A Network of Support for Boundary-Pushing Athletics and Adventure

Whistler: it’s as extreme as you make it. And while après on a patio might be adventure enough for some, others look to push their personal boundaries in Whistler. Opportunities for boundary-pushing abound.

During the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, we saw inspiring performances from athletes – many who have done exactly that… taken their performance right to the edge of their ability. Those performances have provided podium-elation for some, injuries for others, or both – as in the case of Slovenian cross country skier Petra MAjdic, who despite a serious fall managed not just to finish, but to finish in the medals.

As Whistlerites know, even if injury occurs, medical help is swift and exceptional. From doctors and physiotherapists to chiropractors, massage therapists and acupuncturists, Whistler has a community of medical professionals ready to treat the bumps, bruises, breaks and strains that can come from playing hard in the mountains.

Allison McLean is a physiotherapist and owner of Peak Performance, a long established Whistler clinic offering physiotherapy, IMS (intramuscular stimulation), bracing and splinting, electrotherapy, acupuncture and massage therapy seven days a week.

In Whistler, Allison’s 21 years of experience means 21 years of treating sports injuries, to get patients back out into the amazing natural environment. She has treated multiple members of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team and is volunteering with the Össur bracing company who will build and customize bracing equipment for athletes during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Allison even has a patent on a knee brace she designed to treat a common ski injury.

If diagnostic imaging is required, Whistler has its own state of the art MRI clinic that specializes in sports medicine. Delivering high definition diagnostic images for a full range of injuries and medical conditions, patients are seen immediately and leave with their scanned images so treatment can begin as soon as possible.

The Whistler Health Care Centre is a full-service medical facility able to treat any illness or emergency. A brand new 64-slice CT (computed tomography) scanner arrived in time for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and ensured athletes had access to the world’s most advanced diagnostic equipment if they became injured during the Games. Capable of generating three-dimensional images inside of the body, non-invasively, the CT scanner is a fantastic legacy for the Whistler community.

So pick your adventure, outfit yourself to play safe with a helmet, body armour or other appropriate equipment and know that the best way to end any great day in the outdoors is on one of Whistler’s fabulous patios – not in the medical clinic.