Serving Those Who Served: Sports Chiropractic at the 2025 Invictus Games Vancouver
- Saanichton Chiropractic Group
- 1 day ago
- 10 min read
In February 2025, Dr. Mike Hadbavny — lead chiropractor at Saanichton Chiropractic Group and Fellow of the Royal College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences of Canada (FRCCSS(C)) — served as part of the medical team at the 2025 Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler. He worked in the Games' polyclinic — the central medical facility serving all athletes throughout the competition — and provided on-court chiropractic support for sitting volleyball and wheelchair rugby.
The Invictus Games is unlike any other sporting event in the world. The athletes are wounded, injured, and sick military service members and veterans, competing not just for a podium but as part of their recovery — physical, psychological, and social. Providing care in that environment is a privilege that leaves a mark on any practitioner who experiences it. This post shares what it looked like, and what it means for the athletes and patients we serve every day in Saanichton.
The 2025 Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler — February 8–16, 2025 — was the first-ever Winter hybrid Games in the history of the Invictus movement, combining summer and winter adaptive sports for the first time. Approximately 550 athletes from 25 nations competed across 11 sports at venues including BC Place, Rogers Arena, the UBC Aquatic Centre, Whistler Olympic Park, and the Whistler Sliding Centre. The Opening Ceremony at BC Place set a record for the highest attendance in Invictus Games history, with 40,000 people present.
What the Invictus Games Is — and Why It Matters
Founded in 2014 by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex — himself a combat veteran — the Invictus Games uses the power of sport to support the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured, and sick service members and veterans. "Invictus" is Latin for unconquered. The name reflects the ethos of the Games: that the human spirit, given the right support and challenge, cannot be broken.
The athletes who compete at Invictus have survived combat injuries, traumatic brain injuries, PTSD, amputations, spinal cord injuries, and serious illness. Sport is part of their rehabilitation — it restores purpose, community, physical capacity, and mental health in ways that conventional clinical care alone often cannot. Many athletes describe their first Invictus competition as a turning point in their recovery.
From a sports medicine perspective, the Invictus Games presents a clinical picture that is distinct from any other competition. These athletes carry complex, layered injury histories — often combinations of physical injury, neurological involvement, and psychological factors — that require a more nuanced, whole-person assessment approach. They are simultaneously among the most motivated and resilient people a clinician will ever treat, and among the most complex in terms of their medical backgrounds. The care team works collaboratively across medicine, physiotherapy, chiropractic, mental health, and other disciplines, with communication and mutual respect between providers being essential.
The Polyclinic: The Heart of Medical Operations at Invictus
The polyclinic is the central medical facility at the Invictus Games — a dedicated healthcare hub staffed by an international, multi-disciplinary team of healthcare providers serving all athletes across all sports throughout the competition. Think of it as a walk-in sports medicine clinic operating around the clock during the Games, staffed by physicians, physiotherapists, chiropractors, nurses, mental health practitioners, and other specialists from the participating nations.
Athletes come to the polyclinic for everything from acute injury assessment and treatment to ongoing management of chronic conditions exacerbated by competition. The clinical environment is efficient by necessity — assessments need to be thorough but rapid, and treatment plans need to account for the athlete's full medical history, their competition schedule, and the goals of their Invictus participation. The diversity of presentations is extraordinary: in a single shift, the polyclinic team might manage a fresh acute ankle sprain, a chronic shoulder overuse flare in a wheelchair rugby player, low back pain in a sitting volleyball athlete with a history of blast injury, and a PTSD-related pain sensitization presentation that requires careful, trauma-informed clinical handling.
For Dr. Hadbavny, working in the polyclinic alongside healthcare providers from across the world — each bringing different training backgrounds, clinical frameworks, and cultural approaches to athlete care — was a professional development experience of the highest order. The relationships built and the clinical exposure gained in a polyclinic setting at an event like Invictus directly elevate the level of care available to patients back home in Saanichton.
The Sports — Sitting Volleyball and Wheelchair Rugby
In addition to polyclinic duties, Dr. Hadbavny provided dedicated on-court chiropractic support for two sports with very different physical demands and injury profiles.
Sitting Volleyball
Sitting volleyball is played on a reduced court with the net lowered and all athletes seated on the floor throughout the match — there is no standing or kneeling. The sport is governed by the World ParaVolleyball Association and is one of the most contested para-sports globally. At the elite level, sitting volleyball is explosive, physical, and tactically sophisticated.
The shoulder complex carries the dominant load in sitting volleyball. Without the lower body as a foundation for power generation, athletes drive all of their blocking, setting, and attacking force through the trunk and upper extremities. Rotator cuff overuse, shoulder impingement syndromes, and acromioclavicular (AC) joint strain are the most common presentations. The serratus anterior and rotator cuff must work extraordinarily hard to maintain scapular stability and glenohumeral centration through thousands of repetitions across a training season and competition week.
The trunk is the other primary clinical focus. Because the legs are not involved in propulsion or weight shifting during play, the lumbar and thoracic spine must generate and absorb all of the rotational forces involved in blocking and attacking. Athletes with lower limb amputations or injuries may have asymmetrical trunk loading patterns that create cumulative strain on one side of the lumbar spine and pelvis. Pre-match treatment focuses on thoracic rotation, shoulder girdle mobility, and lumbar symmetry; post-match treatment addresses the acute muscular fatigue and joint loading that competition accumulates.
Wheelchair Rugby
Wheelchair rugby — originally and still colloquially known as "murderball" — is arguably the most physically demanding of all wheelchair sports. Played on a basketball court with a modified volleyball, it is a full-contact team sport in which collision between purpose-built reinforced wheelchairs is not just permitted but fundamental to defensive and offensive strategy. Athletes must have impairment affecting at least three limbs to be eligible; most competitors have cervical spinal cord injuries (quadriplegia at varying levels), acquired limb differences, or neurological conditions affecting upper and lower limb function.
The shoulder is the primary focus of chiropractic care in wheelchair rugby. These athletes propel their wheelchairs, absorb collisions, and handle the ball entirely through their upper extremities — often for years, placing an extraordinary cumulative load on the rotator cuff, the biceps tendon, and the acromioclavicular and glenohumeral joints. Shoulder overuse syndromes are almost universal among long-term wheelchair athletes, and managing them requires both acute treatment and a thoughtful long-term maintenance strategy.
The cervical spine requires particularly careful assessment in wheelchair rugby athletes, especially those with cervical spinal cord injuries. Treatment must be adapted with precision to the athlete's neurological status, the nature and level of their injury, and any contraindications related to their specific cord involvement. This is exactly the type of complex, individualized clinical decision-making that advanced sports chiropractic training prepares a practitioner for. For athletes with higher-level cervical involvement, techniques emphasize gentle joint mobilization, soft tissue work, and neurological monitoring rather than high-velocity manipulation.
Beyond the shoulders and cervical spine, wrist and hand function — critical for propulsion and ball handling — and thoracic mobility for trunk rotation during play are also important clinical priorities. The collision forces absorbed through the chair and transmitted to the athlete's trunk and spine over the course of a tournament are significant, and recovery-focused chiropractic care between matches is genuinely performance-determining at the elite level.
What Treating Invictus Athletes Teaches a Clinician
Every high-performance sporting environment teaches a sports clinician something. The Canada Winter Games teaches speed of assessment and the management of a high volume of acute athletic presentations. The World Games teaches breadth — the ability to shift rapidly between the injury profiles of a dozen completely different sports. The Invictus Games teaches something different and arguably more fundamental: it teaches the clinician to see the whole person, not just the injury.
Invictus athletes arrive with medical histories that most sports medicine practitioners will never encounter in general practice — blast injuries, traumatic amputations, spinal cord injuries at various levels, TBI, and PTSD among them. They also arrive with extraordinary motivation, hard-won resilience, and a clear sense of purpose that reshapes how a clinician thinks about recovery and what it means to help someone achieve their physical goals. The best treatment for these athletes is never just mechanical. It accounts for the history, the context, the whole person — and it communicates respect.
That perspective — seeing and treating the whole person, not just the presenting complaint — carries directly into daily clinical practice at Saanichton Chiropractic Group. Whether the patient is a veteran, an elite athlete, a desk worker with chronic neck pain, or a parent who threw their back out, the quality of care depends on the clinician's ability to understand the full picture and respond to it with both skill and genuine attention.
Dr. Mike Hadbavny, DC — Sports Chiropractor, Saanichton BC
FRCCSS(C) ICSC DC — CMCC BPE — Brock University
Dr. Hadbavny is the founder and chiropractor at Saanichton Chiropractic Group. He holds a Fellowship from the Royal College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences of Canada (FRCCSS(C)) and the International Certificate in Sports Chiropractic (ICSC), and completed his Doctor of Chiropractic at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC). He has served as team chiropractor at the 2023 Canada Winter Games (PEI), the 2025 World Games (Chengdu, China), and the 2025 Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler. His clinical experience spans elite able-bodied and adaptive sport at national and international levels.
For a full overview of Dr. Hadbavny's sports chiropractic background and credentials, see our sports chiropractic article.
Sports Chiropractic and Adaptive Athletes in Victoria
Victoria and the Saanich Peninsula are home to an active veteran and military community, as well as a growing adaptive sports community. Whether you are a veteran managing a service-related musculoskeletal injury, an adaptive athlete training for a para-sport competition, or an active adult navigating a complex injury history, Saanichton Chiropractic Group has the clinical experience to provide genuinely useful care.
Shoulder pain and overuse injuries in wheelchair users, adaptive sport athletes, and veterans are among the presentations where sports-specific chiropractic assessment makes the greatest difference. A practitioner who has worked hands-on with wheelchair rugby and sitting volleyball athletes at the Invictus Games understands the specific loading patterns, the common failure points, and the treatment adaptations required in a way that general clinical training simply cannot replicate.
Our integrated team combines chiropractic care, registered massage therapy, shockwave therapy (particularly effective for the chronic rotator cuff and biceps tendon overuse seen in wheelchair athletes), acupuncture, and osteopathic manual therapy — all coordinated around your specific history and goals. For athletes managing injuries through ICBC or WorkSafeBC, our motor vehicle accident and WorkSafeBC pages have more detail on coverage. See our fees and policy page for extended health billing information.
Elite Sports Chiropractic Experience. Local, Accessible Care.
If you are a veteran, an adaptive athlete, or anyone dealing with a complex musculoskeletal condition in the Victoria area, our team is here to help. Dr. Hadbavny brings international sports medicine experience to every appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Invictus Games polyclinic?
The polyclinic is the central medical facility at the Invictus Games, staffed by an international multi-disciplinary team of healthcare providers — physicians, physiotherapists, chiropractors, nurses, mental health practitioners, and others — drawn from the participating nations. It operates throughout the competition as a dedicated sports medicine clinic for all athletes across all sports. Practitioners in the polyclinic see the full range of presentations across the Games: acute injuries, chronic condition flare-ups, pain management, and general health support. Dr. Hadbavny worked in the polyclinic at the 2025 Vancouver Games alongside practitioners from around the world, in addition to providing dedicated support for sitting volleyball and wheelchair rugby.
Can a chiropractor treat wheelchair athletes and adaptive sports athletes?
Yes — and the assessment and treatment approach is adapted to each athlete's specific neurological and physical status. For wheelchair athletes, the shoulder, cervical spine, thoracic spine, and wrist are the primary clinical focus areas. Treatment techniques are selected based on the nature of the athlete's injury or condition: high-velocity adjustments may be modified or replaced with gentle mobilization techniques, particularly for athletes with cervical spinal cord involvement. Soft tissue therapy, myofascial release, and shockwave therapy for tendinopathies are often central to the treatment plan. Dr. Hadbavny's training and hands-on experience with adaptive athletes at Invictus means these adaptations are made with clinical precision, not guesswork. Learn more about our full sports injury approach.
Do you treat veterans at Saanichton Chiropractic Group?
Yes. Veterans with service-related musculoskeletal injuries — including back pain, shoulder injuries, hip pain, knee pain, and injuries related to impact or blast events — are welcome at our clinic. Our team provides thorough, trauma-informed assessment and treatment adapted to each patient's history. Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) coverage may apply for eligible treatments; we encourage patients to check their coverage details and contact our clinic to confirm billing. Our fees and policy page has current direct billing information.
What shoulder conditions are most common in wheelchair sport athletes?
Rotator cuff overuse and partial tears, shoulder impingement syndrome, biceps tendinopathy, and acromioclavicular (AC) joint degeneration are the most prevalent shoulder conditions in long-term wheelchair sport athletes. The combination of propulsion, ball handling, and in wheelchair rugby the absorption of collision forces, creates a level of cumulative upper extremity loading that most able-bodied athletes never experience. Our shockwave therapy is particularly effective for chronic tendinopathies that haven't fully responded to conventional treatment, and is commonly used alongside chiropractic and massage for shoulder presentations in this population.
How does experience at the Invictus Games benefit patients at your Saanichton clinic?
Clinical skills develop fastest under pressure and in complex environments. Working in a polyclinic at an international competition with hundreds of athletes who have demanding medical histories and tight competition schedules forces rapid, accurate assessment and decisive treatment decision-making. The exposure to diverse presentations, international colleagues with different clinical frameworks, and the high standards of a multi-disciplinary team environment all raise the baseline of clinical practice. Every patient who walks through our door in Saanichton benefits from that accumulated experience — whether or not they have any connection to sport or military service.
Written by Dr. Mike Hadbavny, FRCCSS(C), ICSC, DC (CMCC) — chiropractor and founder of Saanichton Chiropractic Group, Saanichton BC. Dr. Hadbavny served in the polyclinic and provided sport-specific chiropractic support at the 2025 Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler (February 8–16, 2025). He has also served as team chiropractor at the 2023 Canada Winter Games (PEI) and the 2025 World Games (Chengdu, China). For appointments, visit our contact page or call 250-223-0200.
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