ON Chiropractic
Clockwise from left: Dr. Carole Smith and Robert Buren conferring, RMT Leah Karges, Buren receives a foot adjustment.
in concert to help him stay healthy and
meet his athletic goals. In particular,
his shoulders are a concern. His family
physician, Dr. Victoria Chen, is very
focussed on his shoulders. “We can’t replace
shoulders like we replace hips,” Robert
recounts being told. So, in partnership
with his entire team, his shoulders get a lot
of attention. When she heard that Robert
had mentioned her comment, she added
fingers and joints to the list of irreplaceable
items that require special attention.
“We only have so many miles on
our joints,” Dr. Chen said. As a family
physician, she cannot provide all of the
care Robert requires. No one practitioner
can. When asked for her perspective on
the team of care supporting Robert, Dr.
Chen stated “I am not a specialist in the
treatment of para-athletes,” referring to her
role as his family physician. “Rob needs the
whole circle of care,” she added.
One of the complex and challenging
components of Robert’s case is neuropathic
pain. And as Dr. Chen suggested it requires
the support of a full team of care. Robert
and his team have worked together to find
a few treatments that help lessen the pain
to a small degree. They have tried Reiki,
TENS, acupuncture and massage therapy.
And while meditation and mindfulness
ease the pain, what Robert finds to be the
most helpful at distracting him from the
pain and increasing the chances of him
having a ‘good pain day’ is exercise.
When asked if seeing the team at Your
Health Wellness Centre plays a role in his
ability to keep setting new and loftier goals,
Robert answers with his signature matter
of factness. “Undoubtedly. Carole gets it.”
To Robert that means seeing the complete
picture of his health and his athleticism.
Dr. Smith, along with Registered Massage
Therapist (RMT) Leah Karges and
others, focus on helping him attain his
competition goals as well as living a healthy
lifestyle. This balance is part of the concern
about worsening his disability.
Robert’s team works together to
provide his care. Communication is a big
part of that work. Athletes have an expert
understanding of their sports and their
bodies. This can provide a window into
how best to go about treating athletic
patients. Their health care team then takes
that information and uses it to inform
treatment plans.
Athletes’ ability to pinpoint a