Athletic Performance and Physiological Measures in Baseball Players Following Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

This study from the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research in 2007 is an amazing example of how specific upper cervical chiropractic can have an integral part in your progression as an athlete. The study focused on athletic performance and physiological measures before, during and after 14 weeks of specific upper cervical chiropractic care. I agree with the study when they stated the importance of utilizing chiropractic for the improvement of human performance as an alternative to the current use of illegal drugs to boost performance, which often has long term physical consequences. Thank you Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic Research and the University of South Carolina (Spartanburg) baseball team for getting the truth published.

28 male baseball players were recruited to be a part of the study and 21 players completed the study. 9 players were in the chiropractic group and 12 players were part of the control group. Only players who were free of physical injury were selected for the study and in order to complete the study, the players needed to remain injury free from physical injury throughout the entire study. Both the control group and the chiropractic group received radiographic analysis and thermographic profiling before the study began as well as at the end of the study. They all also received baseline profiles of athletic ability and physiological function pre and post study. In order for the chiropractic group to receive a specific Palmer toggle-recoil adjustment during the study, the patient needed to have at least 2 established pattern scans prior to the adjustment and were rested for at least 10 min post adjustment.

The athletic performance tests were the vertical jump test, Broad jump specified, standing broad jump, and muscle strength (free weight abduction). The physiological tests performed were resting blood pressure and resting pulse rate, treadmill stress test, and Natilfold microcirculation (capillary count before and after 8 minute treadmill run).

The results should inspire ANYONE, whether you are an athlete or not to add specific upper cervical care to your health and performance routine. There was very evident improvement within the adjusted group in regard to muscle strength, long jump distance, and vertical jump distance and there was a decrease in distance of specific broad jump. The trend was similar with the controlled group other than an additional decrease in long jump. Although the trends were similar, the percentage of improvement was substantially greater with the adjusted group. With the adjusted group, there was a significant increase in capillary counts. The control group on the other hand did not show a significant improvement. There was a downward trend with the adjustment group and an upward trend with the control group in terms of resting heart rate and systolic/diastolic blood pressure. This is probably one of the most important aspects to me in this study because resting heart rate is s very good indicator of overall fitness.

As you can see making sure the upper cervical area is clear of subluxations and your brainstem is free to function optimally is absolutely critical to reaching your God given maximum potential.

Schwartzbauer J, Kolber J, Schwartzbauer, DC, Hart, JDC, Zhang J. Paper Presented at the National Subluxation Conference, October 12-13, 1996 Phoenix, Arizona, Sponsored by Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic. Published in the J of Vertebral Subluxation Research 1997; 1 (4): 7

http://cafeoflife.de/download/research%201497-0043_athletic.pdf

Why Upper Cervical Chiropractic is Perfect for Runners

I have spent over half my life in the running community and know that every competitive or even non-competitive runner will do whatever they can just to run a little faster. Whether that be train multiple times a day, sleep in a tent at night that limits the amount of oxygen available to breath, or even give up the opportunity to get a "real job" and make more money. Due to the fact we distance runners make so many sacrifices to do what we love, we should get the most out of our training and time. The key to this is to stay clear of preventable injuries. If we are injured, we cannot reach our goals. My college coach used to always say "do the little things." There is a lot more to "the little things" than just stretching, hydrating, and getting sleep, etc. The little things are the simple things that can make a big difference in your fitness. Over the past 4 years I have realized one of the most important little thing we can do is make UPPER CERVICAL CHIROPRACTIC part of our regimen. Here is my reasoning....

1) First off, in order to reach our maximum potential we need to be running on all cylinders. We need our immune system to be working 100% so that we don't get sick and miss training days. We need our digestive system to be in 100% communication with our brain in order to properly utilize our food for energy and recovery. We need every gland and organ in our body to be working correctly so that we are producing the right hormones at the right time. If any one of these aspects or any other autonomic function in our body is less than 100%, it is impossible to perform at 100%.

How does this work? Well the top two bones in our neck surround one of the most important organs in our body, the brainstem. We have over 450 million nerve fibers crossing over through the brainstem in order for our brain and the rest of the body to communicate and work in unison. Due to physical, emotional, and chemical stressors we put on our body daily, these bones can move out of alignment and actually put pressure on our brainstem. We call this a SUBLUXATION. When this happens it is impossible for all 450 million nerve fibers to work properly. When communication from our brain to the rest of our body is interfered with, our body deviates from homeostasis and we are not able to reach our maximal, God given potential. This is also a time when dis-ease can set in.

As upper cervical chiropractors we specialize in locating these subluxations using instrumentation and xray analysis. Then very specifically removing this subluxation in order for your body to start functioning back at 100%. We then continue to utilize instrumentation to make sure that adjustment holds and allows those 450 million nerve fibers to function properly. This is when your body works at its best!

2) Secondly, our body has a natural tendency to make sure our pelvis is properly underneath us in order to maintain balance. When either of the top two bones in our neck move out of alignment, our head moves out of positional balance and therefore the body begins to react. This is when one shoulder rises to counter the tilted head, and the pelvis rotates and tilts creating a short leg. With all this the muscles and ligaments in our entire body begin to tighten or lengthen in order to support the new position of our body. Long term this is not a good thing for the body, and as an endurance athlete it is usually the reason for many injuries. If you think about running, you will take around 2,000 steps when running a mile. That is 1,000 steps on each leg. If your body is not in balance, one leg will take more of a pounding than the other. So if you weigh 150 pounds you may put 195,000 pounds of stress on one side of the body and 105,000 pounds of stress on the other side. As you could probably figure, this would make a big difference on how your body can function and recover. And this is only 1 mile! Over time most will start to develop overuse injuries. When your top two bones in your body are aligned, your body is aligned, and when your body is aligned your body can properly distribute your weight and be less susceptible to overuse injuries.

As upper cervical chiropractors we specialize in locating these subluxations using instrumentation and xray analysis. Then very specifically removing this subluxation in order for your body to start functioning back at 100%.

The reason Upper Cervical Chiropractic is so important for runners is that no matter how much we train or prepare, it is IMPOSSIBLE to reach our GOD GIVEN POTENTIAL when our nervous system is unable to work at 100% and our body is out of balance .

So go out and train hard, train smart, and get your nervous system checked!

Upper Cervical Care and Athletic Performance

What do Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana and Evander Holyfield all have in common? Not only have they risen to the top of their respective sports, they all consider regular chiropractic care essential to improving their health and gaining a competitive edge over their competitors.

The truth is, it doesn’t matter if you are at the top of your game, a weekend warrior, or a stay-at-home mom training for your first 5K run, upper cervical care can help you perform at your BEST!

Athletes undertaking rigorous fitness regimes often push their bodies to the limit. Since their performance is based on the health and strength of their body…whether they need to recover from injury, improve performance or increase joint flexibility, ongoing upper cervical care is a valuable addition to their training regime.

In recent years, spinal care has become a valuable partner in the everyday athletic health regimen. Athletes find it not only improves performance but also reduces the risk of injury. Studies show that upper cervical care improves athletic ability, agility, balance, power, speed, reaction time and recovery.

How does upper cervical care help to improve athletic performance? The answer lies in the nervous system. In our bodies, the brain and brain stem act as our “Master Control System”. Everything that we do is regulated by the nerve impulses that are sent from the brain/brain stem out to the body through our network of nerves. For the athlete who is looking for an edge to his or her physical performance, this improved communication between the brain and every part of the body, especially the heart, lungs and muscles can make the difference between winning and losing.

Upper Cervical corrections help to improve the overall function of the nervous system, which, in turn, improves the efficiency of the communication between the brain and the body. With a fraction of a second meaning the difference between gold and silver, many of today’s top athletes are checked regularly during training and off seasons to maintain peak performance.

Research

A research study conducted by Dr. Jon Schwartzbauer, studied changes in athletic performance in baseball players with and without upper cervical care. Each athlete’s performance was evaluated through assessment of the vertical jump, broad jump specified, standing broad jump, and muscle strength. Blood pressure, pulse rate, microcirculation (capillary counts), and treadmill stress testing were also evaluated. The results showed significant improvement at fourteen weeks in muscle strength and long jump distance in the group receiving upper cervical corrections. Moreover, this same group showed significant improvement in capillary counts after five and fourteen weeks of upper cervical care. Evaluation of the group receiving care revealed decreases in resting blood pressure and pulse rate as well as pulse rate following tread mill activity. By comparison, trends in these same measures showed increases within the control group (non-upper cervical). All this translates into better athletic performance! In another study by Drs. Anthony Lauro and Brian Mouch, upper cervical care improved athletic performance by as much as 30% after 12 weeks. Athletes were tested on several aspects of athletic ability including kinesthetic perception, power, reaction time, agility and balance. At the 6 week mark of this study those who received upper cervical care showed an 18% increase in performance while those who did not showed only a 1% increase in performance.

These studies showed that athletes who have full brain to body communication (subluxation-free athletes) react faster, have better coordination, execute fine movements with improved accuracy and precision, amounting to an overall better athlete.

Key Benefits

In addition to improving performance, ongoing upper cervical care offers several health and wellness benefits, including:

•Improved posture

•Increased range of motion

•Improved immune system that can ward off common illnesses or disease

•Better focus and concentration

•Reduction of migraines or severe headaches

•Increased blood circulation

•Better joint flexibility

•Reduced risk of injury

•Increased blood and oxygen flow throughout the body

•Improved recovery rates after a sports injury

•Reduction of pain in major joints

Some athletes turn to upper cervical care only after they have been injured, but it is much more beneficial to incorporate care into the weekly training routine. An upper cervical doctor can offer natural supportive care for runners, bikers, tennis players, baseball, football and basketball players - any athlete who is constantly on the move.

For both casual sports participants and high-performance athletes, a natural method of stress reduction and toxin removal is necessary for better health overall. Upper cervical care can play an important role in the lives of these athletes throughout their training season, and during their most competitive seasons.

-Uppercervicalblog.blogspot.com

2010 Augusta Ironman 70.3

I apologise for the blog hiatus as of recently, but I am back and more excited than ever to share the healthy chiropractic philosophy to the world.

I recently signed up to compete in a half ironman this upcoming September and am planning on keeping you all posted on my experiences leading up to the event as well as continuing to spread the Chiropractic message. The two are very related in the fact that they focus on maximizing your body's potential. It is amazing what the body can do with the proper thoughts, nutrition, exercise, sleep, and being free of nerve interference.

So for you readers, please share your thoughts and ideas and lets make this a powerful resource for everyone including me...

" You never know how far reaching something you may think, say or do will effect the lives of millions tomorrow." - B.J. Palmer

Chiropractic plays major role in US men's water polo team sivler medal win

CARMICHAEL, Calif., Oct 02, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Merrill Moses, goal keeper for the U.S.A. Men's Water Polo team, and his teammates took home silver medals from Beijing this year. Terry Schroeder, D.C., a standout from the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympics helped Moses and his teammates as the current head coach of the Men's Water Polo team and resident doctor of chiropractic. While they were considered underdogs in this year's games, the team pulled together to achieve silver medal victory in a match against Hungary, and Moses and teammates attribute much of their success to the role that chiropractic played in their performance.

"I can honestly say that without chiropractic, many Olympic athletes would not be able to perform to their potential," says Moses. "We take such a pounding on our bodies, especially in water polo, because it's a contact sport. I like to get a chiropractic adjustment everyday just to keep my body healthy."

Moses, who is 31 years old, 6'3", and 215 pounds, was playing at the top of his game this year, an achievement which he attributes to the four practicing Olympic Committee team chiropractors in the Olympic Village as well as Schroeder, who treated Moses and other team members throughout the games.

"Athletes know that the difference between winning and losing can be a matter of fractions," says Schroeder. "When looking for that edge, chiropractic often makes all the difference."

To help this year's team to victory, Schroeder drew on his chiropractic knowledge and his experience as a two-time Olympic silver medalist in water polo. He was inducted into the U.S.A. Water Polo Hall of Fame in 1998. A statue of Schroeder's likeness sits at the entrance to the Los Angeles Coliseum commemorating the 1984 Olympics. He is noted for turning this team around by encouraging teamwork and vigorous training only months prior to the Beijing Olympic Games.

Moses plans to follow in his coach's footsteps by attending chiropractic college and earning his Doctor of Chiropractic degree. His interest in chiropractic stems from a passion for helping others. He believes chiropractic helps those who cannot physically excel, including many of the Olympic athletes who participated in this year's games.

"I believe that chiropractic is going to continue to be of growing importance in the Olympic world," concludes Schroeder.

SOURCE: Foundation for Chiropractic Progress