October 2003

WCA board member makes news in UK

Jay Zimmerman, D.C., a member of the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) International Board of Governors spread the word about subluxation‑based chiropractic throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom recently when his article "Chiropractic Care and Athletic Performance" was published in Fairplay Sport and Leisure Magazine. The magazine, which focuses on women in both amateur and professional sports, is distributed throughout Ireland and the UK.

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of actual magazine layout!

Zimmerman's article carefully explains the role of chiropractic in sports training, noting that "Chiropractic care is based on human performance. Chiropractic's main focus is improving the function of the nervous system, which is responsible for performance." He goes on to explain vertebral subluxation and the effect of chiropractic adjustments.

"What if the athlete with vertebral subluxations, because of nerve disruption, was only capable of performing at 80%‑90 % of his or her ability? Wouldn't it be better if the athlete who was giving 110% had their body respond in kind?" he asked readers.

He cited a published sports performance research paper that found athletes under regular chiropractic care performed better than athletes not under chiropractic care. In one study, ("Chiropractic effects on athletic ability," Lauro A. Mouch B. Journal of Chiropractic Research. 1991;6:84‑87) one group of athletes received weekly chiropractic adjustments while another did not.

Zimmerman explained how, every six weeks, the athletes were tested in agility, kinesthetic perception, power and reaction time. The group under regular chiropractic care, after six weeks, performed 10.57% better than the group that wasn't under chiropractic care. After 12 weeks, the chiropractic group had shown a 16.7% improvement compared to the control group.

Zimmerman also cited several other studies, all of which supported the premise that athletes who receive chiropractic care for subluxation correction may function and perform better than those who do not receive such care.

The article included a reference to The Chiropractic Association of Ireland, and the author's biography noted that he was a member of the WCA Board of Governors.

"By combining easy to read explanations with carefully documented scientific evidence, Dr. Zimmerman produced an article that was both interesting and persuasive," commented Terry A. Rondberg, D.C., WCA president.