Chiropractic and the Winter Olympics 2010

Chiropractic care as part of the Olympic Games started back in 1976 when Dr. Leroy Perry, D.C., provided care for athletes representing Antigua during the 1976 Games in Montreal, Canada. In 1980, during the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY, Dr. George Goodheart, D.C., became the first official chiropractor appointed to Team USA. Dr. Goodheart also was the founder of the International College of Applied Kinesiology (AK).

All of the subsequent Olympic Games have seen Team USA with Doctors of Chiropractic, or D.C.s, as part of the medical team. However, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, chiropractic care was included inside the Olympic Village Polyclinic, a multi-disciplinary facility that offers comprehensive health care and medical services. While doctors of chiropractic (D.C.s) have historically been included on the Olympic medical staff, the 2010 Winter Olympics marked the first time that D.C.’s from the host country will be treating athletes and officials from around the world directly inside the Polyclinic.

“This is an historic event not only for the chiropractic profession, but also the athletes who will now have access to the care that will help them prepare their bodies for competition,” states Michael Reed, D.C., MS, DACBSP, and Team USA Medical Director (USOC). “These athletes train hard and endure significant physical demands. Sports-focused D.C.s, along with other members of the sports medicine team, are specially skilled to assist them in reaching peak performance.”

Throughout the years, chiropractic has become a mainstay in the care of world-class athletes, leading to a growing number of D.C.s included in the Olympic Games. Countless athletes attribute the care they receive from their chiropractors — working along-side other health care professionals – as a key to properly preparing their bodies to perform optimally.

Dr. Brant Pedersen, D.C. has had the honor treating a number of Olympic athletes in his Los Gatos clinic over the years. Most recently he worked with one of the members of Team USA rowing who participated in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.