With the 2018 Winter Olympics upon us, and taking place in Pyongyang South Korea, I wanted to talk about the involvement of chiropractors. Chiropractors are heavily involved in the Olympic Games. They are an important part of the sports medicine team and athletes go to them in droves. It however has not always been that way.
It is no secret that the chiropractic profession has been maligned in the public spotlight. For the longest of time that carried over into athletic events as well. But slowly things have started to change. Chiropractors, and especially sports chiropractors, who primarily focus their attentions on treating musculoskeletal issues have started to become recognized as legitimate health specialists. As chiropractors become more recognized for being musculoskeletal specialists their involvement in athletic events increased. The first chiropractor to officially go with the US Olympic team to the games was Dr. George Goodheart. Dr. Goodheart was welcomed to the Winter Olympics held in lake placid, and chiropractors have been a part of the Olympic Games ever since.
CHIROPRACTIC INVOLVEMENT IN FOX CHAPEL
Chiropractors have become a respected part of the sports medicine community and as such their role has continued to increase. After Dr. Goodheart’s first Olympic Games more and more chiropractors have been invited to be a part of the team. Athletes love having them there. The chiropractors who are privileged enough to get to go to the Olympic Games stay busy. They are put to work by the athletes and for good reason. They help the athletes to stay injury free, as well as aiding in their rehabilitation.
At the 2016 games in Rio the chief medical officer for team USA was a chiropractor, Dr. William Moreau. The chiropractic profession has become so respected that the head of the US Olympic medical team was a chiropractor. This was a huge step as it was the first time any chiropractor had ever held a role like that. While the head of the US Olympic medical team this year is not a chiropractor several chiropractors where taken to the Games. I can’t find the source at the time of writing this so take it with a grain of salt, but I believe I saw somewhere that 7 chiropractors went as official members of the US medical team this year.
Call our team at Tauberg Chiropractic & Rehabilitation in Fox Chapel today to schedule an appointment.
Works Cited
- Dr. Bill Moreau plus other Olympic alumni. (2016). Palmer Insights. Retrieved from https://www.palmer.edu/insights/issue.aspx?v=11&n=1&a=7
- Vanness. (2018, February 1). Blog. Retrieved from VanNess Chiropractic: http://www.vannesschiro.com/2018/02/01/chiropractic-care-olympics-dcs-help-olympic-athletes-reach-peak-performance/