A behind-The-Scenes Look at Paralympic Sport

Kristy Wiltshire, Registered Massage Therapist
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Did you know that there are 23 summer Paralympic sports and 6 winter Paralympic Sports? 

Did you know that there has been a vast improvement in the science of prosthetics over the last few years?

Did you know that the current fastest Para-Sprinter can run 100 meters in 10.57 seconds? 

This is just a little bit of what I got to experience over the last week attending the Vista 2017 Conference that focused on the opportunities and challenges in Paralympic sport science and sport medicine.   These researchers have looked at the biomechanics of the athlete, equipment, socioeconomics, and new technology to help these athletes improve their performance and create a safe environment.

This conference came at the perfect time since the Invictus Games have begun in Toronto this past weekend.  These games are about men and women who have honoured their country at war and have returned with a disability.  They are now representing their country again, but in the form of sport. 

After this week at the conference and listening to all the research being done, I find myself studying the   movement of these athletes and the challenges of the sports, some of which I have never watched before.  I find my myself asking “how is that affecting or contributing to their performance?”.  Also, as I watch these athletes, I admire them for what they have gone through to be standing on the playing field or court representing their country.  I wonder if I would be able to have the same strength to achieve greatness with something that many would see as a negative. After giving it some thought, my answer is: I don’t know, but I hope I could.   

On the last day of the conference, we got to visit the CSIO (Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario) in Scarborough, and I got to see the amazing facilities that our athletes get to train in.  It is facilities like this that are a product of Own the Podium – a not-for-profit organization that focuses on investment strategies to improve Canada’s high-performance sport system.  Financial support from Own the Podium allows facilities like CSIO to create ISTs (Integrated Sport Teams) to help support national sports, athletes, and coaches.  Each IST will differ based on the needs of the team, but could include physiologists, mental performance experts, dietitians, strength and conditioning coaches, biomechanics experts, sport medicine practitioners, physiotherapists, and massage therapists.  This combination of experts will support the athletes through their athletic journeys. 

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When I reflect on my experience working at games and in clinics, I realize that this team approach is really how I have grown and succeeded as a therapist.  I have experienced first hand how communicating and working as a team can only help patients and athletes. Here at Physio Sport Med of Oakville, we strive to follow the CSIO model by looking at the whole person and communicating as a team when appropriate.  Our team includes sport medicine physicians, physiotherapists, a chiropractor, a massage therapist, a dietitian, a sport psychologist, and a Pilates instructor.  This team approach allows us to assess patient’s needs and to help them return to activities of daily living and/or their sport. 

This team approach is also vital to the success of the athletes competing at the Invictus games.  People often wonder why I keep working at games.  My answer is always that I love being a sport massage therapist and I want to help others, I love working in a team and learning from other medical practitioners along the way, and most of all, I love being a part of an athlete’s team and seeing them accomplish their dreams. 

I highly encourage you to watch some of the Invictus games this week and support our athletes, especially with this new understanding of what is involved behind the scenes.  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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