Structure dictates function, Sometimes saving athlete’s careers

The Summer Olympics may be over for another four years, but that doesn’t mean training stops. For many Olympians, now is the time to work on recovery after pushing themselves to the limit and putting their bodies to the test. For many Victorians, it’s the last stretch of training before the Victoria Marathon on Oct. 7. In a similar way, numerous people living active summer lifestyles on the West Coast are now moving over to a less aggressive schedule and starting to work on recovery. It’s a cycle that a lot of people go through: they work hard and push it as far as they can, then spend time repairing the damage done and changing gears for their winter fitness regimens. Recovery is important, of course, but at Victoria BC’s Synergy Health Centre, optimal health and fitness means being able to maintain an active lifestyle throughout the year, free from debilitating injury. Unfortunately, it can be hard to do without proper physical assessment — an analysis of your postural balance and structural alignment which, if even slightly off, can cause serious problems throughout your body. One person whose career was saved through a detailed leg length, posture and structural analysis is locally-based two-time Olympic triathlete Brent McMahon. After competing in the 2004 Summer  Olympics in Athens, McMahon continued to push himself and was positioned to travel to London for this year’s competition. Unfortunately, in 2009, at the age of 30, McMahon was affected by a chronic knee injury, which by the autumn of 2010 had all but ended his hopes. For more than a year his knee pain would resolve only to return as soon as he began cycling and running again. After resigning himself to a non-Olympic lifestyle, McMahon began working on home renovations and painting to make extra money. It seemed his Olympic career was over. But then McMahon’s friend and chiropractor, Dr. Jamie Grimes, of Synergy Health Centre, insisted he undergo a detailed scan of his legs. His left leg was discovered to be 11 millimetres shorter than his right leg. What might seem slight to some was enough to cause the recurring pain in his knee.  “Once we realized that, we implemented changes to compensate for it and all of a sudden a lot of the stresses on my knee got relieved,” says McMahon. With help and support from Grimes, his treatment team and his Victoria-based coach, Lance Watson, McMahon was able to correct the injury and get back on track to qualify for London. Chronic injury and insidious pain don’t have to be part of your active lifestyle. Synergy uses the most advanced technology to get you the best results, keeping you healthy, happy and on track with your training. See us for a free leg length and structural assessment.