Although 1994 gold medalist Dan Jansen triumphed in the 1,000 meter Olympic speed skating race, he lost the 500 meter race, finishing 8th. Two months before on the same track he broke the world record for 500 meters. As he entered the final turn in the Olympic 500, his left skate skidded, and his left hand went down to the ice. Jansen stated that "It wasn't a place you normally slip." In the 1988 Calgary Games, he slipped in both the 500 meter and 1,000 meter. In the 1992 Albertville Olympics, he came in 4th in the 500 meters and 26th in the 1,000 meters.
I am certain that this world class speed skater has more than adequate muscle strength and has received the best training the world has to offer, but a question I would ask him is did he ever sprain or injure his ankle, and if he did, what treatment did he receive? Of course the following is hypothetical regarding Dan Jansen, since I have no knowledge of his training or medical history, but it represents an interesting hypothesis.
Freeman et. al.,1 showed that a chronic old sprain of an ankle that caused instability and gave way was not necessarily due to poor ligamentous and muscular dysfunction, but to altered proprioception and irritability of mechanoreceptors in the capsule and ligaments. The result is altered signaling from the ankle joint causing incoordination, inhibition and weakness of local muscles. Treatment on the balance board resulted in a rapid improvement in coordination.
Bullock-Saxton, Janda and Bullock2 had patients wear "balance shoes" (shoes with a ball under the surface creating an unstable base of support during walking). For one week, the patients walked five times each day for three minutes wearing the shoes. At the end of this period, the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius "reached a 75 percent level of maximum contraction more quickly in each gait cycle." This study proved that stimulation of the vestibulocerebellar pathways through subconscious recruitment of muscles (as differentiated from active conscious exercise) facilitated neural pathways resulting in better pelvic control.
Barry Wyke3 stated that, "interruption of the flow of impulses from the mechanoreceptors in a joint capsule into the central nervous system should result in clinically evident disturbances of perception of joint position and movement and of the reflexes concerned with posture and gait."
Bullock-Saxton4 showed that individuals with a history of unilateral severe ankle sprain affected hip extension in that there was normal activation of the hamstrings and lumbar erector spinae muscles and delay in activation of gluteus maximus muscle not only on the side of ankle injury but also on the uninjured side. The injured ankle resulted in central changes in motor control thereby altering the patterns of motion.
Sherrington defined proprioceptors as end organs which are stimulated by actions of the body itself. They are somatic sensory organs located so as to secure inside information and to bring about cooperation and coordination among muscles effectively. The nervous system uses these sensory receptors to modify and adjust muscle function so that peripheral automatic (subconscious) regulation will dominate in most of our so-called voluntary or volitional movements.5
Every back pain patient should be asked if they ever had a severe ankle sprain. Serious athletes should make proprioceptive stimulation a standard part of their routine.
References
Editor's Note:
Dr. Hammer's next Subluxation Myopathology (SM) seminars will be held May 21-22 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and June 4-5 in Chicago, Illinois. You may call 1-800-359-2289 to register.
Dr. Hammer's book, Functional Soft Tissue Examination and Treatment by Manual Methods: The Extremities, is available. Please see the Preferred Reading and Viewing List, pages XX, Part #T-126, to order your copy.
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."
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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?
