitive track and field events (athletics).” An athlete possesses such attributes as strength, speed, agility and power, all within the context of their chosen sport or event. At the professional or elite level these athletes must compete at the limits of their functional capacity, where external demands and internal strai

Chiropractic and the Barrier Concept
Joints and their associated soft tissues (i.e. muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia/connective tissue and even skin) must have free unrestricted movement for the body to function properly. Any restriction or “barrier” to normal joint and soft tissue movement will often be the main cause of musculoskeletal pain and is a potential area of treatment –with changes in joint mobility, tissue texture, tenderness and muscle tone being frequent clinical findings. Some examples include

Hip Impingement
Hip pain due to impingement is a very common complaint in the sportsperson. The most likely positions that cause hip impingement are repetitive flexion, swinging the leg away from and across the midline of the body (i.e. abduction and adduction), and rotation or pivoting. Sports which increase the likelihood of injury are hockey, tennis and all football codes, but in recent years the increased popularity of high impact sports including running, obstacle races such as “tough m

Chiropractic and Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation aims to restore function to the musculoskeletal system and if necessary, addresses any psychosocial impediments (such as fear or anxiety) to an individual’s recovery from a disease or injury. It is a multidisciplinary field that is not owned or confined to any one profession (chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy) and emphasises a patient centred approach to care. Rehabilitation focuses on the restoration of strength, endurance, flexibility, coordination and

Shoulder Impingement
As a Chiropractor who treats weight lifting and sport’s related injuries, the clinical presentation of shoulder impingement is a very common complaint. The rotator cuff tendons (mainly supraspinatus) become “pinched” against the bony “roof” (acromion) of the shoulder (glenohumeral) joint leading to acute pain, inflammation and weakness. Overhead sport sand movements where impingement can occur are Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting/bench press, volleyball and baseball. Impin