Chiropractic
Care Contributes to Optimal Performance of Baseball World Series
Champions 2011 St. Louis Cardinals and 2010 San Francisco Giants.
Cardinal pitcher Jason Motte advocates chiropractic care
CARMICHAEL, Calif. - Nov. 3, 2011 - As the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate their 11th World Series title and the San Francisco Giants relive their 2010 championship, the Foundation for Chiropracitc Progress points to the role of chiropractic care in promoting faster recoveries, reduced risk of injury and enhanced on-field performance. Chiropractic team doctors Ralph Filson, D.C. of the Cardinals, and Michael Gazdar, D.C. of the San Francisco Giants, explain that regular chiropractic care provides baseball players with proper spinal function and balance to reduce the risk of spine-related injuries, enhance recovery time and improve overall performance.
Dr. Filson, who began providing care to the players in 1990 through its then manager, Joe Torre, Major League Baseball (MLB) legend, says, "Chiropractic care is always available to players of the Cardinals and the visiting team, it is utilized by many. With chiropractic care, players report that they feel better and have better endurance. Body mechanics are significantly improved, enabling better pitching, hitting and throwing."
In 2006, Dr. Filson was awarded a World Series ring for his role with the Cardinals, and was proud to play a similar role in the 2011 championship. He also treated David Eckstein, Most Valuable Player on the Cardinals 2006 World Series Team, citing the importance of chiropractic care in helping players to achieve optimal performance: "I am proud to have provided chiropractic care to the Cardinals for so many years, and gratified that chiropractic has contributed to the players' optimal performance during every game. We are all excited about bringing home the 2011 World Series title."
According to Dr. Gazdar, who began working with the San Francisco Giants in 2008, and was seen by millions celebrating at the pitcher's mound with the players following the game-ending play that resulted in the Giants World Series title, "Chiropractic care was a significant factor in the San Francisco Giants 2010 victory. One of the Giants' pitchers relied upon chiropractic adjustments for all of his pitching starts, and virtually every player benefited from chiropractic services."
Both doctors express their enthusiasm for the inclusion of chiropractic care for virtually every team participating in professional sports, including golf, football, hockey, basketball and baseball.
About the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress
A not-for-profit organization, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress aims to inform and educate the general public about the many benefits associated with chiropractic care. To learn more about the Foundation, please visit us on the web at www.yes2chiropractic.com or call 866.901.F4CP(3427).
In response to: "When Alternative Medicine Goes Wrong," (Reader's Digest, October 2011 Issue)
Dear Editor,
The comments by Peter Lipson, M.D. in your recent article "When Alternative Medicine Goes Wrong" (Reader's Digest, October 2011) related to chiropractic care were inaccurate and misleading to say the least.
In 2008, an article published by Cassidy et al in the journal SPINE detailed the largest, most inclusive and in-depth study on the occurrence of vertebral artery dissection in history. The study included a review of nearly 110 million person-years for the occurrence of vertebral artery dissection in the province of Ontario, Canada. The researchers, using comprehensive provincial health records data, found no greater likelihood of a patient experiencing a vertebral artery dissection after seeing a chiropractor than after seeing their primary care physician.
Dr. Lipson's view is an out-of-date anecdotal perspective that is contradicted by the findings of the Cassidy study. Current thinking with respect to vertebral artery dissection is that rather than being "caused" by the primary care physician or the chiropractor or any other provider, it is more likely that the patient is in the process of dissection when they presented for care. A dissection in process produces neck pain and headache - the reason they initially sought healthcare.
The "take-away" message is not for patients to avoid cervical spine adjustment by a chiropractor, rather that all providers should be more alert to the possibility that neck pain and headache in rare cases may be the result of a vertebral artery dissection in process.
Gerard W. Clum, D.C.
Spokesperson, Foundation for Chiropractic Progress
Chiropractors Use Exercise Intervention to Reduce Hamstring Injuries Among Professional Cheerleaders
CARMICHAEL, Calif. - April 28, 2011 - Doctors of Chiropractic who provided closed-chain hamstring exercise intervention greatly reduced hamstring injury and associated pains among professional cheerleaders, according to a recent study entitled, "The Effects of a Closed-Chain, Eccentric Training Program on Hamstring Injuries of a Professional Football Cheerleading Team," (Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, March 2011, Vol. 34, Issue 3, pgs.195-200).
"Each year, professional cheerleaders are exposed to forces and repetitive movements that cause disabling injuries," said Jay Greenstein, D.C., lead author of the study. "Because hamstring injuries -- typically the result of a pull, strain or tear to the muscle -- rank amongst the most common injuries affecting football cheerleaders, we were eager to identify the uncharted benefits that an evidence-based exercise intervention could offer those who suffer from these often difficult-to-treat conditions."
The season-long research recognized as the first ever professional cheerleading study published in a peer reviewed journal, involved 43 females who were instructed to incorporate elastic band loop eccentric exercises during bi-weekly practices and at least three additional times per week during non-practice days. Throughout the study, a hamstring injury analysis was assessed a total of three times: in June, during team selection; in September, at the start of the season; and in December, at the end of season. The entire group of cheerleaders was exposed to the intervention regardless of the extent of their hamstring injury-related pain during the regular season.
"After the season closed, we found that those who had reported hamstring-related injury pains between June and September showed a significant decrease in pains between September and December due to the closed-chain hamstring exercise intervention," said Dr. Greenstein. "Our studyʼs conclusions will provide sports medicine doctors with an innovative and evidence-based recovery tool for hamstring injuries in the professional cheerleading population."
About Foundation for Chiropractic Progress
A not-for-profit organization, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress aims to inform and educate the general public about the many benefits associated with chiropractic care. To learn more about the Foundation, please visit us on the web at
www.yes2chiropractic.com or call 866-901-F4CP (3427).