If you’re like me, you too love when the Olympic Games come around every two years! As I
watch these athletes compete, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the two weeks of
international competition and forget that these athletes have trained nearly their entire lives
for this one chance at Olympic Excellence! This year was even more exciting for me as a young
fencer, Jacqueline Dubrovich- was actually a young girl who went to grammar school and high
school with my daughter Katie! Jackie has talked about her desire to make it to the Olympics for
as long as I can remember. So to know her journey personally and to see all those years of her
hard work finally be fulfilled in an Olympic appearance was thrilling. Like Jackie, many of these
athletes need intensive medical treatment in order to compete at their highest level. And for
over 50 years, Chiropractic care has played an integral role in injury prevention, injury recovery,
and overall health and performance care – all of which are vital for Olympic athletes.
The history of Chiropractic care at the Olympics started back at the 1976 Montreal Olympics
when well-known US Track and Field stand-out Dwight Stones credited chiropractic care with
his Olympic performance on national television, bringing instant attention to Leroy Perry, DC,
the team chiropractor. Then at the 1980 Winter Olympics held at Lake Placid, Dr. George
Goodheart became the first official US Olympic team chiropractor for the US team. Since then-
it is estimated that at least 90% of elite athletes use chiropractic on a regular basis to prevent
injuries and to improve their performance.
So why do you think so many Olympic athletes mention a chiropractor as part of their strategy
for success? The reason might not be so obvious. Sure, chiropractors probably help many
Olympic athletes with their back pain, neck pain, headaches and other issues that may occur
secondary to their intense training. However, there is a much more important reason the top
athletes in the world utilize chiropractic care. It optimizes function of the human body!
When you compete against the best in the world, every millisecond counts. For example,
Michael Phelps beat Masato Sakai by .04 seconds to win the gold medal in the 200 meter
butterfly event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. That is roughly the time it takes to blink!
When the difference between first and second place is so small, you need every advantage you
can get. This is the reason so many Olympic athletes utilize chiropractic care
Let’s take a look throughout the years to see how Chiropractors have helped two all-time great
Olympic athletes perform and even bring Gold medals home:
Usain Bolt has often been called the World’s Fastest Man, and he regularly utilized chiropractic
care to recover from injury and improve his performance. In Rio in 2016, Bolt, the most
decorated sprinter of all time, became the first track athlete in Olympic history to win three
gold medals in one discipline, with his win in the 100m sprint. He followed that up by winning
the unprecedented “Triple Triple” – winning the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay in three
straight Olympics. He finished his career an 11-time World Champion and nine-time Olympic
Gold Medalist. With all these numerous medals and achievements tied to his name, Bolt turned
to Chiropractic treatment to remain in top shape. He often credits his Chiropractic treatment
as being an integral reason for his success.
Michael Phelps- already the most decorated Olympian of all time, added five Golds to his
remarkable tally, finishing his storied career with an amazing 28 medals – 23 of them Gold in
the 2016 Rio Olympics. At the Olympics in Rio many watching were concerned about the
red/purple circles all over Michael Phelps body. Quickly into the games, Phelps cleared up what
all the circles were. He explained that they were the result of a treatment a chiropractor had
performed on him called cupping. The practice of Chinese cupping has been around for more
than 2,000 years. But Robinson and USA Swimming chiropractor Kevin Rindal said that the form
of therapy used on Phelps was somewhat different. It was essentially the opposite of a
massage, using the suction from perfectly circular cups to manipulate and help separate the
various layers of fascia and muscle beneath the skin. The end result was decreased discomfort
and an increase in range of motion for this elite athlete.
Regardless of which sport they play, athletes of every shape and size have attributed much of
their success to Chiropractic Care. It’s not about only treating one particular case, but about
improving full body wellness. These are only two cases out of the thousands of athletes that
compete each year. Least to say, Chiropractic Care will remain an integral part of athletic
performance for many games to come.
So whether you’re a weekend warrior or an Olympian, sports chiropractic care is a tried and
tested technique that helps athletes to continue to train and compete at peak performance.
And by the way- Best of Luck to our own Jacqueline Dubrovich- Riverdale, New Jersey is very
proud of you!!