PRO Sports & Spinal Rehab Educates Young Athletes to be Heart Smart

When it happened, Terrell Coleman was 15 years old, Wes Leonard was 16, Cameron Gallagher was 16, Hank Gathers was 23. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading medical cause of death in NCAA athletes representing 75% of all sudden death cases that occur during training, exercise or competition. Every three days in the US, a young athlete dies from sudden cardiac arrest. One in 250 young athletes has a heart disorder such as arrhythmia or Marfan syndrome that may increase their risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

Dr. Randy Cybulski, owner of Plainfield-based PRO Sports & Spinal Rehab, is now on a mission to reduce the statistics of SCD and catch the risks earlier than later. “With today’s progressive technology and the likelihood of a young athletes’ physical stress during training or competition, we HAVE to know the exact physical state of all our kids before an emergency situation occurs.”

Dr. Cybulski and his staff are the official team physicians for Naperville Patriots, Naperville Chargers, Tri-City Wolverines, Elwood Energy, Plainfield Diamond Kings 14U, and Minooka River Cats 9U. Over the last two years, Dr. Cybulski implemented Impact concussion baseline tests for over 500 young athletes, and recently added nerve tests, and heart-vascular scans because of sudden cardiac arrest issues surfacing.

“When research findings in Journal of American Cardiology showed that one young athlete out of 200 under age 18 had positive findings found on echocardiograms, it became urgent for me to address this with my athletes and their parents. When I tested those under my watch, we found valve issues with one 9 year old and one 12 year old. Even parents are being tested, and there were a significant number showing immediate need of further diagnostics to be done. As physicians, we need to educate families of young athletes about symptoms, physical behavior and body language, and be ahead of the curve so we can uncover potential health problems. Today our access to technology, equipment and knowledge allows us to do that. One undiagnosed heart condition is one too many.”

Dr. Cybulski is offering heart-vascular scans at his location on Route 59 in Plainfield with no out of pocket cost to the family. Partnering with Vascular Centers of America-Wimbledon Health Partners, he hopes to educate and build awareness about heart and vascular conditions that can be treated properly before becoming a serious health issue. To learn more about the scans, Dr. Cybulski and his staff, please visit www.prosportschiro.com or call (815) 267-6263.

About PRO Sports & Spinal Rehab:
PRO Sports & Spinal Rehab is a comprehensive treatment center offering services for all types of injury and full recovery due to occurrence of sports or personal injuries, surgery, neck and back rehabilitation. Utilizing the P.R.O. Rehabilitation model, physical therapy includes manual therapy alongside biomechanical analysis and correction. Patients receive customized and progressive treatments to correct inefficiencies, heal damaged tissues and enhance performance to reach total wellness goals. With additional services that include massage, sports chiropractic care, acupuncture, laser therapy, custom foot orthotics and more, PRO Sports & Spinal Rehab can execute health improvement plans for complete well being. For more information, visit www.prosportschiro.com or call 815-267-6263.

About Wimbledon Health Partners:
Wimbledon Health Partners is a national, on-site diagnostic testing organization with capabilities for diagnosing circulatory conditions that can be detected through the use of vascular ultrasound. Nerve condition velocity testing (NCV) is also utilized to support diagnostics of nerve involvement to manage risk. For more information go to www.dxtesting.com or call 855-200-VCOA (8262).