Podcast 27: Dr. Chris Stackpole, Vice President of Athlete Care for the New Jersey Devils.

In the next episode of “Thermography: Science, Health and Sport” we introduce you to Chris Stackpole, from the New Jersey Devils, a professional Ice Hockey team.

In this episode, we focus on Ice Hockey and discuss the relevance of thermography in detecting injuries in veteran players. We highlight a case where feedback on physical asymmetries helped align the player’s perception with reality. Chris Stackpole, with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and a Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from Boston University, is a certified sports specialist who has excelled in the NBA and the NHL over the last decade. Currently, he works with the New Jersey Devils.

Despite some false alarms, the quick and efficient nature of the technology is viewed positively. You can listen to the next episode by clicking on the link in the bio. We share a small part of the podcast in this excerpt:

TRANSCRIPTION

Ismael Fernández (Host): «So, the first question always focuses on understanding how you first met thermography. What was your first experience with this technology?»

Chris Stackpole: «So, this was our first year of actually being able to implement some of the technology, exposing our players to it. It’s been amazing to see what the technology can do and how we can objectify what the players are feeling. In the past, it’s been, you know, ‘I hurt here, I have pain here,’ and you’re taking the player at face value for what they’re saying. Now we can use technology to show them when they have an ache and pain in a certain area, what the rest of the body is doing, and how the body is compensating. We’ve been able to guide many of our strategies and, at the very least, educate our players on the consequences of what their bodies can do to adapt and compensate. It’s been as good as I was expecting—being able to use the technology now and see what the software can deliver, and it’s been super simple. It’s been everything I was hoping for.”