awakening the schwarzenegger within!

By Dr. Scott Rosenthal

Were you the last picked for the recess dodge-ball team? Why do some people perform better physically? Maybe you would have been picked first if you could have found a way to awaken the Arnold Schwarzenegger within… to find a way to get the edge and perform at your peak! It is possible that some people contain only a Bill Gates or Rosanne within. Whatever person best characterizes your inner ingredients, finding the edge and reaching one’s peak performance is not only important on the field or court, but on the job, in the house, at school, etc.

Performance is the quest of every professional athlete. Failing to be at one’s best can mean the difference between winning the gold, the ring or cup and going home knowing that you could have done better. In order to enhance our own performance, we should consult with the pros and uncover their secrets.

Tiger Woods states, "lifting weights and seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis has made me a better golfer."

Former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield remarked "I do believe in chiropractic. I found that going to a chiropractor three times a week helps my performance. Once I drove 20 miles to see a chiropractor before a fight. I have to have my adjustment before I get in the ring."

Three-time winner of the National League's Most Valuable Player, Barry Bonds, is another avid proponent of chiropractic care. He has been under chiropractic care since 1993. "Your body is being treated like it is supposed to be with chiropractic care," stated Bonds. He recommends that every athlete should have some contact with a chiropractor.

Barbara Bunkowsky, a LPGA tour professional, remarked "I have found that chiropractic keeps me flexible and pain-free so that I can perform at my highest level. The benefits of chiropractic have improved my golf swing, putting less stress and strain on my body and allowing me to be a more productive golfer.

I believe it also helps prevent other associated injuries that are very common on the LPGA tour."

"My shooting has improved because of Chiropractic. I feel more balanced and have more coordination and control. Since I have been under Chiropractic care, I have improved by leaps and bounds" according to Gerald Wilkins of the New York Knicks.

How does chiropractic care help so many people perform better? The man known as the world’s greatest athlete, Olympic decathlon gold medalist, Dan O'Brien, has that answer. Dan explains that "You obviously can't compete at your fullest if you're not in alignment.” What he is referring to is a spine that has each segment properly positioned following chiropractic care. If the spinal segments misalign, the nerves exiting the spine may become disturbed; therefore, the brain will be less able to control and coordinate bodily functions… performance then suffers. In addition to poor nerve function, the mechanical deficits of spinal misalignment create a burden on muscles and joints. One of my patients would always know when she needed a chiropractic spinal adjustment because she would start to slice the ball when golfing. Her pelvis was misaligned and her swing was then altered. After her visits in my office, she could again hit the ball straight. Dr. David E. Stude, a chiropractor and associate professor and faculty clinician at Northwestern Health Sciences University, lectures across the country with Lisa Masters, an LPGA golf pro, emphasizing the importance of chiropractic care for golfers. Dr. Stude states, "Normally, each vertebra in the spine moves independently a certain number of degrees when our whole body is involved in an activity. If that is not happening, for example, if two or more segments move as a whole unit, rather than moving independently, it can lead to one kind of vertebral mechanical dysfunction."

Dan O'Brien further commented “It was the holistic idea that I liked about chiropractic. I really think chiropractic is essential in running. If I could put a percentage on it, I think I compete eight to ten percent better from regular chiropractic use, if not more. It is essential for me and my training routine." He is not far off! A group of athletes under chiropractic care were compared with a control group that received no care. Agility, balance, power, speed reaction, and hand reaction time were all measured and improved dramatically in the chiropractic group. The following results were found:

  • After six weeks the chiropractic group had an overall 10.7 percent improvement in athletic ability.
  • The control group had a 4.5 percent improvement.
  • After 12 weeks, the chiropractic group's improvement was 16.7 percent!

The study’s author concluded that: “the [chiropractic] athlete reacts faster, coordinates better, executes fine movements with improved accuracy and precision, amounting to an overall better athlete."[i]

This is becoming well known and has led to broader inclusion of doctors of chiropractic into the professional locker room. Dr. La Fountain, a chiropractor with the PGA, reports that up to 85 percent of the injuries on the PGA Tour and Senior Tour involve the spine, and about 70 to 75 percent of those golfers receive regular chiropractic care.

The U.S. National Football League has recognized sports chiropractors on the same basis as MDs since the early 1980s. Chiropractic’s known role in performance has been around for even longer. Rocky Marciano, Heavyweight Champion of 1956, was a chiropractic patient.

Not only does chiropractic enhance performance, but may play a vital role in preventing injuries. Arnold Schwarzenegger remarked that: "bodybuilders and fitness people have been using chiropractic very extensively in order to stay healthy and fit. I found it was better to go to a chiropractor before you get injured. We are a perfect team- the world of fitness and the world of chiropractors." If you disagree with this fact, I will let you be the one to question Arnold!

All strive for better performance. This is evidenced in the multi-billion dollar nutritional supplement, fitness and natural food industries. All are key components to optimized performance, but as seen by the pros and from research, the chiropractor’s role with proper nerve function and spinal integrity is a necessity. 16.7 percent improvement physically on the job, taking care of the kids, driving on I95 or with sports may be achieved with regular chiropractic care. Even better, this care does not show up in the blood stream and will not get you disqualified from the Olympic games or fired from work! Take Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith's advice to a recent Doak Walker award recipient for being the top college running back of the year ''…find a good chiropractor'' and awaken the Schwarzenegger within!

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[i] Lauro, B.M. Chiropractic effects on athletic ability. Chiropractic: The Journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigations, 1991, 6(4), pp.84-87