Certainly the biggest athletic stage that involved chiropractors in 2008 was the Olympic Games re­cently completed in Beijing. Four U.S. based chiropractors played a major role in the 62-person health and fitness contingent that helped the US achieve the most Olympic medals of any country competing in the games.

Chiropractic care is particularly important to athletes on the world stage where fractions of a second determine the difference between a place on the medal stand and going home empty-handed. Also vital is the Chiropractic approach to drug-free care in a world where every Olympic athlete is subject to drug testing. “Chiropractic takes a non-invasive, drug-free approach to healthcare, a position that is now highly regarded among Olympic athletes and their trainers,” said Ted Forcum, DC, of Tigard, Oregon. “Chiropractic care is particularly valuable for pain management and offers athletes highly effective solu­tions for achieving optimal performance without the use of prescription drugs.” Chiropractors Amor Adams of Oakland, Ernie Ferrel of Santa Barbara, and Michael Reed of Colorado Springs made up the Olympic Chiropractic team.

At another venue, a group of chiropractors have been involved in helping a highly competitive team of disabled veterans compete to the maximum level in such grueling events as triathlons, marathons and 10K runs. Team Semper Fi, a triathlon team made up of disabled war veterans, recently completed in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon Series where they performed alongside able-bodied athletes. The events included swimming from Alcatraz Island to the city of San Francisco, biking 18 miles and finishing off with an 8 mile run.

One brave competitor, Eric Frazier, whose spine was paralyzed in combat and now propels his bicycle with his hands and arms said, “After any race, my upper body is in pain because I do it all with my hands and arms. Following Chiropractic care, I find that I perform better.” Another athlete, Dan Lasko, who lost his left leg below his knee in Afghanistan. said, “When it comes to triathlons, Chiropractic has helped out tremendously. I see my chiropractor before the event and a few days later. It just makes me a better athlete overall.”

Bill Morgan, DC, is the staff chiropractor for the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Mary­land, and is also the leader in providing care to the veteran’s group of athletes. “I salute the brave fighters who have overcome so much to compete in these athletic events,” said Dr. Morgan. “I can think of no greater honor than to provide care for those injured while in the service of their country.”

Sources: The World Chiropractic Alliance. “Chiropractors Play Important Role in Olympics.” September 2008. http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.orecj/2008/seph.htm and The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. Press Release. “Chiropractic Care Helping Heroes Realize Their Potential in Triathlon Series.” September 2008. http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080904/20080904005998.html?.v=1

The first study took place in England with results reported in the scientific medical journal Spine. This national survey took a look at the outcomes of 19,722 Chiropractic patients who had received some form of neck adjustment. The researchers reviewed a total of 50,276 neck adjustments to see if there were any serious side effects from Chiropractic care. They defined serious effects to be those that resulted in the need to be referred to a hospital, or any that caused a worsening of symptoms immediately after treatment, or any that resulted in persistent or significant disability or incapacity.

The researchers arrived at very positive results. “There were no reports of serious adverse events,” they said. Overall, they found cervical neck adjustments to be a safe procedure in the UK when administered by trained and registered Chiropractors.

In the U.S., a study published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research showed that Chiropractic adjustments had a profound effect on reducing Stage 1 hyper­tension. (Stage 1 is the first level of elevated blood pressure that causes health concerns.) The goal of the research was to determine if non-surgical procedures to properly align the Atlas (top) vertebra in the neck produced changes in blood pressure and heart rate.

This study compared two groups of subjects who had a history of Stage 1 hyperten­sion with no apparent cause or disease creating this condition. One group of patients received Chiropractic adjustment and the other received “sham intervention” similar to an authentic procedure.

Both groups were examined before and after the procedures, with blood pressure read showed that both the systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings were significantly reduced for the group who received an actual adjustment to their Atlas vertebra. “This pilot study shows that correction of misalignment of the Atlas vertebra lowers and sus­tains reductions in blood pressure for at least 8 weeks in people with Stage 1 hyperten­sion.”

Source: “Research Shows Chiropractic Helps Stage One Hypertension” and “Medical Study Demonstrates Chiropractic Safety for Neck Adjustments”, Kid Chiropractic, November 2007, www.kidchiropractic.com

The concern for the viewing habits of children stems from multiple reasons. It has to do with the amount of time children spend in front of a TV or computer monitor. It holds additional inter­est of note when looking at the body positions of children viewers. It compounds in importance when noting bone development and muscle strength during childhood and how activities pursued during these formative years may carry major implications for adult years.

The number of hours children spend in front of a TV or computer monitor may come as a com­plete surprise to some as reported in the Daily Record of Glasgow, Scotland. A survey of 200 sec­ondary school children found that girls spent an average of 21 hours per week in front of the tube. Boys nearly doubled this with an average of 41 hours per week for TV and video game viewing.

The research went on to note that children who watch TV for large amounts of time are more likely to suffer spinal problems and pain. Much of this has to do with body positions assumed while watching the TV. Over one-quarter of the children were observed lying down with their heads up, thus placing extra tension on the neck and upper back areas.

All of this time spent in a non-active posture does not permit the spine to strengthen during the years of development which continue to around the age of 18. “The major factors in children’s back problems are a more sedentary way of life and lack of exercise,” said Dr. Chris Turner, a West London Chiropractor. “This means their muscles do not work very well and leads to strains when they are used, especially for lifting relatively heavy weights, including school bags.”

While pain and discomfort may result for some children, not all of them will have this experi­ence when it comes to the spine. This would make it a very good parental practice to bring a child in for a spinal examination. The reason for this would be that undetected spinal problems in chil­dren may be the cause of serious spinal degeneration in later adult life. It is not uncommon for Chiropractors who examine x-rays of an adult spine to detect degenerative conditions which had their beginnings in childhood.

Along with this healthy advice, children should be encouraged to get up and move about fre­quently when watching TV or sitting behind the computer. This should be done every 40 minutes or so, according to the BCA. This duo of TV and Computer is certainly not the only source of potential childhood structural problems, but it certainly would be an excellent area for a parent to pursue in helping to guarantee their child’s healthy future.

Source: Chiropractic Research http://www.chiropracticresearch.org 2004 and The Chiro Web http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/13/02/21.html

The first study involved 812 pediatric clinical cases totaling 7,436 separate office visits. Girls totaled 382 and boys 430 with ages ranging from under 1 day up to 18 years for those treated. Of those, 153 were totally new to Chiropractic and 346 were examined as part of a “wellness checkup.” The most common complaints attended to were ear, nose and throat/respiratory disorders followed by musculoskeletal problems involving the neck area and spine. Gastrointestinal disorders were also reported.

More than 90% of the chiropractors reported patient improvement for their original complaints with 717 of the children reporting improvements. Only 9 of the children reported any treatment-related aggravations such as soreness. No treatment-related complications were reported for any of the 812 children during over 7,400 office visits.

Even more interesting, according to the ICPA, was that many of the children report­ed healthy improvements beyond the complaints they originally mentioned. Of the Children, 74 reported improvements such as greater range of motion, improved sleep, improved immune function and improved mood.

In the second study, parents of children receiving Chiropractic care where asked to provide information on the success of treatment. Several hundred parents responded representing thousands of Chiropractic visits by their children.

Parents by and large reported both an improvement in the condition the child was brought in to treat, plus improvements unrelated to that first issue. A large percentage of parents reported improved disposition in their child, improved immune function and improved sleep. Only 2 cases reported treatment-related aggravations and neither of these was of a serious nature requiring discontinuation of office visits.

Evidence of studies and individual successful cases continue to mount showing the benefits of Chiropractic care for children, plus carryover benefit to parents and others who come into their lives.

Source: The World Chiropractic Alliance. November 2007. http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcy2007/nov/e.htm