"If it were not for chiropractic, I would not have won the Gold Medal."
-Dan O'Brien, Olympic Decathalon Gold Medalist
'The World's Greatest Athlete'
More Athletes Seek Chiropractic Care for Better Performance
In the October 16, 1998 issue of the USA Today, was an article that featured Emmitt Smith, a football star from the Dallas Cowboys. Emmitt Smith is one of the best players in the game and in his ninth season as a professional. The article discusses his healthy lifestyle which includes regular chiropractic care. "I started doing this about four or five years ago," Smith said. "I believe that what I’m doing is what helps me go on. I think Warren Moon, (Seattle’s 41 year old quarter back) does the same thing. So I’ve become a big believer in servicing my body and making sure it is lined up properly and functioning the way it is supposed to on Sunday."
Smith joins an ever-growing list of professional athletes who regularly receive chiropractic adjustments. In June during the NBA basketball finals star players Scotty Pippin, and John Stockton were among those who received chiropractic care during breaks in the sixth and final game of the championship series. Even world heavyweight champion boxer Evander Holyfeild has been under care for years and regularly receives adjustments during training as well as immediately prior to his fights. These athletes and many more recognize the importance of a
subluxation free body for maximum performance and health.
Reaction Time and Chiropractic Adjustments
From the New Zealand School of Chiropractic, University of Auckland, New Zealand, comes an interesting study about reaction times and the effects chiropractic adjustments have on them. In this study two groups were used to check reaction times. One group received upper cervical(neck) toggle adjustments, while the other group was a control group for comparison and only received a short period of rest.
The results showed a marked improvement for the group that received an adjustment over the group that got nothing but rest. The group that got only rest did show an average decrease in reaction time of 58 milli-seconds which represented an 8 percent quicker reaction time. The group that received the chiropractic adjustment showed a decrease in reaction time of 97 milli-seconds representing a 14.8 percent quicker reaction time.
The implications are far reaching. Imagine the benefits of being able to react quicker to traffic situations or any other crisis life might throw at you. Imagine also the benefit to the athlete who depends on reaction times in order to perform at a competitive level. Today many top name athletes are regular chiropractic patients. In addition to recovery from injury most report the ability to perform better with chiropractic care. Now, thanks to the study from New Zealand, there is scientific proof of what the athletes have reported.
Chiropractic & Natural Fitness Symposium Features Arnold Schwarzenegger
Each year in March in Columbus Ohio, Arnold Schwarzenegger holds his “Fitness Classic” in conjunction with the International Chiropractors Association Symposium on Natural Fitness.
During these events thousands of exercise and fitness minded people, along with a few hundred chiropractors get together and attend various events. The highlight of these events for the chiropractors is when Arnold himself addresses the chiropractors symposium and takes time to pose for a picture with each chiropractor in attendance.
Arnold gave an address this past symposium, (March 6th, 1999) in which he made several remarks about the benefits chiropractic has personally given him. "People who do not believe in chiropractic always ask me about it. I have now become like a spokesperson for chiropractic. So many people come up to me because they know that I am a big believer in chiropractic and that we are doing this fitness weekend together each year. They ask me about chiropractic with questions like, How do you choose a chiropractor? or What is the best way of going about finding the best doctor for me? Well, I say, there are a few things that you should watch out for. Then I give them a few points. I share my experiences. I just had another skiing accident up in Sun Valley and I really could not move. And I again had one of those miracle moments when you call a chiropractor, they care for you and give you adjustments and then days later you ski again like a champion on moguls. So this is what happened to me ...another personal experience with proof how great chiropractic is."
