Elite Sport Performance - Calgary

I regained full range of motion in my shoulder after just one physiotherapy treatment by Adam!

I'd suffered with a worsening knee for the past five years. My family doctor finally referred me to this knee clinic and it's been a complete game changer. From not being able to get out of bed without pain I can now chase my kids around in the yard for hours. I saw the specialist within a few days, got some one-on-one physio, received two PRP injections to my knee and was even able to get a custom knee brace (that was covered entirely by my insurance :)). I only wish I'd found out about this place earlier.

The principles on Dr. MacDonald’s website states their promises to their patrons are: “Results, Clarity and Collaboration”. The Result: don’t come back to the clinic. The Clarity: clearly if you don’t like something about the appointment Dr. MacDonald’s ego will be hurt. And finally, Collaboration: non-existent. Dr. MacDonald’s mission, “We exist to help active, health-conscious individuals achieve their highest levels of being, by providing a highly specialized, research-based, collaborative approach to patient care.” I wish this was close to accurate! Needless to say, the professionalism from Dr. Macdonald was insufficient. His level of petulance and unprofessionalism make me wonder how he retains any patients at all. An overview: •He showed up 30 minutes late for his first appointment of the day •He tried to ‘correct’ a ‘non-medically’ dislocated bone when a different bone in my hand was fractured •He had me sign a waiver after he had completed the work; I take full responsibility for signing this but having me sign it afterwards reaffirms his lack of professionalism •He charged $334 (the cost of a 45 minute appointment) for a 15 minute assessment. •He called and informed me all my future appointments were cancelled •He failed to refer me to an orthopaedic surgeon and instead told me to go to urgent care I went to see Dr. Dale MacDonald after having a cast removed for what was a suspected scaphoid fracture. Out of respect, showing up on time, or informing others you are running late has been a principle that has dictated my entire adult life. I understand everyone is human and issues come up; I was, however, the first appointment. Arriving late for the first client showed me he lacks a certain level of professionalism. He pulled up my x-rays and explained he would like to send me for bone scan. He then asked where the pain was to which he claimed I was an “anatomical marvel” for picking the ‘lunate’. According to Dr. MacDonald, my lunate was dislocated. “Not medically dislocated but it is in the wrong spot.” He then asked me to lean back, which I did. He ‘attempted to put the bone back in place.’ My scaphoid was fractured – Imagine the pain. I don’t have a Doctorate but hearing statements like: “it isn’t medically dislocated but it’s in the wrong spot.” RED FLAG! I turned to peer-reviewed medical articles and trusted sources such as the Mayo Clinic. The dislocation of the lunate can easily be seen in an x-ray. After ‘working’ on me he says, “I need you to sign this. It effectively says you agree to letting me work on you, which I have already done.” This was a total error in my judgement. I never should have signed that document. My total appointment with Dr. MacDonald lasted 15 minutes. I was then charged $334. If I were to break down the appointment based on my actual appointment after the tardiness of Dr. MacDonald it would have been $111.33. It’s not a financial issue. If it were, I wouldn’t be writing this review and I would be on my way with the $334 refund. The principles involved are the issue. I wouldn’t want to encroach on other appointments but to have the audacity to think a 15 minute appointment should be treated the same as a complete assessment strikes me as laughable. My bone scan results came back as a fractured scaphoid. Based on that I assumed a referral would be made to an orthopaedic surgeon. Instead something shocking occurred. Dr. MacDonald asked if I was unhappy with the first visit to which I said yes. He then said, “and I believe we have refunded your money,” which they had. He then proceeded to tell me that he “has taken the liberty to cancel all future appointments with [his] clinic.” I guess that means I have been fired as a client of his for having issues with the first appointment. After firing me as a client, and neglecting to refer me to a specialist, he advised I should go to urgent care to get a cast put back on. I thanked him for advising to have a bone scan done and he hung up. Tim

I've seen many chiropractors over the years. One thing I've learned is that if you don't use the proper technique when doing an adjustment... it doesn't always work properly. I started with Dale McDonald at Elite but switched to other chiropractors due to proximity to my home. I ended up going back to Dale because he set a bar for technique that the others just couldn't match. I've been seeing him for many years now. He is very good at what he does.

I have been doing high volumes of cycling this past summer and was having lots of lower back pain. Leading up to a big ride, I had come in to see Dr. Macdonald and he could quickly determine what was causing my back pain and advise a treatment plan. Luckily the treatment worked and I did not have back pain for my last big ride! Really happy with his professionalism and excellent knowledge on endurance athletes!

I've been going to the Elite Sport Performance clinic for a number of years for various issues. I suffered a soft tissue dislocation of my right ankle. This clinic explained my MRI (which I had to pay for, and a chiro referred me when the doctor refused to) and what could be done to help the injury. Since then, I've been going for regular chiropractic treatment for my back and neck, as well as ribs that tend to move out of joint.

I have been to see Dr. Mac more times than I like to admit. Having dislocated a hip bone and broken 3 vertebrae from football then a snowboarding accident I was in considerable risk of long term affects. Luckily I found Dr. Mac to be extremely thorough, knowledgeable and effective. Thanks to him and the work of specialists at the Rockyview I was able to regain nearly all of my range of motion with no lasting effects save for some unavoidable nerve damage that resulted from the fall itself. I would recommend Dr. Mac and the team at Elite to anyone in pain or discomfort.