Dr. Terry DeFreitas works with Mallan Roberts, FC Edmonton defender. Photo credit: Briana Gomes
(Edmonton) FC Edmonton, a Canadian professional soccer team has partnered with the Glen Sather University of Alberta Sports Medicine Clinic (GSSMC) to provide athletes with premiere sports medicine care and therapy for the upcoming season.
Working out of the new Prevention and Return to Activity Centre (PRAC), the GSSMC's Dr. Terry DeFreitas, sport and exercise medicine physician and Christina Le, physical therapist, joined forces with FC Edmonton's head athletic therapist Jose Jimenez to conduct pre-season testing and medicals.
"During the pre-season medicals, the FC Edmonton medical team works to identify injuries players may have incurred in the off-season, identify potential risk for future injury, and develop a strategy to prevent injuries on an individual and team basis," explains DeFreitas.
With experience in the assessment, diagnosis and management of concussions, DeFreitas stresses the importance of pre-season testing and medicals, which includes baseline concussion testing, screening for the status of musculoskeletal injuries and screening for any systemic illness.
"The Glen Sather Clinic has provided the expertise, facility and tools to expand the scope of the teams' pre-season medicals," says DeFreitas.
This year, the club has also included injury risk management testing. GSSMC's Le, who is also trained in selective functional movement assessments, will first identify areas in which an athlete has a heightened risk of injury, then continue working with the athletes throughout the season.
"Our goal is to put the athletes through a functional screening exam to determine who may be at higher risk of a potential future injury," explains Le. "Moving forward, we provide the athlete with a tailored exercise program to address the area of possible concern."
By identifying potential injuries, the FC medical team strives to prevent future injury in this elite group of athletes.
"Medicals provide an opportunity for the team's medical staff to see how all of our off-season preparation has come together," says Jimenez. "We have a great team and I am looking forward to providing the Edmonton community with an exciting season."
FC Edmonton kicks off the regular season April 2, 2016, in Oklahoma City against Rayo OKC. The first home game will be held at Clarke Field on April 10, 2016, against Minnesota United FC. For FC Edmonton ticket information, visit www.fcedmonton.com.
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The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta
As the only free-standing faculty of rehabilitation medicine in North America, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine's vision is to be at the forefront of knowledge generation and scholarship in rehabilitation. Through excellent teaching, research and service to the community, the Faculty is committed to enhancing quality of life, promoting participation and autonomy, and improving function for citizens in Alberta and beyond.
A research leader in musculoskeletal health, spinal cord injuries, common spinal disorders (back pain), seniors and dementia and speech-language disorders, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine aims to inspire the realization of the full potential of individuals, families and communities. The three departments, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT) and Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) offer professional entry programs. The Faculty offers thesis-based MSc and PhD programs in Rehabilitation Science, attracting students from a variety of disciplines including OT, PT, SLP, psychology, physical education, medicine and engineering.