By Keith W. Wassung
Athletes have been benefiting from Chiropractic care
for many years; however, it has only recently been receiving attention from the
media. Athletes of all types, from the weekend warrior to the world-class
athlete, utilize Chiropractic because it is a drug-free way to better health
and performance.
Chiropractic adjustments help ensure that the body
functions as efficiently as possible, which can maximize healing and recovery
from all types of injuries.
“I would estimate that
in excess of 90% of all world-class athletes use Chiropractic care to prevent
injuries and to increase their performance potential.”
SEAN ATKINS, Ph D Exercise Physiologist
The following is just a partial list of
athletes who use Chiropractic care:
Joe Montana, Roger Craig,
Keith Jackson,
Emmit Smith, Chris Carter, Evander
Holyfield
Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy
Jones, Jr., Wade Boggs,
Penny Hardaway, Jon Smoltz, Ken
Griffey, Jr.
Mark McGwire, Ryne Sandberg,,
Ricky Bell,
Brett Butler, Dominique
Wilkins, Michael Jordan,
Scottie Pippin, Charles
Barkley, John Stockton,
Robert Parish, Gerald
Wilkins, Lee Haney,
Michael Carbajol, Bob Hayes,
Muhammad Ali,
Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Alex
Karras, Gary Clark,
Mark May, Charles Haley,
Bill Fralic, Dan Marino, Warren Moon, Tim Dwight, Jack Dempsey,
Fred Funk, Beth Daniel, Mary
Lou Retton,
Olga Korbut, Wayne Gretzky, Rocky
Marciano,
Dan O’Brien, Bruce Jenner, Donovan Bailey,
Mac Wilkins, Dwight Stones,
Mary Decker,
Willie Banks, Nancy Ditz, Gregg
Blasingame,
Billy Jean King. Tracy Austin, John McEnroe,
Ivan Lendl, Jim Connors, Jan
Stephenson,
31 percent of NFL teams use chiropractors in an
official capacity as part of their staffs and a full 77 percent of the trainers
have referred to a chiropractor for evaluation or treatment. A survey of
certified NFL trainers revealed that 100 percent of them agree that players
will use chiropractic care without referral from the team medical staff. 1
The science of Chiropractic is founded
on the premise that a proper nerve supply is essential to controlling and
regulating the functioning of the human body.
The nervous system controls every activity in the
body by sending and receiving nerve messages and is protected by the bones of
the spine called vertebrae. When the spine is in its optimal structural
position, the nerves are protected and optimal communication exists between the
central nervous system and the rest of the body. The vertebra of the spine is
susceptible to certain stresses and forces, which can cause them to lose their
proper position. These minor misalignments of the spine, which are known as
“vertebral subluxations”, cause nerve interference and weaken the entire
structure of the spine. Athletic training can often jar and misalign the spinal
column, because the spine is at the center of the body. Impact to the legs,
feet, head, shoulders and torso often radiates to the spine.
Doctors
of Chiropractic detect and correct vertebral subluxations by physically
adjusting the spine. This restores the spine and nervous system to a more
optimal level of function, which maximizes the body's performance and healing
potential.
Anyone who engages in athletics can benefit from regular Chiropractic checkups to ensure that their spine is balanced and free from structural stress and subluxations. When the spinal column is brought into balance and alignment, the body's nervous system and body biomechanics (posture) are maximized.
"Changes in the optimal spinal position produce spinal pathologies and loss of function. Spinal pathologies destroy joint reflexes, arc fibers and cause nerve impedance" 2
"Postural
strength and coordination are essential for injury prevention and sports
performance" 3
Thomas Harris, MD The Sports Medicine Guide
"Posture
affects and moderates every physiological function, from breathing to nervous
system function, and despite the considerable evidence that posture affects
physiology and function, the significant influence of posture on health is not
addressed by most physicians" 4
American Journal of Pain Management
In
an average year, 25 million people visit a doctor for injuries that they suffer
as a result of athletics. In professional sports, injury is the number one
reason for early retirement. Overall, 67 billion dollars is spent each year for
the treatment of athletic injuries. 5
There
are essentially two categories that athletic injuries fall into: acute or
traumatic, which is usually the result of a sudden impact or unseen force; and
repetitive overuse such as swinging a racket or a golf club. In fact, virtually
every workout results in micro-injuries as the body is torn down and then
rebuilt through rest and recovery.
As a society, we have been conditioned to
believe that symptoms are bad and that the key to health and recovery is their
removal.
However, symptoms are actually part of the body's healing and repair process.
Symptoms
represent the body’s best efforts to heal itself. By treating symptoms, you are
suppressing the body’s natural response and inhibiting the healing process.
Instead of treating symptoms, doctors should stimulate the body’s defenses to
allow for completion of the healing process.” 6
Dr. Stephen Cummings
If
you had a fire in your house, you would not cut off the alarm and then relax,
thinking that the fire is gone. The same thing happens to your body when you
continue to ignore or mask symptoms. This is why athletes often develop chronic
injuries.
"Many
treatments, compounds and medications claim to speed the rate of healing. I
have not read a single scientific article that demonstrates that healing time
can be increased artificially. You cannot beat nature. All doctors can do is to
be very careful that they do not slow down the natural healing
process." 7
William Southmayd, MD
Chiropractic's focus on the nervous system and postural biomechanics allow the body to function properly and to heal itself. The healing process always occurs from within the body, but research has shown that Chiropractic has an amazing potential to assist the body in the recovery process.
"The quality
of healing is directly proportional to the functional capability of the nervous
system to send and receive nerve messages" 8
Journal of Neurological Science
More sports-related non-fatal injuries are treated in
hospital emergency departments than any other type of unintentional injury. Standard
medical procedures may be necessary when an athlete is injured. Traditional
medical professionals specialize in the management and care of fractures,
dislocations, lacerations and damaged tendons and ligaments. However, many
athletes leave the hospital with as much spinal stress (subluxations) as they
were suffering from when they entered.
Doctors of Chiropractic focus on the entire structure of the body rather than just the obviously injured part. For this reason, they can often detect and help to prevent an injury that might normally be overlooked or ignored.
"You
obviously cannot compete at your fullest if you are not in alignment and your
body cannot heal itself properly if your spine is not in alignment."
Dan O'Brien, Olympic Decathlete
"Chiropractic
has really helped me to keep my body in line to help my body recover"
Chris Carter,
"Chiropractic
has helped keep me injury free--that is half the trick to staying in
competition"
Lee Labrada, Mr. Universe
"The
best way to use Chiropractic is not only after injuries, but before they
occur"
Arnold Schwarzenegger, 7 time Mr. Olympia
Because Doctors of Chiropractic are experts in the
field of human biomechanics, they are very aware of proper posture and
movement. By observing an athlete in action, a Chiropractor can often detect
and prevent a structural problem that can lead to injury or poor performance.
Athletic injures are often caused by improper biomechanics or muscle imbalances
within the spine.
"Chiropractic has helped thousands of
athletes, professional and amateur, overcome an injury without resorting
to surgery”. 9
SPORTS MEDICINE
Athletes have also discovered that Chiropractic care allows them to achieve an optimal level of performance when training and competing in their respective sporting event. A proper biomechanical structure allows athletes to achieve and maintain their optimal level of performance-safely and naturally. There is a growing body of research and case studies, which clearly show the relationship between Chiropractic care and athletic performance.
A Canadian research team included
Chiropractic care in the rehabilitation program of sixteen injured female long
distance runners. Not only did these runners recover quickly, seven of them
actually scored "personal best" performances while under Chiropractic
care. 10
The
extent of Chiropractic's "winning edge" was tested on fifty athletes
who were divided into a control group and a group, which added Chiropractic
care to their usual training procedures. After six weeks, the group under
Chiropractic care scored significantly better on standard tests of athletic
ability. When tested on their reaction time, the control group demonstrated
less than one percent improvement, while the Chiropractic group achieved
reaction times more than eighteen percent faster than their initial scores. 11
A landmark
research effort from the
There was a marked improvement for the group that
received an adjustment over the group that got nothing but rest. The group that
got only a rest period did show an average decrease in reaction time: 58
milliseconds, an 8% faster reaction time. The group that received the
chiropractic adjustment showed a decrease in reaction time of 97 milliseconds,
representing a 14.8% faster reaction time. 12
The implications for these findings are
far reaching for any activity in the “game of life,” and the data can
objectively support anecdotal evidence of enhanced athletic performance under
chiropractic care. The ability to react more quickly to any of the demands life
can impose provides added performance enhancement benefits for athletes, who
rely on optimum reaction reflexes to perform at their maximum competitive
capacity. Field based practice experiences indicate that chiropractic care
appears to both enhance an athlete’s ability to perform and to recover from
injuries when they occur; this study provides objective evidence that a vital
component of athletic performance—rapid reaction time—is markedly improved through
the chiropractic adjustment.
TOP ATHLETES UTILIZE CHIROPRACTIC CARE
FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE
"Athletes are always looking for ways to improve
their performances on the field; Chiropractic is one of the best ways to
accomplish this"
Dr. Nick Athens,
"I definitely try to get on a basis where I use
Chiropractic at least twice a week. I would say definitely say that it
helps me to perform at a higher level"
Emmit Smith,
"My
shooting has improved because of Chiropractic. I feel more balanced and have
more coordination and control. Since I have been under Chiropractic care, I
have improved by leaps and bounds"
Gerald Wilkins, New York Knicks
"Chiropractic is essential for running. If I
could put a percentage value on it, I would say that I compete 8-10%
better from regular Chiropractic care"
Dan O'Brien, Olympic Decathlete
"Chiropractic
helps athletes win without pain and aids in enhancing performance
naturally"
Tonya Knight, Professional Bodybuilder
"I have to have an
adjustment before I go into the ring. I do believe in chiropractic. I found
that going to a chiropractor three times a week helps my performance. The
majority of boxers go to Chiropractors to get that extra edge.”
Evander Holyfield, Heavyweight Boxing
Champion
It
is estimated that 30 million children now participate in organized sports
including soccer, football, swimming, gymnastics, hockey, skating and baseball.
Correspondingly, as participation increases, injuries increase. Sports injuries
to young people now exceed the occurrence of infectious disease. 13
More than 700,000 children under the age of 15 are
taken to the hospital emergency room for treatment of sports-related injuries.
In fact, children between the ages 11-15 account for 55% of all sports-related
injuries that require hospitalization.14
Sports and recreational activities account for 4.3
million or 36% of all injuries to children in the United States.15
AMERICAN
FAMILY PHYSICIAN
The
increase in emergency-related injuries for children includes well-known
injuries such as broken arms and twisted ankles-these injuries are certainly
not new. What is new; however, are the types of children’s sports
injuries seldom seen in past generations. They are overuse injuries caused by
small, but repetitive injuries to the body’s tissues, joints and spinal column
resulting in chronic health conditions.
Chiropractic adjustments
for children of all ages are of tremendous benefit for the treatment and
prevention of injuries and to maximize performance potential.
Chiropractic’s focus on the spine and nervous system
is also important for children, since it is their nervous system, which
controls their entire growth and development.
CHIROPRACTIC FACTS
Chiropractic is the fastest-growing and second-largest primary
health care profession.
Doctors of Chiropractic receive extensive, demanding professional
education on par with medical doctors (MDs) and osteopaths (DOs).
Doctors of Chiropractic are primary health care providers.
Doctors of Chiropractic are licensed in all 50 states.
Chiropractic is recognized by governmental health care programs.
The Doctor of Chiropractic is an effective source of preventative
and wellness care.
The process of chiropractic adjustment is a safe, efficient
procedure which is performed nearly one million times every working day in the
REFERENCES
1. Stump, J, DC, Redwood, D, DC, JMPT, March/April 2002, Volume 25 -
Number 3, The use and role of sport
Chiropractors in the National Football League
2.
Wyke, B (1987) Backache Diary
3. Harris, T. The Sports
Medicine Guide
4. Lennon, J. (1994, Jan.) American Journal of Pain
Management
5. U.S News and World Report, (1989, July 31)
6. Cummings, S. Everyone’s Guide to Homeopathy, Putnam Publishing,
7. Southmayd, W. MD Sporthealth, p.35
8. Edwards, J. PhD (1994, Aug) "Nerve dysfunction and
tissue healing" Journal of
Neurological
Science" p. 146
9. Edelson, E. Sports Medicine, p.
68
10.
Prescribed in coordination with
prior Chiropractic therapy as a treatment for sacroiliac
subluxations in female distance
runners" Chiropractic Sports Medicine p.2-8
11. Lauro, A. & Mouch B. (1991)
"Chiropractic Effects of Athletic Ability" "The Journal of
Chiropractic
Research and Clinical Investigation" pp. 84-87
12. Kelly DD, Murphy BA, Backhouse DP, J Manipulative Physiologic Therapeutics 2000 May; 23(4):246-51.
Use of a mental rotation reaction time to
measure the effects of upper-cervical adjustments on reaction time.
13. Christensen, K. DC,
(1997, May/June). Sports Related Back Injuries in Young Athletes.”
The American
Chiropractor
14. Zipperer, R. MD (1996, March) “Sports
Sense” Consumers Research Magazine
15. Bijur,
P.E. MD (1996, March) “Incidence of Sports Injuries in Children and
Adolescents”
American
Family Physician, p. 1349
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