Sports and Chiropractic in Calgary

Enhancing Your Body’s Natural Adaptive Abilities for Optimal Performance

runner lacing up his running shoes From hardcore CrossFitters and weekend warriors to competitive athletes and outdoor adventurers, all active individuals share a common goal: performing at their best. At Memorial Drive Chiropractic and Massage, our approach to sports performance goes beyond simply addressing injuries—we focus on enhancing your nervous system’s adaptive capacity to help you achieve peak physical function.

The Nervous System Connection to Athletic Performance

Your athletic performance depends greatly on how efficiently your nervous system communicates with your body. When your nervous system functions optimally, you experience:

Improved proprioception (spatial awareness)
Enhanced coordination and balance
More efficient movement patterns
Better recovery between training sessions
Reduced risk of injury

Using advanced Insight Millennium scanning technology, Dr. Wagemakers can objectively measure your nervous system function and identify areas where improved adaptation could enhance your performance—often before symptoms or injuries appear.

Beyond Symptoms: Measuring Your Adaptive Capacity

Many athletes appear extremely fit but may still have underlying challenges with their nervous system’s adaptive capacity. Our comprehensive assessment includes:

Heart Rate Variability Scanning: Measures your body’s resilience and recovery ability
Muscle Tension Patterns: Identifies imbalances that could affect performance
Autonomic Function: Evaluates your nervous system’s response to physical stress

These objective measurements provide a baseline for your care and allow us to track improvements in your body’s function over time—not just symptom relief.

Personalized Care for Your Sport

Every sport stresses the body differently. A runner’s needs aren’t the same as a golfer’s or a hockey player’s. That’s why we don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. Our care plans are customized based on:

Your specific sport’s movement patterns
Your current adaptive capacity
Your performance goals
Your training schedule and intensity

Dr. Wagemakers takes the time to understand how you move, what your body experiences during your sport, and what you want to achieve. With that information, we create a plan that enhances your body’s natural adaptive abilities—so you can perform at your best and stay in the game longer.

Performance Enhancement vs. Symptom Management

Rather than focusing primarily on treating injuries after they occur, our approach aims to enhance your body’s adaptive capacity before problems develop. This proactive strategy helps:

Improve overall performance efficiency
Optimize recovery between training sessions
Enhance proprioception and spatial awareness
Increase resilience to training stresses
Reduce the likelihood of overtraining syndrome

For athletes already experiencing challenges, we address the underlying nervous system impacts rather than just managing symptoms, creating a foundation for improved function and reduced risk of recurrence.

man and woman planking

How We Support Athletic Performance

Our comprehensive approach includes:

Specific Chiropractic Adjustments: Enhance nervous system communication and movement efficiency
Insight Millennium Assessment: Objectively measure how your body is adapting to training stresses
Proactive Monitoring: Regular reassessment to ensure optimal adaptive capacity
Integration with Training: Recommendations that complement your existing program
Recovery Support: Strategies to enhance post-workout adaptation

For CrossFitters and high-intensity athletes, we pay particular attention to recovery capacity, as our scans often reveal that seemingly peak-condition athletes may have compromised adaptive capacity due to training volume without adequate recovery.

Common Athletic Challenges We Address

While we focus on enhancing your body’s adaptive capacity rather than treating specific conditions, many athletes notice improvements in areas such as movement efficiency and coordination, recovery time between training sessions, performance plateaus, training-related discomfort, recurrent injuries or nagging issues, proprioception and balance.

Our approach targets the underlying nervous system function that affects all these areas rather than addressing each symptom separately.

FAQs

How does chiropractic care enhance athletic performance?

Rather than simply addressing injuries, chiropractic care enhances your nervous system’s adaptive capacity, which is essential for optimal performance. When your nervous system communicates efficiently, you experience improved proprioception (body awareness), better coordination, and more efficient movement patterns. By using the Insight Millennium technology, we can objectively measure your nervous system function and identify opportunities to enhance performance—often before symptoms appear.

How often should athletes receive chiropractic care?

Care frequency varies based on your training intensity, competitive schedule, and current adaptive capacity. Some high-performance athletes benefit from weekly care during intense training periods, while others maintain optimal function with weekly, bi-weekly or monthly visits. After your comprehensive assessment, Dr. Wagemakers will recommend a schedule tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Can chiropractic care help prevent sports injuries?

While no approach can guarantee injury prevention, enhancing your nervous system’s adaptive capacity creates a foundation for better body awareness and more efficient movement patterns. Many athletes find that regular chiropractic care helps them identify potential issues before they develop into injuries. Our Insight Millennium scans can detect changes in nervous system function that might indicate the need for modified training or additional recovery before symptoms appear.

Is this approach suitable for recreational athletes and weekend warriors?

Absolutely! Recreational athletes often benefit significantly from improved nervous system function. Whether you’re training for your first 5K, playing in a recreational sports league, or enjoying weekend hiking trips, enhancing your body’s adaptive capacity can improve your performance and enjoyment while reducing the risk of injury. Our approach is tailored to your specific activity level and goals.

How do you work with my existing training program and coaches?

We view our role as complementary to your existing training program. Dr. Wagemakers focuses on optimizing your nervous system function so you can get the most benefit from your training sessions. We’re happy to communicate with your coaches or trainers to ensure a coordinated approach to your performance goals, providing insights about your adaptive capacity that can inform training decisions.

What makes your approach different from traditional sports medicine?

Traditional sports medicine often focuses on addressing specific injuries or symptoms. While we certainly help with injury recovery, our primary focus is on enhancing your nervous system’s overall adaptive capacity—improving how efficiently your body responds to training stress and recovers between sessions. This proactive approach helps you achieve optimal performance and potentially avoid injuries before they occur.

Elevate Your Performance

Experience the difference that improved nervous system function can make in your athletic performance. Contact Memorial Drive Chiropractic and Massage today to schedule a comprehensive assessment with Dr. Wagemakers.

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