How chiropractic care is integral to the Olympics
By Ulrik Sandstrøm
Ulrik Sandstrøm is a chiropractor who has been involved in elite sports for 25 years. He spent 12 seasons at Leicester Tigers Rugby Club and is in his 5th season providing chiropractic treatment to the first team at Leicester City FC. He was also part of the official medical team in the Athlete’s Village at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Chiropractic assessment and treatment is increasingly an essential part of elite athletes’ medical provisions. Chiropractors are now finding themselves working within the medical teams of many Premier League and Championship football clubs, Premiership rugby clubs and a host of other elite sports environments. It is evident to the physiotherapists, doctors and performance managers that we provide separate and distinct specialist knowledge and skills, which is hugely valued by athletes.

How it all started
The 2012 London Olympics were landmark games. Not only were they seen as the most well-organised Olympic Games by the athletes and coaches, but also as the first time where chiropractic was an official and integrated part of the Olympic Games’ medical provision. We worked inside the Athletes Village where a huge and purpose-built medical centre was placed, housing doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, massage therapists and many other healthcare providers.
Any athlete, from any country, had access to these elite level services, which was particularly helpful to those from smaller nations, who had brought only minimal medical support. When an athlete presented to the clinic, they would often be triaged by a few of us and I personally found it hugely beneficial to ‘tag team’ with one of my physiotherapy colleagues and have a combined approach to each athlete. This is what I was used to in my club environment and pooling our combined knowledge and skills was really appreciated by the athletes. As chiropractors, we saw many Caribbean athletes who often trained on scholarships in the US where chiropractors are a common part of the athletes’ medical team. Those from Jamaica, Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Aruba, etc. who were used to regular chiropractic checks and treatment, would often find themselves without this at major events. They were amazed and very happy that they could get seen and were occasionally forming an orderly queue to get assessed and treated.
The feedback from athletes and coaches to the IOC organising committee was so positive that chiropractic has stayed an official part of the Olympic Games’ medical provisions since. I attended Rio 2016 and, although COVID of course hit the Tokyo Games badly, chiropractors were also present there. The Paris Games will again have sports chiropractors available to help look after any athlete who needs it.

How chiropractic care is integral to the world of sports
Chiropractors have specialist skills in assessing the mechanical and neurological performance of athletes, whether professional or amateur. We are often used for specific injuries, especially of joints and soft tissues and, whilst dealing with the actual injury, we often help go ‘behind’ the injury to see why it happened in the first place. Many athletes injure without any obvious cause, such as a fall or a tackle, and, particularly in slow, onset ‘overload’ injuries, is it important to assess body mechanics and neurological control. This can reveal issues often far away from the injury site, causing compensations and eventually pain and injury. For example, in my work with football and rugby players, we often look to the lower back or pelvis as the cause of many hamstring and groin injuries.
Many athletes are reporting significant subjective improvement in performance with chiropractic care. They often report feeling ‘stronger’ and ‘sharper’ and I often see runners improve their running times after treatment. If your body is working more efficiently and appropriately, it makes sense that, not only you are less likely to injure, but you are also more likely to perform better. We still need a lot more research to understand these effects, but a study of golfers showed an improvement in swing mechanics after chiropractic manipulation1.
Chiropractors don’t just help look after elite athletes. Many amateurs and ‘weekend warriors’ find great help and support from their local BCA chiropractor. They find that chiropractors’ assessment skills often offer a different insight into their injury to that which they may have had before. Chiropractors utilise joint manipulation, as well as a host of soft tissue treatments, to help your body get back to working properly. Many chiropractors will also help advise on the best and safest way to return to your sport and offer tips to prevent recurring injuries.
References:
1 Costa SM, Chibana YE, Giavarotti L, Compagnoni DS, Shiono AH, Satie J, Bracher ES. Effect of spinal manipulative therapy with stretching compared with stretching alone on full-swing performance of golf players: a randomized pilot trial. J Chiropr Med. 2009 Dec;8(4):165-70. doi: 10.1016/j.jcm.2009.06.002. PMID: 19948307; PMCID: PMC2786229.