With a name like athletic therapy, you might think only those athletically inclined can benefit from visiting an Athletic Therapist. In fact, they can be instrumental not only for injury recovery, but for preventing injury in the first place.
Certified Athletic Therapist Randi Hunter, from Newleaf Total Wellness Centre in Abbotsford, provides insight on what athletic therapy is, who can benefit from it and even some easy movements that you can start today, to feel better tomorrow.
What is Athletic Therapy?
“Athletic therapy focuses on two main ideas,” says Hunter, who spent last year working alongside Canada’s National Women’s Rugby Team. “For clients who’ve experienced an injury (not only sports-related but from day-to-day activities, at the work place or even from a car accident) we focus on helping them heal and ideally regain full mobility. Once they’ve recovered, we then move on to our second primary goal and work on preventive care, such as strengthening the body as a whole to prevent future injuries from happening in the first place.”
Athletic Therapy is not just for athletes.
While athletic therapists certainly work with a lot of professional athletes, the general public can benefit from their help as well, Hunter says. “We focus a lot of our time on helping clients strengthen their bodies to prevent injuries from occurring in everyday life, as well as during training and physical activity. From seniors, to professionals, to those receiving physiotherapy from past injuries, athletic therapists can help people from all walks of life.”
One easy movement, with big benefits that you can start today.
“When I have clients coming in for preventative care, I provide them with a personalized care plan that is suited to their specific needs and lifestyle but if there’s one thing that everyone could start practicing and benefiting from, it would be abdominal bracing,” Hunter says.
Easy and safe for most people to start practicing throughout their day, abdominal bracing helps to strengthen your core muscles and your back, which are two areas we most often see people injuring.
To practice abdominal bracing:
- Lay flat, on a mat or in bed
- Pull your belly towards your spine
- Repeat for 10 repetitions, twice a day, everyday
That feeling of pulling your belly in towards your spine, teaches you what muscles you want to engage during abdominal bracing. Once you’ve mastered that motion and you know what you’re looking for, you can practice abdominal bracing just about anywhere and anytime through out your day (just make sure to keep proper posture while practicing).
For more health and wellness support, reach out to Newleaf Total Wellness Centre and their amazing team of wellness professionals. You can reach them by phone at 604-850-2511 or book online here!