Olympic Speedskater Derek Parra Strives for Gold with Help of Chiropractic
Care
Chiropractic
Care Has A History Of Backing Up Olympic Athletes
ARLINGTON, VA
- Derek Parra, one of the United States' best chances for a gold medal in
speedskating at the 2002 Winter Olympics, will be using a secret weapon -
chiropractic care - to help achieve his goal in Salt Lake City. Parra, the most
dominant speedskater in the United States, takes care of his body by receiving
regular chiropractic adjustments. In fact, he feels so strongly about
chiropractic that he is being sponsored by the American Chiropractic Association
(ACA).
"I've always been a proponent of chiropractic care," says Parra. "I've used a
lot of other treatments for injuries and pain, but the problem doesn't get fixed
until I go to a doctor of chiropractic."
Parra, who competed for the 1998 U.S. Olympic Team, is a two-time U.S. National
All-Round Champion, a holder of two American records, and the reigning North
American Champion. In February 2001, he set a new American record in the 1500
meters competition at the World Single Distance Championships, and in late
November he won a gold medal at the World Cup competition in Den Hague,
Netherlands.
"I've been dreaming about this for so many years," said Parra of competing in
the Olympics on American soil. "It will be so exciting this year to feel the
support from the American crowd, especially with the sense of patriotism that
has come about in this country."
Parra, along with the other world-class athletes who will represent the U.S. in
Salt Lake City, will have regular access to chiropractic care throughout the
duration of the Games, as ACA member Robin Hunter, DC, has been selected to the
2002 U.S. Olympic medical staff.
"As an athlete, it's great to have chiropractic care available. There are so
many things we need to have done that traditional medicine just can't help,"
said Parra, when asked about his feelings on having a doctor of chiropractic on
the Olympic staff.
Chiropractic care has a rich history of involvement with the U.S. Olympic Team.
Jan Corwin, DC, a past president of ACA's Council on Sports Injuries and
Physical Fitness, became the first doctor of chiropractic to travel overseas
with the U.S. Olympic Team in 1988, when he represented the chiropractic
profession in Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Corwin noted that the athletes in Seoul
were delighted with the chiropractic care they received. "They were totally into
it. I had so many patients while I was there, I didn't even have time to eat. By
the time I left Seoul I had lost 12 pounds."
The roster of Olympic athletes who have benefited from chiropractic care is
truly impressive. Star performers such as Carl Lewis, Greg Louganis, Willi
Banks, Edwin Moses, and countless other greats from Olympics past have taken
advantage of chiropractic in order to get a leg up on their competition. In
fact, the U.S. Olympic medical staff has included at least one doctor of
chiropractic at each Olympics since Dr.
Corwin's involvement in 1988.