Maintaining the momentum

For athletes, vigorous training is not an assurance of a good performance especially if one suffers from an injury.

To assist athletes, non-athletes and weekend warriors in strengthening their performance and to provide remedies for their recovery from injuries, Far Eastern University teamed up with The Medical City to establish the Sports Performance and Rehabilitation Center.

Last Jan 20, Dr. Alran Bengzon, chief executive of The Medical City and Dr. Lydia Echauz, president of FEU, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the official launch of the Sparc. Fr. Tito Caluag led the blessing of the center. After the ceremony, the FEU pep squad performed a dance number that was followed with the opening remarks from Anton Montinola, senior board member of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and manager of FEU’s men’s varsity basketball team, and Dr. John Andrew Michael Bengzon, president of Sparc.

In a press conference, Sebastian Ripoll, head strength and conditioning coach/sports science unit head of Sparc; Arabella Ripoll, administrative manager of Sparc and sports and fitness consultant of FEU Athletics Department; Dr. Jun Rafanan and Dr. Eduardo de la Fuente, rehabilitation medicine doctors of Sparc; Bengzon; Montinola; and FEU Tamaraw Mac Baracael sat and welcomed questions from the media and guests.

Sparc for spark

Sparc is a collaboration between medical and sports science specialists. It was the first center established in the Philippines that offers both medical and sports services in one venue. The facility houses orthopedists who treat a variety of conditions and rehabilitation medicine consultants who complement them.

“While skill has impact on athletic talent, it does not equate to overall fitness. Skill alone does not guarantee an athlete a great career in sports,” Bengzon said. He also added that because the risk of getting injured in sports is extremely high, a good rehabilitation center is imperative to help athletes recover quickly. “We wanted a venue where we could treat sports-related injuries using superior equipment and professionally trained rehabilitation therapists,” said Montinola, who explained that this was the vision for the facility from its inception.

Last year, Baracael figured in a shooting accident that resulted in a punctured lung. He recovered in less than six weeks with the help of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation at The Medical City and training under the Sports Performance Enhancement Programs. These services are now available at Sparc.

Rachel Daquis of the FEU women’s volleyball team said that Sparc is an accessible and convenient venue especially for athletes like her who are prone to injuries.

Open to the public

Sparc is open to everyone. Ripoll explained that the Sparc services cover everything in terms of physical fitness. They also tailor-fit their programs to the kind of sport the person is into. “We look at the weaknesses, needs, and demands of the sport,” he said.

The strength and conditioning area of Sparc can have 20 people at once while the clinic can accommodate 10 patients per hour.

The performance enhancement services (sports training) of Sparc include strength and conditioning program, plyometrics, personal training program, sports-specific performance program, fitness and physiological screening, body fat screening and anthropometric measurement, post surgical and rehabilitation program, and return to sports transition.

The clinical services of Sparc include orthopedic consultation, rehabilitation medicine consultation, sports medicine rehabilitation, pain control and management, orthopedic rehabilitation, occupational and functional rehabilitation, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, stroke and neuromuscular rehabilitation, splint fabrication and taping procedures, and state-of-the-art equipment in physical therapy (electrotherapy, thermal modalities, traction, therapeutic exercises and laser).

Sparc is located at the ground floor of the Technological Building of FEU along Nicanor Reyes Street, Sampaloc, Manila. Operating hours are from Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For inquiries, call 467-6701 or e-mail sparcsportsperformance@yahoo.com. - Marist Nagera, Antonette Vasquez and Catherine Tolentino