Alberta Sleep Quality

While 71% of Albertans report meeting daily sleep recommendations, 25% rate their sleep quality as fairly bad to very bad, according to the 2019 Alberta Survey on Physical Activity. Sleep behaviour is an important determinant of health and wellbeing, with impacts on neural development, learning, memory, emotional regulation, metabolic health, and cardiovascular health.

Psychological Load

Research points to the impact of psychological stressors on performance. Whether emotional stress or high cognitive processing demands, “psychological load” must be considered by coaches and trainers to achieve peak performance. Learn more in this SIRCuit article.

Balancing Psychological Load: New Perspectives on Recovery

Current views on recovery Recent research by Nash and Sproule (2018) asked coaches for their views on recovery in training. While recovery was widely understood as crucially important, results revealed that few coaches think about psychological and cognitive recovery with the same depth and importance as the physical aspects of recovery. One reason for the…

ACL Injury Recovery

Reconstruction surgery has become a viable method for athletes to return to play after suffering an ACL injury, yet one third of patients will develop osteoarthritis within 10 years. Researchers have found that the way a patient moves after surgery has significant implications for their long-term recovery. Patients who reported lingering symptoms post-surgery were found…

Benefits of Cryotherapy

With temperatures plummeting, are you wondering about the benefits of integrating cryotherapy into your recovery practice? Research published in the International Journal of Athletic Therapy & Training demonstrated that cold-water immersion was beneficial for reducing post-exercise pain perception.

Patient Evidence

An editorial in the International Journal of Athletic Therapy & Training discusses three sources of evidence-based practice: the therapist’s experience, scientifically proven practice, and, used less frequently, patient evidence. The authors argue for closer collaboration between athletic therapists and patients to ensure that factors unique to the patient, their environment, and their social setting are…

fNIRS and Concussion

Researchers at the University of Calgary are using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to monitor the impact of concussions. The non-invasive and portable device measures the changes in blood oxygen levels as a marker of brain function. Results show these patterns change after concussion. Ongoing research will examine the connection between symptoms and abnormalities in the brain…

Running Recovery

People often take a break from racing or competing at certain points in the year. While it’s important to have these breaks to recover, we often also want to retain our fitness. For running, what changes can you make to your mileage to keep your endurance while still letting your body recover?

Periodization: Planned Peaks and Targeted Training

Periodization is a systematic approach to training that involves varying training variables, like volume and intensity, over time. The objective of this planning is for the athlete to reach his or her peak at a specific, pre-determined time, while optimizing recovery to avoid overtraining and injury. Periodization is based on Hans Selye’s theory of biological…

Rolling out the benefits of Foam Rollers

Foam rollers have become pretty mainstream over the last few years. Athletes swear by this piece of equipment to help keep muscles loose and limber, and to help in muscle recovery and increased performance. Every day fitness goers are also picking up this piece of equipment to help ease muscle soreness. So what is it…