Dr. Robert Willson of Barrie, Ontario, was Chef de Mission for the FISC delegation. Dr. Willson treated athletes from Sierra Leone.
The 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada can be looked back on as the most successful ever for treating chiropractors. There were 13 DCs from the Federation Internationale de Chiropratique Sportive (FICS) who had official authority to treat athletes during the event. By comparison, there was only one such DC at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, and four at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. Further, this was the first time DCs were involved with the official host medical team. Six Canadian DCs (all from Victoria) were on the Canadian medical team: Drs. Mike Buna; Mike Murray; Jack Chin; Jeff Tancock; Jim Elder; and chief chiropractor Wayne Walker.
(l-r): Some of the international contingent of DCs who had official status to treat at the Commonwealth Games: Athol McLean; Robert Willson; Howard O'Meara; Larry Bell; Noel Patterson; Clive Hill; Mike Murray.
Among the treating DCs not pictured were: Don Oyao; John Welsh; Baiju Khanchandani; Wilbur Kelsick; Victoria Vodon; and Frank Savaterre.
Chiropractic was given official recognition in the medical literature handed out to the athletes and all of the DCs were kept busy treating athletes. The FICS hopes to send a large contingent of treating DCs to Zimbabwe for the All-African Games in Sept. 1995, a good training ground for the DCs looking to treat the Olympic athletes in Atlanta in 1996. FICS expects to have as many as 40 DCs officially accredited with teams for the Atlanta games, and predicts to double the number of treating DCs at the next Commonwealth Games (Malaysia, 1998).
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
