Whether it's during the season or in the off-season, chiropractic care is becoming the competitive advantage that many athletes are now seeking.
Doctors Fontz and Dennison-Fontz treat athletes of all ages and types. From professional athletes to top high school and college athletes, chiropractic care optimizes spinal alignment and proper joint movement.
When your body is in alignment, your nervous system can function fully. This can lead to better performance, fewer injuries and quicker recovery.
A research study conducted by Drs. Anthony Lauro and Brian Mouch, published in the journal of Chiropractic research and Clinical Investigation, 1991, indicated chiropractic care might improve athletic performance by as much as 16.7% over a two week period. The report also concluded that subluxation-free athletes react faster, coordinate better, execute fine movements with improved accuracy and precision, amounting to an overall better athlete.
The Athelete's Choice for Sports Care Many amateur and professional athletes are sidelined with injuries that could be avoided. Others sit it out on the bench because their injury does not respond to ordinary treatment. Still others are playing, but at less than peak efficiency, simply because their structural system is not in balance. Progressive coaches, athletes, and doctors are realizing that pain killing drugs are not the answer. They merely cover up the symptoms, deceiving the athlete into actions which could make the injury more serious. Probably more than any other health profession, Chiropractic's approach to health closely relates to the needs of the sports participant. Most sports involve body contact, fast starts and stops, and positioning that places an unusual amount of strain on the back and structural system. Doctors of Chiropractic consider a person as an integrated being, giving special attention to the spine, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Chiropractic is a natural health care method that stresses the importance of keeping all the systems of the body functioning efficiently so the player enjoys peak performance, a minimum injury risk, and fast recuperative powers. Many world class and Olympic athletes, as well as professional stars and teams, have retained sports chiropractors to provide care. Joe Montana, Nolan Ryan, Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jubbar, and Carl Lewis all utilize chiropractic care. The Players Association of the NFL has officially incorporated sports chiropractors as a regular part of care. Chiropractors have been selected as attending doctors at the Olympic Games and at national and world championships in track and field, cycling, volleyball, powerlifting, aerobics, and triathlons.
What is Chiropractic? Chiropractic is the science and art based on the premise that good health depends, in part, upon a normally functioning nervous system. When there is interference in the nervous system caused by a misaligned or malfunctioning spine, tissues and organs may not function properly. Detection of these problem areas and their correction by spinal manipulation will relieve nerve interference and allow the spine and nervous system to return to a healthy state. Correction of the problem and maintaining good health is the goal of Chiropractic. Chiropractic is licensed in all 50 states. Chiropractors complete required general college-level studies (a Bachelor's degree is required by many states). A Doctor of Chiropractic degree is achieved after completion of a four-year accredited chiropractic college program and a clinical internship. National Board Examinations must be passed and individual state requirements for licensure must be obtained. Chiropractors perform a comprehensive orthopedic, neurologic, and chiropractic examination after a history of the injury is taken. The need for further testing, such as x-rays and blood tests, is based on the findings of the history and examination. Should the diagnosis show anything outside the scope of chiropractic care, the chiropractor will refer the athlete to one of the other health care specialties.
What Can Chiropractic Care Treat? The primary treatment of the Doctor of Chiropractic is manipulation also known as an "adjustment" to those areas of the spine or surrounding joints which are slightly displaced and fail to function normally. Given by hand (the word chiropractic means "done by hand"), the adjustment will restore proper alignment and function to the spinal joints, thereby restoring the normal nerve transmission and healing potential to the vital structures of the body. Therapeutic exercise, massage, and nutritional support are part of patient care when appropriate. Injuries like sprains (ankle, shoulder), strains (eg. pulled muscles), tendonitis (eg. tennis elbow) and bursitis (eg. shoulder pain) and joint problems in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, ankle, and foot can all be treated effectively with chiropractic care. These are all good reasons to seek chiropractic care. Maintaining proper alignment will allow athletes to be prepared for their sport. Many of the greatest athletes in the world are adjusted before competition as a "tune-up" in an effort to place their bodies in a state of peak efficiency. Following competition, they are adjusted to enhance the recuperative process after the stress of their particular event. When asked about chiropractic's effectiveness, Roger Craig, formerly of the San Francisco 49'ers, stated, "We won four Super Bowls in the 1980's with it, so it must be doing something right!"
The Following Are Just a Few Well Known Super Athletes Utilizing Chiropractic Care:
Arnold Schwarzenegger "I am very fortunate to have, so-to-speak, my in-house chiropractor, Dr. Franco Colombu, as my own personal chiropractor. So, I visit Franco regularly, and he comes over to my house. He adjusts my wife, my kids, me, everybody gets an adjustment. And we feel always great when Franco leaves. Even when I have athletic injuries he's always there for me, and helps me. So it's really terrific, and I know that first hand. That's why I always will be traveling around, all over the world, talking highly about the profession of chiropractic. You chiropractic doctors are really miracle workers, and that's why it's really great to have you here, part of the Arnold Classic. Because, like I said, the Arnold Classic and Fitness Weekend are about health and about fitness and preventive care."
Dan O'Brien Decathlon Gold Medallist "If it were not for Chiropractic, I would not have won the gold medal.""You obviously can't compete at your fullest if you're not in alignment. And your body can't heal if your back is not in alignment. It was the holistic idea that I liked about chiropractic and that is what track and field is about. Every track and field athlete that I have ever met has seen a chiropractor at one time or another. In track and field, it is absolutely essential. Chiropractic care is one of the things I think that no one has denied or refuted."
Joe Montana "Chiropractic care works for me."
One of the most recognizable celebrity/athletes, holder of four Superbowl rings, three Superbowl MVP's and Player of the Year in 1990 has just agreed to become the spokesperson for Chiropractic in the State of California.
Emmitt Smith Credits Chiropractic for Rushing Record "Playing in a football game is like being in 30-40 car accidents."
An article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram explains it all started after the 1994 season when Smith endured a lot of hamstring problems and he began to ask himself some tough questions. "Do I need to get more rest? Do I need to eat better? Do I need a little more training? How can I take care of my body better? Do I need to find a chiropractor? It was time for me to invest in me," Smith said. "I found a specialist that's really good in balancing out my body to make sure my hips are rotated right, and my body is functioning properly. I remember somebody telling me that what I put myself in during the games is like having a car wreck every Sunday. It's against the norm. You can find yourself in awkward positions. That stuff takes its toll. But if you take advantage of the health care, balance your body back out, put it back where it's supposed to be, you function better, and you recover faster."
Evander Holyfield "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 get that edge."
North American DCs are poised to make their mark at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games By Caitlin Lukacs If you’ve ever had an Olympic dream, you know about all of the hard work and training it takes to get to the Games. The same holds true for members of the medical staff. Olympic-caliber athletes need medical care in the unfortunate event of an injury, but they also need help pushing their bodies to perform at their maximum potential. Doctors of chiropractic who specialize in sports injuries and physical fitness are the ideal practitioners to provide that care, being uniquely equipped to handle both injury and recovery treatment, as well as to help athletes prepare for the competition. And the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) agrees.
Since the 1980 Games, when George Goodheart, DC, was selected to be Team USA’s chiropractor for the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., DCs have been included on the U.S. Medical Team. In 2008, a record number of four chiropractors were sent to Beijing, China, with Team USA for the Summer Games. There were approximately 600 athletes to care for on the U.S. team. This winter, the USOC will take five DCs to Vancouver, Canada, for the 2010 Olympics. They’ll have about 200 athletic competitors to work with. “Chiropractors have really come a long way in terms of the Olympic Games,” says Michael Reed, DC, MS, DACBSP, medical director for the USOC. “And the demands of athletes are one of the main reasons why.”
Simply put, elite athletes are asking for chiropractic treatment. Sports-focused DCs are able to treat pain and injury with spinal manipulation, but they are also trained in many other modalities that help athletes avoid injury and prepare their bodies for competition—including taping, icing and stretching, explains Dr. Reed. At the 2008 Summer Games, for example, the U.S. beach volleyball team requested that Ernest Ferrel, MA, DC, CCSP, serve as the medical staff member to accompany them to their matches.
Arnold Schwarzenegger "I am very fortunate to have, so-to-speak, my in-house chiropractor, Dr. Franco Colombu, as my own personal chiropractor. So, I visit Franco regularly, and he comes over to my house. He adjusts my wife, my kids, me, everybody gets an adjustment. And we feel always great when Franco leaves. Even when I have athletic injuries he's always there for me, and helps me. So it's really terrific, and I know that first hand. That's why I always will be traveling around, all over the world, talking highly about the profession of chiropractic. You chiropractic doctors are really miracle workers, and that's why it's really great to have you here, part of the Arnold Classic. Because, like I said, the Arnold Classic and Fitness Weekend are about health and about fitness and preventive care."
Dan O'Brien 
Joe Montana 
