Athletico Health Resources

Have you ever heard the term VGA or Video Gait Analysis mentioned by your physical therapist and wondered what he or she is talking about? A Video Gait Analysis involves recording your running gait, or stride, to determine symmetrical or atypical movement patterns. The video recording, a biomechanical exam and your physical therapist’s clinical assessment will provide you with a complete breakdown of your running mechanics. (more…)

Have you ever injured or torn your ACL ligament? We’ve got the exercises and stretches for you! Athletico’s Dave Heidloff ATC, NASM-PES, FMS, provides stretches for athletes or anyone suffering from an ACL injury. Stretches are provided for anyone dealing with an ACL injury, specifically for those preparing for surgery or returning from surgery. Watch Dave’s exercises for an ACL injury below: (more…)

As you approach your longest training run to date as part of your training for your very first marathon, you might start to feel some aches and pains that you did not feel with your shorter distance runs.  Listed below are three common running injuries/discomforts that you may encounter.  It is important to do what you can to minimize these aches and pains before the big day arrives in just over a month.

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In my last post on ACL injuries, I posted that overtraining can predispose someone to an ACL injury. Overtraining (spending too much time training without proper recovery) can have some serious health consequences. Overtraining is becoming an increasingly common problem as athletes are starting to specialize in one sport at younger ages. Discussing solutions to overtraining and specialization is always tough since it usually involves telling someone to play less of the sport they want to excel at. Having said that, research and anecdotal evidence both make a strong case for how varying up the sports you play through the year can lead to a healthier and more successful athletic career. (more…)

I was recently asked by ESPN’s Sports Medicine Weekly radio show to do an interview related to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune covering the recent increase in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. The article states that over the last decade, some orthopedic groups have seen a 400% increase in torn ACLs and that a huge segment of that growing population is female. In fact,some studies have shown that females can be up to 8 times more likely to tear their ACL than males playing the same sport, so I’d like to focus on that segment of the population. During my time with Dr. Cole and Steve Kashul, we covered some of the reasons why the increase in these injuries is happening, but I’d like to take this opportunity to briefly expand on some of the ideas brought up in the interview. (more…)

The Athletic Training Program has been a cornerstone for Athletico Physical Therapy since Mark Kaufman founded the company 22 years ago. Affiliations now include all of the major professional teams in Chicago, as well as thirteen colleges, seventy nine high schools, the US Soccer Federation and multiple elite affiliates. The most senior of Athletico’s 200+ athletic trainers (ATs) is Tony Garofalo, ATC, who has 43 years of experience including his service as the Chicago Cubs Head Athletic Trainer from 1977 though 1986. During his illustrious career Tony has worked in the high school, college, professional, elite, and clinical settings and is a member of the Illinois Athletic Trainers Association (IATA), St. Benedict University, and St. Louis University Halls of Fame.  He is also a founding partner of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS). We caught up with Tony and asked him about the highlights of his career. (more…)

March is National Athletic Training Month and athletic training has evolved as more and more people find out that athletic trainers’ expertise has applications far beyond athletics. Sure, working with on the field (or court – it is time for March Madness) may be the backbone of our profession, but there is an ever-expanding list of non-traditional settings that athletic trainers are making an impact. Below are 10 settings you might not have realized utilized athletic trainers. (more…)

It’s baseball and softball season and that means three things to me as an athletic trainer: hot dogs, bleachers and shoulder pain. While all three of those cause discomfort in their own way, I find shoulder pain to be the most pertinent to be addressed by my skill set. I’ve found that a majority of shoulder pain stems from a few of the following avoidable mistakes made by overhead athletes. (more…)