Chiropractic and Olympic Athletes

At the bottom of this article you'll find a great video of Dr. Terry Schroeder, head coach for the US Men’s Olympic Water Polo team and some of his athletes.  They discuss the vital role that chiropractic plays in sport and life. Dr. Schroeder competed for the US in 4 Olympics himself before becoming the head coach of the team. He also happens to be a chiropractor.

Elite athletes know that any small difference in preparation, fitness, function or flexibility can make the difference between a Gold and a Silver medal – or no medal at all. In the video, Dr. Schroeder shares how every member of the men’s team now includes chiropractic adjustments in their regime. Although some were reluctant at first, after seeing the results teammates were getting, they all eventually came around. After all elite athletes are always looking for ‘an edge’.

In the sport of water polo, necks and shoulders take a constant beating from defenders. The shoulders in particular are prone to overuse injuries and hyper-extension. Shoulder injuries will sideline a player completely making it nearly impossible to train in the pool. As athletes of all levels know, missing practice while recovering from an injury is vital time lost. Prevention and proactive care is the better route.

In the video you’ll hear Dr. Terry Schroeder’s personal story of how he was first introduced to chiropractic and also see him adjusting players on a portable adjusting table right on the pool deck.

We hope that by sharing examples of Olympic athletes using chiropractic care we can help spread the word among collegiate, high school and recreational athletes. Whatever your sport, we can help you achieve peak performance and prevent injuries.