Overuse injuries can occur when bones and soft tissues are constantly and repetitively subjected to an excessive force. This repetitive and chronic stress on the soft tissue can lead the body to produce high-density scar tissue that is capable of impairing joint movement, limit overall movement patterns and thus reducing performance. These injuries typically occur due to over-training, when the body is not given sufficient time to recover in between training sessions. Symptoms of overuse injuries may include pain, mild to severe decrease in range of motion, as well as loss of strength and numbness.

Some athletes are more susceptible to overuse injuries depending on age, gender and sport. For example, baseball players who pitch are especially vulnerable to shoulder and elbow overuse injuries due to the repetitive and over extensive movement that often exceeds the normal range of motion, hence creating extra stress in soft and hard tissue. The Sports Science Lab specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of overuse injuries, regardless of cause or origin.

Knee and hip injuries are very common in athletes, particularly in those who participate in impact sports that involve a lot of running, kicking, cutting and jumping, such as soccer, tennis or basketball.

Knee Injuries

This is a hinge type joint that connects the tibial bone located in the lower leg to the femur that is located in the upper leg. The patella, otherwise known as the kneecap, lies directly on the center of the knee, preventing the knee from bending forward during walking. Within the knee joint, we can find a structure called the meniscus, which a body of cartilage that acts as a pad that prevents excessive friction between the tibial and femoral bones. Meniscus is surrounded by a viscous liquid called synovial liquid which acts as an impact buffer for the knee joint during movements. Various ligaments, tendons and muscles located anteriorly, posteriorly and laterally to the knee, work in unison to stabilize the joint. Improper movement patterns or trauma to any of these components can result in knee injury, reasons why the knee is the most commonly injured joint due to impact athletic activities.

Hip Injuries

This joint is a ball and socket joint that connects the pelvic bone to the femur, further aiding in walking, running and any other movement that requires traction. Like the knee, the hip contains hyaline cartilage on the inside of the joint, which also prevents friction between the bones, much like the meniscus does in the knee, along with the presence of synovial fluid that also absorbs impact shock and prevents excessive friction between bones and other structures. In further parallel fashion to the knee, the hips are also stabilized by large tendons, ligaments and muscles, which in turn allow proper movement, while preventing dislocation and movement restriction.

The most common knee and hip injuries usually involve bone fractures, ligament sprains, muscle or tendon strains, cartilage tears and tendonitis.

Common Knee + Hip Injuries

– Knee Osteoarthritis
– Ligament Injuries (ACL/ MCL/ PCL/ Meniscus related Injuries)
– Hamstring and/or Quadriceps strains and tears
– Patellofemoral syndrome
– Patella tendonitis
– Post-Operative conditions of knee and lower leg (infections, cartilage tears, bleeders, nerve damage)
– Femur, tibia, fibula and/or patella fractures
– Hip osteoarthritis
– Bursitis
– Avascular necrosis of hip joint
– Fracture of pelvic bone
– Post-Operative condition of hip and thigh (infections, cartilage tears, bleeders, nerve damage)
– Sprain/Strain of groin and pelvic floor muscles

Injuries to the upper extremity joints such as shoulder, elbow and wrist are very common in sports that require an extensive use of arms, i.e tennis, golf or baseball. In fact, injuries that affect the upper limbs account for almost a quarter of all athletic injuries.

Shoulder Injuries

The shoulder is one of, if not the most flexible joint in the body. It is a multi-directional joint that connects the humerus bone (upper arm), the shoulder blade (scapula) and the clavicle (collarbone). The shoulder is a peculiar structure, as it actually consists of two separate joints, the glenohumeral joint and the acromioclavicular joint, which in conjunction allow the shoulder to move in all directions.

Elbow Injuries

The elbow is a hinge joint that connects the humerus of the upper arm to the radius and ulna, which are the bones that form the forearm. It allows the arm to flex and extend and together with the shoulder and the wrist allows the arms to move in various directions.

Wrist Injuries

The wrist is also a multidirectional joint that connects the 2 bones of the forearm (radius and ulna) with 8 carpal and 5 metacarpal bones of the hand, allowing it to move relative to the forearm in three directions. Injuries of the wrist are most common in sports that extensively use hand and wrist, such as gymnastics, racquet sports or golf; and contact sports such as football and hockey. It is worth mentioning that wrist sprains account for nearly a half of sports-related wrist injuries, followed by contusions and fractures.

Common Shoulder, Elbow + Wrist Injuries

Shoulder
– Rotator cuff tendonitis/tendinosis
– Rotator cuff tear
– Impingement syndrome
– Bicep tendonitis
– Adhesive capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder)
– Shoulder dislocation after care
– Shoulder subluxation
– Clavicle & Humerus Fracture
– Brachial plexopathy
– Post-operative conditions (infections, cartilage tears, bleeders, nerve damage)

Elbow 
– Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)
– Medical Epicondylitis (Golfers Elbow)
– Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
– Student’s Elbow (Olecranon Bursitis)
– Nerve Entrapment
– Elbow Arthritis
– Radial/Ulnar Fracture
– Elbow Dislocation
– Post-operative Condition of Elbow(infections, cartilage tears, bleeders, nerve damage)

Wrist + Hand
– Radial & Ulnar Fracture (Wrist Fractures)
– Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
– De Quervain’s Tendinosis
– Dupuytren’s Contracture
– Hand + Finger Fracture
– Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis
– Compression + Crush Injuries
– Burns + Soft Tissue Injuries
– Nerve Injuries

Our feet and ankles are structures that provide a base of support for the body and are involved in most athletic movements, and pretty much any movement that involves traction, such as walking, running, jumping and changing directions (cutting, dribbling). Due to their foundation-like qualities and responsibilities, feet and ankles have to be able to withstand a large amount of weight and force. For this reason, their proper biomechanics are crucial for good, and more importantly, proper movement patterns. Untreated imbalances or injuries to feet and ankles, even those deemed to be seemingly insignificant, can lead to the development of poor movement patterns and thus problems with knees, hips and even back pain.

Ankle Joint

Just like the shoulder, the ankle is also composed of two joints. One is the true ankle joint, which connects the shin bones (tibia and fibula) to a bone in the foot that is called the talus; the second joint in the ankle is the subtalar joint, which connects the talus to the heel bone, otherwise known as the calcaneus. This second joint (subtalar) is responsible for moving the foot side to side, aiding to the stance and gait motion. Ankle injuries are among the most common athletic injuries and occur primarily in sports that involve a lot of running and jumping such as soccer, basketball, cross training, marathon and track & field.

Foot
Feet are anatomically complex structures that consist of 26 bones and 33 joints that are connected to 19 muscles and 107 ligaments. Proper balance of these structures and biomechanics of the foot are extremely important for athletic performance as they are the foundation of our body and its movement.

Common Foot + Ankle Injuries

– Shin Splints/ Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome
– Stress Fracture
– Plantar Fasciitis
– Heel Spur
– Morton’s Neuroma (Foot Pain)
– Compartmental Syndrome
– Tendon Tear/Sprain
– Post-Op Condition of Lower Leg and Ankle/Foot (infections, cartilage tears, bleeders, nerve damage)
– Ankle/Foot Fracture

The Sports Science Lab approaches sports injury rehabilitation from a scientific perspective; we use cutting-edge technologies to assess structure and function after an injury and use those data to prescribe advanced therapies and recovery techniques. Our team consists of board-certified Doctors and Physiotherapists, Biomechanics Specialists, Exercise Scientists, and Sports Scientists who have developed a functionally integrated rehabilitation program for each athlete and sport designed to get athletes back in the game faster and stronger than before the injury.

Our team of experts recognize that injuries do not exist on their own, but as a part of the whole body. We therefore focus on rehabilitation methods that not only treat the site of the injury, but also related areas and tissues. Our program therefore includes posture and functional movement training, spine/core stabilization and corrective exercises. These methods identify and correct imbalances in muscle structure and function to help prevent future injuries and enhance athletic performance.

Although the brain is technically not a part of the musculoskeletal system, proper brain function is equally important for movement and sports performance. Concussions, which occur when the brain suffers injury due to excessive force to the head, are very common with 300,000 sports-related concussions diagnosed annually. Concussions disrupt the normal function of the brain and over time, the damage suffered by multiple concussions adds up and can result in severe impairment.

Unfortunately, symptoms of concussions can sometimes be mild and go unrecognized, posing a risk for more severe damage in the future. In fact, people who have already suffered one concussion are more likely to suffer from concussions in the future, and recovery is longer with each injury. It is therefore extremely important to recognize signs of a concussion early to prevent future damage and severe brain impairment. That is why the Sports Science Lab provides the most accurate and sensitive method of concussion assessment. Our 3D Sports Simulation Technology immerses the athlete in a simulated environment that collects and analyzes 3 dimensional movement responses (pre and post concussion) and identifies deficits in neurocognitive testing following an injury. It looks at depth perception, visual acuity anticipation skills, and peripheral awareness.

Our team of expert clinicians establishes an objective baseline functional assessment of an athlete while they are in a healthy state. Because movement responses and reaction times are unique to each athlete, our baseline assessment allows our sports scientists to compare the data pre- and post-concussion and determine the extent of the injury and best course of treatment for each athlete.

The technology used by the Sports Science Lab is the gold standard of concussion assessment that provides a structured return-to-play protocol that ensures that athlete’s safety and optimal performance.

Scientists now understand that when we do anything, from speaking to clapping, many parts of our brain are working together, in perfect time, to accomplish even simple tasks. If brain cells are not activated in a synchronized manner, or if communication among them is impaired, the brain is not able to work properly, which can result in a poor ability to concentrate, read, dance, walk or play sports.

But when we exercise and improve our mental timing something really interesting happens. It’s called neuroplasticity. That’s the way in which your brain actually changes and strengthens when you give it a good workout. And that’s exactly what you’ll be doing with the advanced brain training technology at the SSL: fundamentally changing the way your brain works.

Brain training or neurotechnology at the SSL is a research-backed treatment program that helps improve timing through exercise and practice. Better timing leads to improvements in things like focus, coordination, planning, as well as processing speed. Brain training improves the brain’s timing of stroke and traumatic brain injury patients. Various exercises are done to the beat of a metronome, which provides feedback on timing within milliseconds. Practicing these exercises strengthens connections between brain cells and timing of the brain’s “internal clock”, which has been clinically proven to improve focus, coordination, planning and processing speed.

There exists a growing body of literature describing the neural timing deficits in Traumatic Brain Injury or Stroke, and other conditions.  By addressing timing in the brain with SSL’s neurotechnology, alongside functional therapy interventions, you are not only addressing areas of ability that impact achievement and independence but also the heart of the problem, that of deficient neural timing within and between regions of the brain that are underlying many of the problems you are working on in therapy. This leads to more efficient treatment and better overall treatment outcomes.

SSL’s brain training’s game-like auditory-visual platform engages the patient and provides constant feedback at the millisecond level to promote synchronized timing in the brain. Exercises can be customized and involve a hierarchy of increasingly complex and precisely timed motor movements intertwined with gradually higher & faster cognitive processing, attention and decision-making. It is the only neuro-motor therapy tool that can be used successfully with all patients across the therapy spectrum, even those that require total hands-on assistance due to cognitive and/or physical impairments and those that are very young or elderly.

The SSL recognizes that psychological well-being is important for optimal performance of athletes and non-athletes alike. Our team uses an advanced brain training technology that combines whole body movements with cognitive tasks to alleviate anxiety and depression.

SSL’s neurotechnology is a patented and unique training tool that simultaneously challenges thinking and movement, providing real-time millisecond feedback to help synchronize the body’s “internal clock”.  Synchronized timing means more efficient brain communication, which, in turn, improves sleep cycles, speech patterns, attention and memory. Studies have shown that deficits in brain cell synchronization are associated with psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. SSL experts therefore use this neurotechnology to address the root problem of these disorders, ensuring better psychological and cognitive health.

Benefits to patients

• Reduced anxiety and depression
• Improved focus
• Improved memory
• Improved sleep patterns

Pneumatic Medicine is the use of non-invasive, dynamic pneumatic compression to treat a variety of medical conditions associated with compromised peripheral circulation, including chronic wounds or ulcers, venous insufficiency, and lymphedema.

The core component of Pneumatic Medicine is the use of the FDA-cleared NormaTec PCD (Pneumatic Compression Device) with its patented Peristaltic Pulse pneumatic waveform. One or two multi-cell inflatable boots (or sleeves) are placed around the legs (or arms) and rhythmically inflated and deflated to carefully prescribed pressures, promptly mobilizing stagnant fluid in the affected limbs. The NormaTec PCD provides software-controlled, precisely calibrated dynamic pneumatic compression, in contrast to other compression strategies.

How is the NormaTec PCD Different?

The clinical results achieved using Pneumatic Medicine are directly correlated to the type of compression strategy, or pneumatic waveform. Other PCDs typically use one of the following simplistic waveforms:

Non-sequential, non-gradient: One cell squeezes and holds the entire limb for a specified time before releasing.

Sequential, non-gradient (also known as intermittent compression): Starting distally and moving proximally, each of multiple cells squeezes and holds at the same pressure before they all release.

Sequential, gradient: Starting distally and moving proximally, each of multiple cells squeezes and holds, with each cell’s pressure being less than the more-distal cells, before they all release.

Unlike these simplistic waveforms, the NormaTec PCD’s unique, patented Peristaltic Pulse pneumatic waveform employs a sophisticated pulsing, gradient, and distal release compression pattern. Designed to mimic healthy physiology, it incorporates the physiological concepts of: pulsing compression simulating the “muscle pump” of the limb, gradient directionality of flow as occurs in the venous and lymphatic one-way valves; and distal release as seen with the effective movement of fluids during peristalsis.

Through these mechanisms the NormaTec PCD gently but effectively moves fluid from edematous tissues, dramatically and rapidly reducing swelling and induration.

The only contra-indication for Pneumatic Medicine treatment with the NormaTec PCD is an acute DVT. Co-morbidities, such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, arterial insufficiency, infections, cancer, post-phlebitic syndrome, and end-stage renal failure, are NOT contra-indications.

Benefits for patients

• dramatic decrease in edema
• rapid healing of chronic wounds
• prevention of new wounds
• resolution of cellulitis
• prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

Our sports science experts use a combination of brain training and 3D simulation technology to treat athletes and patients with vestibular balance disorders, which are accompanied by feelings of dizziness, problems with balance, sensitivity to motion and blurred vision.

The team of experts at the SSL treats these disorders by addressing deficiencies in both muscles and the brain. A detailed assessment of movement patterns is performed for each patient using the highly advanced 3D Sports Simulation Technology. The simulator mimics game play and various daily situations while precisely tracking body movement. By testing stamina, balance and coordination, visual perception and mobility, this technology provides more precise and objective data that can be used to accelerate recovery from symptoms associated with vestibular disorders. The simulator presents patients with increasingly complex scenarios while tracking their progress, to ensure full recovery. This technology is used together with neurotechnology, which improves the efficiency of the brain’s timing, leading to better focus, concentration and coordination.

Benefits to patients

• Improved movement coordination
• Improved balance
• Improved hand-eye coordination

Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are debilitating conditions that cause a progressive loss of mental abilities. Symptoms of dementia include memory loss, changes in personality and loss of reasoning abilities, which impair the quality of life and can render patients unable to care for themselves, much less participate in daily activities. While exact causes of dementia are still not completely understood, research has shown that brain cells lose the ability to communicate with one another, making the brain unable to execute its normal functions. When the brain’s functional networks are working efficiently, brain cells are active more often and act in sync, resulting in better communication, memory and information processing, all of which are affected in dementia.

The neurotechnology at the SSL is designed to restore and strengthen the brain’s functional network and is proven to improve the brain’s timing efficiency. Brain training exercises use precisely timed movements in combination with focused attention, cognitive processing and decision making to activate and improve the brain’s timing and communication between brain cells. By providing real-time feedback in milliseconds, brain training improves the body’s internal clock and timing and therefore alleviates the damaging effects of dementia. The SSL team uses this technology in addition to traditional therapy for dementia to improve the overall functioning and quality of life in patients.

The team of experts at the SSL uses neurotechnology to improve movement difficulties in Parkinson’s disease patients. Parkinson’s disease is caused by the loss of brain cells that are responsible for coordinating movement. Patients commonly display tremors, slow movements, rigid muscles, impaired posture and balance as well as impaired speech. SSL’s neurotechnology provides a training program that combines physical movement with cognitive tasks. The program involves matching various movements to the beat of the metronome, which provides millisecond feedback to improve timing and accuracy. This technology improves the communication between brain cells, synchronizes their activation and improves neural efficiency. Scientific studies have shown that using brain training as a part of therapy improves

Scientific studies have shown that using brain training as a part of therapy improves gait of Parkinson’s disease patients, and can even restore it to healthy levels. Patients who use it also show better balance, posture and mobility. The SSL uses this technology to improve the quality of life in Parkinson’s disease patients and allow them to enjoy their hobbies and daily activities.

The team of experts at the SSL has developed a research-based program that helps seniors maintain a healthy and active lifestyle at any age. Maintaining physical strength and muscle mass is one of the key factors that allow seniors to stay healthy, live independently and maintain a high quality of life. Loss of physical strength leads to problems with gait and balance, which are among the main risk factors for falls. In fact, one in three elderly people will experience a fall every year, which can lead to serious and debilitating consequences. Prevention of falls and improved strength are therefore extremely important in maintaining good quality of life and ability to live independently.

SSL uses an interdisciplinary approach to address the underlying causes of falling and loss of strength. The SSL team uses highly advanced technologies that improve gait and posture by combining brain and physical training. We use specific therapeutic activities that focus on the musculoskeletal, proprioceptive, oculomotor, vestibular and cognitive systems, while emphasizing the foundational skills of timing and rhythm. By targeting the whole patient while addressing the core deficit in neural timing, our team of experts can help you work toward the goal of preventing falls and gain greater functional independence.

Our methodology targets the whole patient and addresses the musculoskeletal, proprioceptive, oculomotor, vestibular and cognitive/communicative systems with specific therapeutic activities and exercises, while emphasizing the foundational skills of timing and rhythm. Patients first undergo a detailed analysis of their biomechanics and movement patterns using Trazer® 3D Simulation technology, which analyzes movement of individual muscles and muscle groups in 3D. This information is then used to identify biomechanical inefficiencies and muscular imbalances that may go undetected and allows our team of experts to develop a customized formula aimed at correcting those deficiencies, ensuring that each patient receives the best care in injury prevention.

A customized therapeutic exercise regime is developed for each patient. Our team uses neurotechnology, which presents patients with a series of physical and cognitive exercises to be performed while providing millisecond feedback for each action. This technology improves the communication between brain cells and timing within the brain, which leads to better control of limbs and muscles. Strength and balance are further improved in each patients using the Huber Motion technology, which is the only technology in the world that targets and strengthens 180 deep spinal and core muscles in 3D. This leads to improved strength, balance, coordination, proprioception, posture and range of motion, reduces pain caused by arthritis and restores bone density that often declines with aging.

This unique program targets the root causes of falls in seniors and many problems associated with aging. By focusing on all aspects of the patients, from mental acuity to physical strength, the anti-aging program at the SSL not only prevents falls and problems associated with them, but improves the quality of life by providing our patients with the strength and confidence to continue participating in their everyday activities.