The SSC community stretches further than you know and reaches more people than you ever thought possible. Your new manager, that blind date sitting across from you, and even your family doctor could be a member just like you.
And nothing makes that clearer than when you take a look at the staff of Cleveland Clinic Canada, our official health care partner. Among these medical professionals are players of all kinds, both past and present.
Meet Stacey Huang – Cleveland Clinic Canada physiotherapist, basketball enthusiast, and SSC member.
Stacey, a player for the past 4 years, shares her experience playing, preventing injury, and just enjoying the experience.
What do you love about team sports?
As is the case with most people, I find that over time I’ve had a harder time committing to an exercise regime. However, this gives me some accountability.
“I like having people who depend on me and I like having competitive people around me to push me a little.”
What do you do to prevent injury?
Preventing injury is not just about what you do when you step on to the court or the field. We still need to train for our sports whether it’s running technique drills or working on some sport-specific strength and balance training. This helps prevent overreaching and compensating and the likelihood of injury.
If someone gets injured, how soon should they seek help?
People are most likely to experience sprains or strains. I generally tell people that minor sprains and strain should get a lot better in 3 days, mostly pain-free in about 5 days to 2 weeks and should feel normal in about 4 weeks. Therefore, I usually recommend that people seek medical attention for less severe injuries if they:
- Have a lot of pain 3-5 days after an injury
- Have lingering low-level pain for more than 2 weeks that feels like it is not resolving.
“The longer you wait, the harder recovery will become.”
What’s something people would be surprised to find out about you?
Everyone is pretty surprised with my choice in sports. I come in at 5’4”, if I’m being generous, and people are generally surprised about what sports I play. They also might also be a little surprised that I grew up in Newfoundland.
Need treatment? Call (416) 507-6600 or visit clevelandclinic.ca.