Canadian Sport Institute Ontario – One of the great sources of fulfillment working with Canadian athletes is knowing that they bring their A-game, not just at major games, but every day – training or competing.  At Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) we strive to do the same in supporting them, day in and day out, throughout the competitive quadrennial.

As major competitions such as the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Games approach, medical problems that can affect performance often become magnified as time becomes critical – in short supply and dwindling!

The Sport Medicine and Sport Therapy Team at CSIO “gets it” – they know how critical these issues can be – and the importance of their care being not only expert and effective, but timely!

In November, an Olympian preparing for the PyeongChang Games was on his competitive circuit in Europe when he was unfortunately injured twice, in separate incidents.  While he received some care on that circuit, his issues were not getting resolved so he decided to fly home to Canada to see what the Sport Medicine Team at CSIO could do for him, and our team got things going in a hurry.

He was seen by one of CSIO’s Sport Medicine Physicians the day after he arrived in Canada, and was diagnosed with an upper back injury (a small disc herniation) and a problem that was impairing blood flow to his arm (vascular thoracic outlet syndrome caused by muscles that were pinching the main artery to his arm when they tightened up after injury).  CSIO arranged a vascular ultrasound test that proved the latter diagnosis the same day he was originally seen at CSIO, and an MRI of his spine two days later, which also proved the first diagnosis.

Within just a few days of arriving back home, with specific and accurate diagnoses in place, he was seeing two of our Sport Therapists (physical therapy and massage therapy) for focused treatment of both problems; and he was already experiencing relief that he had not had during a month of non-specific treatment on his competitive circuit.

The athlete then tested things out at a domestic competition at home and found that his arm symptoms were better, but that back pain was still affecting him. CSIO’s Sport Medicine Team put the wheels into motion again, and within two days, had arranged for a specialist consultation, further advanced medical imaging, and image-guided spinal injection that provided some immediate pain relief.

This athlete has since gone back to competition in Europe, and our team of Sport Medicine and Sport Therapy practitioners will be watching his progress, and hopefully success, as he heads from there to represent our country at the 2018 Olympic Games.

The CSIO Sport Medicine and Sport Therapy Team is proud to be a member of the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network that helps our athletes be at their physical and mental best when representing our country.

About Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) is a non-profit organization committed to the pursuit of excellence by providing world-class programs, services, and leadership to high performance athletes and coaches to enhance their ability to achieve international podium performances. CSIO offers athletes a range of sport science and sport medicine services including nutrition, physiology, biomechanics, strength & conditioning, mental performance, sport therapy and life services. CSIO also delivers programming and services to National and Provincial Sport Organizations and coaches to work towards building a stronger sport system in Ontario and Canada.

CSIO services approximately 700 high performance athletes and 250 coaches, at its main facility at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, its satellite location at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, and in daily training environments across Ontario. CSIO is part of a larger network of 4 institutes and 3 multi-sport centres across the country known as the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network, working in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee. CSIO is further supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Sport Canada, Own the Podium, and the Coaching Association of Canada, along with the National and Provincial Sport Organizations within the sector. www.csiontario.ca

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Written By:

Dr. Doug Richards, Chief Medical Officer, Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

Media Contact:

Laura Albright, Manager, Communications & Events

Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

Tel: 416.596.1240 Ext. 238

Email: lalbright@csiontario.ca

www.csiontario.ca