The Golden Rockets are upping their game this year in many different ways.
Alongside regular training, yoga, and gym workouts, head coach Jeremy Blumes is utilizing the help of Michelle Bilodeau, Canadian Athletic Therapist Association certified.
The athletic therapist will provide her services as an emergency medical technician at games, and will help players recover from their injuries in between.
“What athletic therapists are, we treat mainly musculoskeletal injuries,” Bilodeau said.
Muskuloskeletal therapy specializes in muscles, bones, and joints, focusing in on injuries and root causes of pain. Athletic therapy covers acute care at sporting events, and oversees initial assessment of the injury, following it through to a full return to sport or activity, when the person is fully recovered.
“Usually when muscles are tense, there’s a reason. It’s one component of what’s usually necessary,” Bilodeau said. “We cover field events, we qualify as first responders, give initial advice… We really can do from square zero right to getting back in the game.”
Registered with the Canadian Athletic Therapist Association, Bilodeau attended Concordia University in Montreal to attain her creditation.
“When I got there, I knew I was in the right place,” she said about university.
Coming to Golden, Bilodeau was “chasing the snow dreams,” as many other people have done. Now, she is practicing out of Element Therapeutics, and is ready to start taking on patients.
Despite the number of sports and outdoor activities available in Golden, athletic therapy is a niche market. Bilodeau brings her services to town, expecting to be busy helping people return to their full capabilities following a sports-related injury.
“There’s a lot of potential,” Bilodeau said, adding that skiers, kayakers, rafters, and sports teams could find her services useful. “It encompasses a wide variety of manual therapy.”
Bilodeau is excited to offer her services to the Golden Rockets for the upcoming season, and the additional therapy should help players recover from their injuries quicker, getting them back onto the ice.
“Working with the Rockets is an exciting opportunity,” she said.
Coach Blumes is happy to be building partnerships with more people in Golden, offering an expanding number of services to players in the Rockets franchise.
“We’re thrilled to have somebody with her background and experience,” he said. “For me, it’s about providing as much support for my guys as possible.”
