Forget the guessing game – detailed analysis is where it’s at for Canberra sport lovers. Photo: The Walking Clinic.
Whether you’re an elite athlete, social sportsperson or just enjoy cycling on the weekends, measuring your performance accurately is key to continued growth.
But this is not necessarily something best done alone. Thankfully, therapists at the Canberra Physio Clinic have brought in the big guns with world-class assessment and analysis technology, VALD Performance.
The technology has been offered in the clinic for less than 12 months, but already these physios are seeing great results in a variety of sports-loving clients.
Director and senior physiotherapist Toby Conroy has worked with athletes of all kinds for almost 15 years. His passions lie in sports rehab, injury prevention and treatment, recovery, and skills development.
“VALD Performance was originally developed for professional athletes competing at an elite level, but it can easily be modified to suit casual sportspeople and everyday Canberrans as they exercise,” Toby says.
“At its core, the technology supports us as physios to do our job more efficiently.
“It improves the accuracy of physical analysis and gives us really detailed insights that track growth, identify areas for improvement and can highlight injuries or issues before they occur.”
Ever the sports and health enthusiast, Toby Conroy works with a range of sports teams competing in local, national and international competitions. He is also head of physical preparation for Basketball Australia’s national junior teams. Photo: Canberra Physio Clinic.
So, how does it all work?
VALD uses precision sensors, intuitive apps and real-time data visualisation to assess strength, power, asymmetry, range and quality of movement, speed, agility, balance and more.
It all starts by chatting with a physio such as Toby. He and his team work with each client to understand their goals before establishing a performance baseline using VALD’s equipment range.
Testing is intuitive, non-invasive and easily tailored to individual needs. Depending on the equipment range needed, you could be jumping or balancing on force plates, using handheld strength testers, running through timing gates, or even tracking movement using 3D video analysis.
“For example, we have improved our strength balance, power and endurance assessment to ensure we can get athletes suffering ACL injuries back to their chosen sport and activity,” Toby says.
“Once testing is complete, we go over analysis reports with a fine-toothed comb and explain them in depth, adding to or adjusting your training schedule to reflect your unique results.
“You’ll then be able to access your schedule, along with extra educational content, through a handy patient app.”
Canberrans love their sport and each sport requires different capabilities to succeed. For example, a basketballer needs to hone their agility, endurance, lower limb strength and jump performance in order to excel, but a swimmer will have entirely different goals.
“Likewise, injuries need specific and tailored treatment, so VALD is a really useful tool to target problem areas and reach the next level of conditioning or recovery,” Toby says.
“So far the athletes I work with have given really positive feedback.
“I think it’s amazing how far technology has come in support of proactive and preventative sports health and I’m excited to see how VALD continues to evolve.”
Keen to give VALD Performance a try? Get in touch with Canberra Physio Clinic.
