When the top international track athletes converged on Tokyo for the recent World Track and Field Championships, chiropractic was also there.
Representing chiropractic at these games, second only in stature to the Olympic games, were DCs from the Federation Internationale de Chiropratique Sportive (FICS).
Dr. Allen Miller of Simi Valley, California, the chiropractor for the Sierra Leone (West Africa) track and field team could not accompany the team to Tokyo. Dr. Miller provided Dr. Michael Greenberg from Los Angeles, California with the necessary credentials to officially treat the Sierra Leone athletes.
Dr. Greenberg had previously been the team chiropractor for the British Virgin Islands track and field team.
Other FICS representatives treating athletes at the games were DCs Don Oyao and Howard O'Meara of Australia, and Mitsu Shiokawa of Japan. Dr. Oyao provided care for the Nigerian team; Dr. O'Meara treated the athletes from Ghana.
The DCs worked long hours side by side, sharing equipment, knowledge, and ideas to better care for their athletes. They did not however limit their expertise to their respective teams. African, Caribbean, Soviet, and American athletes were recipients of the benefits of chiropractic procedures.
Also present at the games were DCs Leroy Perry Jr., of Los Angeles and Vicki Vodon, of Huntington Beach, California. Dr. Perry is a Los Angeles based chiropractic orthopedist and sports medicine specialist (see "USSR Olympic Team Names Leroy Perry Jr., D.C., Official Doctor" in the September 13, 1991 issue).
FICS began in 1986 and currently has 48 nation members. FICS is involved only in sports chiropractic and dubs itself apolitical. Each country is represented by a senator to FICS, and it is the senate that controls the FICS.
FICS is recognized by the International Council of Sports Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE), who in turn are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
FICS representatives recently attended the IOC's session in Birmingham, England (see September 27, 1991 issue of "DC").
For futher information about FICS contact:
Dr. Stephen Perle, Treasurer
P.O. Box 2486
Westport, Connecticut
Tele: (203) 849-8593
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?
