The 2010 U.S. Olympic Medical Team, 47 members strong, features five doctors of chiropractic including three alumni of Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU), including Michael Reed, DC, who is serving as medical director. Eric St. Pierre, DC, and Tesuya Hasegawa, DC, are also serving on the team, which is supporting U.S. athletes in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games now underway.
"I would like to express my congratulations to Dr. Reed, Dr. St. Pierre, and Dr. Hasegawa," said SCU Interim President Dr. John Scaringe. "It is certainly an honor and privilege for these exceptional practitioners to serve the members of the U.S. Olympic Team."
Dr. Reed, medical director of the U.S. Olympic Committee's Sports Performance Division in Colorado Springs, Colo., is coordinating care for the entire U.S. delegation in conjunction with the chief medical officer, James Moeller, MD. A 1981 graduate of SCU's Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, Dr. Reed has served as a faculty member in the postgraduate division of the college since 1984 and developed the sports medicine residency program at SCU, serving as its first director.
Dr. St. Pierre's responsibilities on the U.S. medical team include caring for members of the short-track speedskating team and athletes in the Olympic Village in Vancouver. Dr. St. Pierre is currently head trainer for the short-track team.
Dr. Hasegawa is attending to members of the bobsled and skeleton teams, as well as providing care to U.S. athletes at the Olympic Village in Whistler. Beginning in 2007, Dr. Hasegawa joined the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Sports Medicine Team, serving as a chiropractor and certified athletic trainer for team members.
Drs. Reed, St. Pierre and Hasegawa are three of five doctors of chiropractic selected to serve as members of the 2010 U.S. Medical Team for the Winter Olympics. Joining the three SCU grads are Dr. Josh Sandell, a chiropractor and certified athletic trainer from Maple Grove, Minn.; and Dr. Blase Soto, a chiropractor from East Brunswick, N.J.
The U.S. Olympic Medical Team serving in Canada consists of medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists and athletic trainers. While these five DCs are not the first to be selected to a U.S. medical team, it is always an honor to recognize the profession when it is included in the most prestigious international athletic competition in the world.
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?
