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."
A Legacy of Professional Sacrifice
Chiropractors lost a champion recently; a man whose life was marked by selfless dedication to the profession he loved. Dr. E.J. Nosser, a 1957 Palmer graduate, left us an inspiring legacy. In January 1975, Dr. Nosser and his Shreveport, La., colleague, Dr. B.D. Mooring, were the last chiropractors to be imprisoned in the United States for the practice of chiropractic. They were ordered to jail by a judge, even though six months earlier Louisiana had become the last state in the nation to license chiropractic. After several days, they were released following the outcry from patients and friends.
Dr. E.J. was joined in practice by his son Thomas in 1981. Dr. Thomas Nosser, the current president of the Chiropractic Association of Louisiana, practiced with his dad until shortly before his passing.
Dr. E.J. was revered by Louisiana DCs who knew him, and was the recipient of many awards and honors. In recognition of 54 years of service to the community, the Honorable Mayor of Shreveport proclaimed May 24, 2007 "Dr. E.J. Nosser Day."
Dr. E.J. was a member of the state association for over 50 years and was named a Distinguished Fellow by the International Chiropractors Association. Many books and articles have been written about him. A Korean War veteran, he decided on his career after watching his father recover from chronic stomach ulcers under the care of a chiropractor.
For those who knew Dr. E.J., his living example of professionalism and his great kindness and humor will be sadly missed. Two quotes are appropriate when thinking of pioneers in the profession like Dr. E.J. Les Brown once wrote that "someone is sitting in the shade today because someone else planted a tree long ago." And to paraphrase Sir Isaac Newton, "If we have seen a little further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."