Ron Rappel leaves to oversee expanding therapy centres

by John Austen

After 18 years as the head athletic therapist at Concordia University, Ron Rappel has left the position to devote himself full time to the Concordia Sports Medicine and Physiotherapy Clinics ,where he is a managing partner. He has seen the clinic grow by leaps and bounds since first conceived in 1986.

Rappel, a certified athletic therapist, manages and oversees the marketing and business development aspect of the clinics operations. Two years ago he took a one-year leave of absence from Concordia to spend more timeat the clinic. He soon realized that with all the growth taking place in the sports medicine field, the clinic needed his full attention. “It was a tough decision to leave the university, but I just didn't have the energy to do both jobs properly,” he said. “My golf game was kind of suffering, too.” Concordia Sports Medicine & Physiotherapy comprises seven clinics located in and around Montreal.

“Our goal is to deliver the best possible care to individuals in pain in the Montreal area,”Rappel said. “We try and treat everyone. It’s not unusual to find an 11-year-old female soccer player getting work on her knee sitting next to a 75-year-old man who has just had a hip replacement.”

The dozens of trained professionals are focused on getting athletes better faster. Concordia Sports Medicine & Physiotherapy was established more than 20 years ago Dave Campbell and Gary Cummings at a clinic in the Olympic stadium in Montreal. The clinic later moved to the West Island and Paul Evans joined the clinic. All are athletic therapists/osteopaths.

In 1990, Rappel and Campbell merged a second clinic with Concordia Sports Medicine & Physiotherapy. This clinic was located on the Loyola campus of Concordia, and is presently situated in N.D.G. on the corner of Cavendish and Sherbrooke Sts.

“I would say the most common problems we're seeing these days involve backs - spine-related injuries,” Rappel said.“We also see lots of knees and shoulders.”

“There are lots of weekend warriors out there, and many of the injuries we see are preventable,” he continued. “People must warm up and stretch properly before exercise so they don't pull muscles. It's all about education, and that's a big part of what we do. We teach people about their bodies.”

The clinics are still affiliated with Concordia University. In fact CSM&P provides on-site services for their sports teams.

“The whole idea behind sports medicine is to actively treat individuals in an aggressive but safe fashion,” Rappel said.

“In the olden days, athletes were “shaked and baked” by the medical profession. Our job is to get the athlete back playing his or her sport in the quickest time possible. It's an active approach. We treat the cause, not just the symptoms. Staying pain-free is an important component of complete rehabilitation.”

“We have to be on the cutting edge of injury rehab, staying in touch with the most recent innovations and developments in the field through our own Institute of Professional Development,” he said.

“Many of our therapists have worked with Olympic and professional athletes and come recommended by some of the top orthopedic surgeons and physicians in the city.” Campbell still deals with any back problems suffered by members of the Montreal Canadiens. Rappel has worked with the likes of Olympic sprinter Bruny Surin, as well as figure skaters Kurt Browning and Kristi Yamaguchi.

“Top-notch athletes realize that their body is what pays their bills,”Rappel said. “Athletes get wiser with age and know how important it is to take care of themselves.” When Rappel is not involved in sports medicine he can be found either playing hockey (100 games per year) or coaching his son Dylan, who plays Bantam hockey. He also serves as chair of the Lakeshore General Hospital Foundation Golf Tournament, which has raised more than $150,000 in the last four years.