Issue 16 - Konnected!

Are you are a weekend warrior, doing battle with bats, balls, clubs and rackets? Perhaps you are committed to training and physical exercise: aerobics, weightlifting, jogging, or swimming lengths in a pool?

You always want to give it your all, but sometimes you don't have it all to give. Are strains, sprains and injuries keeping you out of the lineup, or is it merely the toll of years wearing your body down?

You might need to see a doctor. You may even require physical therapy to help strengthen those pulled muscles and torn ligaments. Still, you want to get back in the game as soon as you can.

Whether you find yourself on the road to recovery or deciding to just play with the pain, what you really need is a connection to understanding the relationship between movement and the external forces that are acted upon those movements. And a connection to specially designed devices that can help support your body in your pursuit of an active life. What you need is a Kinetic Konnection .

For Robert Pula, a certified kinesiologist and Tyrone Thoms, a physical education teacher, understanding human kinetics goes far beyond the warming up and cooling down aspects of sport. For these two Windsor born, childhood buddies, Kinetic Konnections is about movement and biomechanics. It's more than their business, it's a lifestyle.

And it's not just about sport supports. From therapeutic pillows to maternity garments to self-care systems, their mission is not only to provide the most advanced products available for tired muscles and soft tissue injuries, but also to teach and inform their customers about how and what they can do to help themselves.

"We don't just give out braces," Pula said. "We want to assess our customers‚ needs before making any recommendations on which product will do the right job."

He explained that most of their customers are referred to them from doctors who have diagnosed their problems and recommended them for a Kinetic Konnection.

From here, Pula, Thoms and a staff comprised of professionals and university students selected for their knowledge and experience in the field of human kinetics and ergonomics take over. It is this expertise that sets Kinetic Konnections apart from the typical pharmacies and retail stores selling off the shelf, one-size-fits all support devices.

Sure they are in business to sell products but they want to sell the right product for the right reasons. "We certainly like repeat business but we also want to be effective, we don't want customers returning with the same problem," said Thoms.

A point well taken. In this ever increasing world of specialization, people do not need to take chances buying something without some assurance that it will work. After all, few of us are truly qualified to choose the right knee brace or wrist support for ourselves and expecting a retail store "associate" to be aptly knowledgeable in this field is placing a lot of faith in someone with very little or no formal education in such things, while potentially placing your body at risk.

The professionals at Kinetic Konnection know your body, probably better than you do.

That's their job. It's their mandate to address each customer as an individual with separate and distinctive needs. Only through their knowledge and training can they offer the best possible solutions to help strengthen weak muscles, or solve a nagging physical problem, or aid in the healing process during periods of recuperation. And wherever possible, to help you stay in the game without fear of aggravating your condition.

In addition to supplying some of the best products available, it is also equally important for Pula and Thoms to educate their customers. Pula says that the entire staff at Kinetic Konnections endeavor to teach their customers about their body and explain why things like pulled muscles and sore joints occur.

"If people understand why these things happen then they can learn how to take preventative measures. We will suggest things people can do on their own, methods for home therapy such as stretching exercises, or outline steps for recovery from injuries."

They are not doctors but they are experts. Both Pula and Thoms have followed career paths in kinetics and physical education, almost from the time when they were both eight years old and playing on the same soccer team.

"I have always been involved in sports," said Pula. "And I have always been very interested in sports medicine, anatomy and movement sciences."

After graduating from the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Human Kinetics degree, Pula thought about becoming a chiropractic doctor but decided instead to take a job with a company that specialized in ergonomics. Though not exactly what he was looking for, Pula gained invaluable experience going into the work place, assessing the conditions and seeking to improve and adapt those conditions to better suit the worker's needs. He also began learning more about the intricacies of running a business. It was not long before he began imagining how he would do things differently if he operated the company. In 1996, imagination became reality when Pula decided to take control of his future. Combining his retail experience with his clinical skills, he began laying the foundation for a new business.

Thoms came from a family of teachers. Coupled with his love for sports it seemed a natural choice for him to become a physical education teacher. After graduating from teacher's college he left home and began teaching elementary students.

But, like Pula, this was not exactly what he wanted. He really wanted to teach at the secondary school level but at that time, positions were scarce. So he returned to Windsor and while he waited for an high school teaching opportunity that might not come for months, he took a job as a lifeguard at a city run pool. It was during this time when Pula approached him with an idea to utilize their talents together, inviting him to be a partner in a business concept called Kinetic Konnections.

So they became partners, old friends with similar backgrounds and training augmented by different experiences and practical skills. Pula’s entrepreneurial flare and Thoms teaching experiences are perfect compliments to their shared knowledge in human kinetics.

The first thing you will notice about Kinetic Konnections, at 2303 Howard Avenue, is that it has the look and feel of a medical clinic. Quiet and relaxing, there is an intimacy here that is appropriate for those in pain or discomfort that have come looking for aid and relief. The attentiveness of the highly qualified staff is so reassuring that it is easy to forget that this is a retail store.

"It is a facility designed to promote a healthy philosophy as well as a line of "high-end" products," said Pula .

After seven years their goals remain the same: to provide the best professional care and the most current technological advancements in orthotics, braces and supports; including a sports injury Lazer Therapy Clinic.

From time to time we all pay a price for our active lifestyles, and it is usually our bodies that suffer the most. But we just do not want to give up and quit. For these times we need a Kinetic Konnection.

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