Health by Hayley Sunshine Coast: One Year On From Chengdu
It has been a just over a year since I flew to Chengdu to treat athletes at the World Games, and I still think about it most weeks. Here is what that experience was actually like, and how it quietly shapes the way I look after you back home on the Sunshine Coast.
One Year On From Chengdu And The World Games
Just over a year ago, The World Games ran from the 7th of August to the 17th of August in Chengdu, China, and I was there as part of the sports medicine team. I travelled representing FICS, the Federation of International Sports Chiropractic, alongside fifty one other chiropractors selected from all over the world. When the email came through confirming my place, I read it about four times before I believed it. Being chosen to treat at an event of that level is not something you can apply for on a whim. It takes your baseline study to become a chiropractor, sports chiropractic qualifications, event experience and 3 years of being a FICS sports Chiropractor. Going from a clinic in Buderim to a multi sport international competition in China was a big leap, and it stretched me in the best possible way. I came home with better hands, better clinical reasoning and a much clearer sense of what I want Health by Hayley Sunshine Coast to be. A year on, I still find myself thinking about it during a normal Tuesday afternoon in the clinic. Something about the pace, the pressure and the people has stayed with me, and I honestly think my patients here on the Sunshine Coast are the ones who benefit most from it.
Living In The Athlete Village And Exploring Chengdu
Staying in the athlete village was completely surreal. You walk out of your room in the morning and pass world class athletes. It felt normal to them and extraordinary to me. The days were long. There were very early starts and some late finishes, but it was so much fun. I met chiropractors from countries I had never visited who are now genuine friends. That professional network is one of the most valuable things I brought home. Between shifts I made sure I tried to see Chengdu. I visited the panda research facility, I wandered through Kuanzhai Alley, spent time in the famous parks, practised tai chi, and stood in Tianfu Square taking in the mix of old buildings and modern city. The food was incredible, the people were warm, and the whole trip reminded me why stepping outside your comfort zone matters. You come back with more perspective and more passion for what you do.
Floorball, Surf Lifesaving, Free Diving And Archery Shifts
I was rostered across four very different sports, floorball, surf lifesaving, free diving and archery. Each one demands something completely different from the body. Floorball is fast, with sharp changes of direction and plenty of hip and groin load. Surf lifesaving athletes carry huge shoulder and upper back demands. Free divers need calm, mobility through the ribs and thoracic spine, and excellent breathing mechanics. Archers need stability, shoulder endurance and a spine that tolerates holding position under tension for hours. We were not assigned to specific countries either. Every athlete from every nation could be treated, which meant a constant flow of new faces, new languages and new presentations. Unlike a clinic setting, nobody books an appointment. Athletes simply walk over when they need help, often minutes before they compete or straight after finishing. Some only needed a quick assessment and reassurance. Others came back three or four times in a single day while we managed a niggle or monitored an injury through their competition schedule. You learn to assess quickly, communicate simply, and make confident decisions without a full history in front of you. Language barriers were handled with google translate, hand gestures, a lot of smiling. It was busy, unpredictable and honestly some of the most rewarding work I have done as a sports chiro.
What Courtside Care Taught Me About Everyday Bodies
Our role at the World Games went far beyond treating pain. Depending on the athlete and their presentation, management might include joint mobilisation and manipulation, taping for support, offloading or movement restriction, warm up and movement strategies, recovery advice, load management conversations and specific strengthening recommendations. The goal was always the same, help the athlete perform safely while protecting both short term performance and long term health. That balance is exactly what I bring into the clinic here at Buderim. You might not be competing for your country, but you are still managing load. Your load is a full work week, school drop offs, a half marathon build, surf sessions, gym classes and a garden that never stops needing attention. The principles do not change. Assess properly, treat what needs treating, then give you the strategies to keep going. At Health by Hayley Sunshine Coast that looks like chiropractic care, sports chiropractic and rehabilitation, strength and conditioning programming, and Total Body Modification, concussion assessments and long term wellness planning. Chengdu sharpened my ability to make fast, sensible calls under pressure. Back home, that means clearer explanations, better plans and less guessing about what your body actually needs next.
Whether you are chasing a world title or chasing your kids around the backyard, your body deserves the same standard of care.
A sports chiropractor still does everything you would expect from chiropractic care, including spinal assessment, manual adjustments and nervous system focused treatment. The difference is the extra layer of training in biomechanics, injury management and athletic performance. When you come in with a sore shoulder, I am not just looking at the shoulder. I want to know how you load it, how your hips and thoracic spine move, what your training week looks like and whether the problem is capacity, technique or recovery. Sports chiropractic also brings in tools like taping, rehabilitation exercise, warm up strategies and load management planning. At the World Games I used all of those in a single shift, sometimes on the same athlete. Here in Buderim I use them with tradies, runners, surfers, netballers and people who simply want to move well into their seventies. You do not need to be competitive to benefit. If your body has demands placed on it, and everyone's does, a sports chiro approach helps you meet those demands without breaking down.
Not at all, and this is probably the question I get asked most. The word sport puts people off, but the approach is really just a thorough way of looking at how your body handles load. Most of the people I treat at Health by Hayley Sunshine Coast are not competing anywhere. They are parents, office workers, nurses, retirees and weekend surfers. The same principles I used courtside in Chengdu apply when you are lifting a toddler, sitting at a desk for nine hours or paddling out at the bluff, on a Saturday. We assess how you move, find where the restriction or weakness is, treat it, then build a plan so it does not keep returning. Sometimes that plan includes strength and conditioning work. Sometimes it is simply better recovery habits and smarter pacing. If you have been putting off getting something looked at because you think you are not sporty enough, please do not. Your everyday load matters just as much as an athlete's competition schedule.
Selection happens through FICS, the Federation of International Sports Chiropractic, which coordinates chiropractic teams for major international events. It is not a case of putting your hand up and getting on a plane. You need recognised sports chiropractic qualifications, current registration, and a track record of working at sporting events, usually starting locally and building from there. I spent some time covering community sport, club level competition and national events before applying. FICS then selects a team from applicants around the world, and for the World Games in Chengdu that was fifty two of us in total. On arrival you are briefed, assigned venues and rostered across shifts. If you are a student or a newer practitioner reading this and it appeals to you, start volunteering at local events now. Get comfortable making decisions quickly with limited information. That experience is what prepares you, far more than any single course does.
Your first visit is mostly about understanding you properly, so bring your questions and be ready to chat. I will take a full history covering your symptoms, your health background, your work, your training and your goals. Then we do a physical assessment looking at posture, joint movement, muscle function and how your body moves as a whole. If it is relevant, that might include a biomechanical assessment or a concussion screen using vestibular goggles and balance and cognition testing. From there I explain what I have found in plain language, no jargon, and we agree on a plan together. Most people receive treatment on that first visit, which may include manual adjustments, soft tissue work, mobilisation etc. You will usually leave with something to do at home too, whether that is a stretch, a strengthening exercise or a change to how you are loading through the week. My aim is that you walk out knowing what is going on and what happens next. No mystery, no open ended commitment.
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