Sports Injury Physiotherapy in Saskatoon
Getting hurt isn’t the worst part. The worst part is not knowing whether to back off, push through, or stop altogether.
At Vigour Physiotherapy, I help runners, lifters, and weekend athletes in Saskatoon get back to full training and life by combining:
a thorough physiotherapy assessment
a clear answer on what you can keep doing while it settles
strength and loading that rebuilds the tissue instead of just resting it
a return-to-sport plan
hands-on treatment when it helps settle symptoms
The goal isn’t only getting out of pain. It’s getting back to full training with the thing that caused it less likely to happen again.
Direct billing available, 1-on-1 care, exercises sent to you after your visit
Most sports injuries don’t need you to stop everything. They need the right load, in the right dose, at the right time. Your first visit is a 60-minute one-on-one assessment and treatment at my clinic in City Park, Saskatoon.
When should you see a physiotherapist for a sports injury?
Book an assessment if any of this sounds like your situation:
a specific injury that’s still bothering you a week or two later
pain that shows up at the same point in a run, a lift, or a session
something that settles with rest and comes straight back when you train
you’ve lost range, strength, or confidence on one side
you’re taping, bracing, or warming up twice as long just to get through
you’ve got a race, meet, or season coming and you’re not sure what to do
you want to train around it properly instead of guessing
Earlier is better here. Plenty of the injuries that drag on for months were very manageable in the first couple of weeks.
Sports injuries I treat
If any of this sounds familiar, I can most likely help:
running injuries: shin pain, knee pain, Achilles, plantar heel pain, hip and glute pain
lifting injuries: low back, shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee under load
CrossFit and mixed-modal injuries from high volume or a new movement
shoulder pain from pressing, overhead work, or throwing
ankle sprains, hamstring strains, and calf strains
overuse injuries that crept in over a training block
If what you’re dealing with isn’t on this list, it’s still worth a call. The questions are the same: what’s irritated, what’s underprepared, and what does your training actually ask of it.
What makes a sports injury stick around?
Most injuries that linger aren’t mysterious. It’s usually a mix of:
doing too much too soon after time off, illness, or a deload
a capacity gap between what you’re asking of the tissue and what it’s ready for
positions and technique that load one structure harder than it needs to be
strength and range deficits that were there before the injury showed up
sleep, stress, and recovery that haven’t kept pace with your training
stopping completely and losing the tolerance you’d built, so the first session back hurts again
My goal is to settle symptoms and rebuild capacity, so the tissue handles the training you actually want to do.
What your first appointment looks like
Your first visit is 60 minutes, one-on-one. In it, I’ll:
Clarify your story including what you train, what changed, and what you’re aiming at
Screen for red flags and decide whether anything needs a referral
Test movement and strength against the demands of your sport, not a generic screen
Create a plan you understand:
what to do between sessions
what to keep training, and what to swap out for now
what we’re building toward before you’re back to full load
You’ll leave knowing what you can train this week, not just what hurts.
How I treat sports injuries (what you can expect)
Treatment is built around your sport and your training week, and usually includes:
hands-on treatment when it helps settle symptoms and restore movement
specific strength work for the tissue that’s struggling and the links around it
graded loading for the exact demands you’re returning to
mobility work where range is genuinely limiting the movement
technique and programming tweaks so your training supports the rehab instead of fighting it
dry needling / IMS when it suits what you’re dealing with, never mandatory
I draw on training through Functional Range Systems and Kinstretch, the Postural Restoration Institute, and ongoing study in strength and mobility coaching. The short version: we build control and capacity, not just comfort.
Common patterns I see
People don’t fit neatly into boxes, but these are common patterns:
the one-off acute injury
the overuse injury from a block that ramped too fast
the recurring niggle (settles with rest, returns with volume)
the deload-and-return problem (fine until the first hard session back)
the long-running one (months of on-and-off that never fully cleared)
Whatever the category, the plan is usually the same: settle it down, rebuild capacity, and get you back to full training.
Nick Allard, MPT: Your Sports Injury Physiotherapist
“I’m Nick Allard, a Saskatoon physiotherapist and the owner of Vigour Physiotherapy. I train myself, so I know that “just rest it” is rarely a plan anyone actually sticks to. Most of my continuing education has gone into joint control and end-range strength: coursework through Functional Range Systems and Kinstretch, training with the Postural Restoration Institute (PRI), and ongoing study in strength and mobility coaching. My approach is straightforward: work out what’s irritated, rebuild what’s missing, and get you back to training with more confidence than you had before. Read more about Nick here!”
Direct Billing to your insurance, 1-on-1 assessments and treatment, exercises sent to you following your visit, no waitlist
Sports Injury Physiotherapy FAQs
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Usually not. Full rest settles symptoms but costs you the capacity you’ve built, which is why the first session back so often hurts again. In most cases we keep some version of training going and change the load, the range, or the exercise selection instead.
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It depends on the tissue and how long it’s been going on. You’ll get a realistic range after your assessment, and we track progress against what you can actually do rather than a date on the calendar.
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You can book directly. Scans are useful when they’d change the plan, and most of the time they don’t. If your assessment suggests imaging or a medical opinion is worth getting, I’ll tell you and help you get there.
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Yes, and it’s worth telling me at the first visit. The plan looks very different six weeks out from a race than it does in an off-season block.
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Yes. If how you’re moving is part of the problem, we’ll work on it. Bring video of the lift or the run if you have it, or we can look at it in the clinic.
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No. You get a small number of exercises aimed at what your assessment actually showed, with sets, reps, and loading that fit your week, sent to your phone. We adjust them as you progress.
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Yes, I direct bill most extended health plans. If the injury happened at work or in a collision there are separate coverage routes, and I can bill those too once a claim is open.
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Flare-ups happen, usually when training volume changes. Part of the plan is knowing what to do when one shows up, so it costs you a few days rather than a few months.
Ready to get moving again?
If you’re hurt and want a plan that keeps you training where you can, book an assessment. We’ll work out what’s driving it and what to do next.
Last updated November 2026 · About Nick Allard, MPT →
This page is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have severe or worsening symptoms, loss of bowel/bladder control, significant weakness, fever, unexplained weight loss, or symptoms after major trauma, seek urgent medical care.
Conveniently Located in Saskatoon, SK
610 Queen Street #102
Saskatoon, SK
S7K 0M8
Directly across from City Hospital in the City Park neighbourhood