Caitlin Abrams
Minnesota Vixen player gets treated at Northwestern Health Science University's Human
Performance Center
For decades, the solution to most sports-related medical problems was a pill or a procedure.
Aching back? Pop some ibuprofen. Torn ACL? See a surgeon.But health experts have begun
to reevaluate those approaches in recent years, and sports medicine like much of traditional
western medicine—has undergone an astonishing transformation as approaches like massage
, Chinese medicine, physiotherapy, mental performance coaching, and nutrition have proven
their efficacy again and again in research studies. The toolbox available to health care
providers treating injured athletes has grown substantially—and a Minnesota-based lab is
leading the way in wielding those tools: Northwestern Health Sciences University Human Performance Center has been serving pro athletes since 2014—and this winter, some of its services
will become available to the public.
“Until now, we’ve only worked with high-performance teams,” says NWHSU Human
Performance Center director Dr. Timothy Stark. That roster of athletes served by the center
ranges from soccer pros to retired NFL players, Ultimate Frisbee athletes to Jui Jitsu
practitioners. These elite athletes have access not only to chiropractic services, but also to
specialists in acupuncture, sports nutrition, Chinese medicine, and more. “We truly are
integrative,” says Stark. “Athletes pay a single fee and can get access to all these disciplines.”
“Research is showing that multimodal care is better than single discipline care,” Stark adds.
“And patient satisfaction is higher as well.”
At the Human Performance Center, that means every patient is evaluated by a team of experts with wide-ranging perspectives. A football player with an ankle sprain visiting the center might
meet with a chiropractor, Chinese medicine specialist, and massage therapist at the first
appointment, for example. Assuming that there’s not fracture, the team might decide to start
with needling and massage work before moving on to chiropractic services. If the problem was impacting patient’s confidence, the team might also schedule a session with the center’s
mental performance coach, former Minnesota Viking Leo Lewis, a specialist in the field.
Additionally, the team might ask about the player’s diet and sleep patterns and suggest
changes that could speed recovery.
“The volume of care increases with integrative care,” Stark says. The 360-perspective benefits
athletic patients considerably, but it can also be difficult to find in a clinical environment. “You
don’t see a lot of the integrative approach in sports medicine right now because doctors don’t
know how to do it,” Stark says. “They don’t know how to work laterally within their organization.”
Until recently, the Human Performance Center has been closed to the public, available
exclusively to sports teams that contract with the university. But the value of the integrative
approach is something that every athlete can benefit from, Stark believes, and the center is
currently developing plans to offer strength and conditioning services to non-professional
athletes in early 2020. “Our work continues to grow,” Stark says. “It’s exciting to see how
athletes, coaches and other people in sports medicine are responding. It benefits our students
tremendously, and it helps athletes perform better and recover more quickly.”
Located in Bloomington, Northwestern Health Sciences University is a pioneer in integrative
natural health care education, offering degree programs in chiropractic, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, massage therapy, medical assisting, medical laboratory programs,
post-bac/pre-health, radiation therapy, and B.S. completion. Its Bloomington clinic is open to
the public, and provides acupuncture, Chinese medicine, chiropractic treatment, massage
therapy, naturopathic medicine, cupping, and physical therapy. NWHSU Human Performance Center partners with sports teams and athletic departments, and specializes in sustainable,
natural ways to improve human movement and overall health.
From Mpls.St.Paul Magazine for 