 Things are hotting up at the London 2012 Olympics. Only a few more days until the Opening Ceremony... This week, the doors of the Athletes Village will open. Athletes and their support teams from 204 countries will start arriving. And, for the first time, chiropractors will be there! Within the Athletes Village is the state of the art Polyclinic. Open 24 hours a day this multidisciplinary clinic is kitted out with some of the most sophisticated equipment in the country and staffed by highly skilled specialists - including, for the first time ever, chiropractors. It is expected that a high proportion of the anticipated 200 competitors visiting the polyclinic each day will be suffering from musculoskeletal injuries - sprains, strains, muscle injuries and joint pains - exactly the sort of problems that we chiropractors excel in treating. So, it is expected that the team of chiropractors are going to be kept busy, providing care from 7am - 11pm every day, with 24 hour emergency 'on-call' cover as well!  The state of the art Polyclinic in the Olympic Village The team of chiropractors will be working alongside other musculoskeletal healthcare specialists - orthopaedic surgeons, neurologists, sports injury physicians - as well as other core services like dentistry, optometry, and physiotherapy. Together, this team of medical specialists will help to ensure that athletes are in their peak condition for this most important time in their sporting careers.  Richard Brown meets Lord Coe Richard Brown, chiropractor and President of the British Chiropractic Association is one of the chiropractors who has taken time out of his busy practice and professional schedule to be treating the athletes. He had the opportunity to meet Lord Coe, Chairman of LOCOG, who voiced his support at the presence of chiropractors at the Olympics, and who said that his own career would have been far shorter, had it not been chiropractors.
Hopefully, Richard and the other chiropractors in the Polyclinic will be able to keep the competitors in tip top condition; here's hoping that they enable Jessica Ennis and a few of her fellow competitors to bring home some shiny medals...!
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 One of the things I love about my job is the great diversity of people that I see on a daily basis. Not only is it hugely satisfying to have the skills to be able to relieve someone's back or neck pain and watch them put their socks and shoes on and walk out of clinic when they have hobbled in, but I love the contact that I have with so many people from so many different walks of life.
In just one clinic I have had conversations about: holidays to Corfu; walking around Mont Blanc; the political and military situation in Afghanistan and Syria; sheep farming and the lambing season; the possibility of an extra silage harvest this soggy summer; the weather (where would we be without it?!); bereavement; Wimbledon (will Murray get to the finals this year?!); the unflattering cut of the Olympic Torch bearers' outfits; the risk of flying fast jets; the economy and whether Bob Diamond was right to resign; the bitter battle with cancer; diet, lifestyle and exercise regimes; gardening (including a great recipe for Raspberry Vodka!); the horrors and joys of childbirth; scuba diving; local crime and the Police's endeavours to deal with it; fishing; motor bikes and track days; and finally, nuclear fission (honestly!). It is this interaction with my patients that keeps me going every day. It is my motivation for going to work each morning; not only do I have a responsibility to care for and treat my patients but I look forward to talking with them. It makes me a richer, more balanced person, and for that, I am grateful.  Taller than average? Wonder if tall people really suffer more with their backs? A recent study, published in the journal Spine* shows that tall people are at far greater risk of being hospitalised due to low back problems affecting the intervertebral discs.
*Wahlstrom et al. Risk factors for hospitalisation due to lumbar disc disease. Spine 2012 July 1;37(15):1334-1339 The study compared the incidence of back pain in over 260,000 construction workers over a period of 20 years. They found that taller people (190-199 cm; 6'3"-6'6") were 1.5 times more likely to be hospitalised due to lumbar disc disease than their shorter colleagues (170-179 cm; 5'7"-5'10"). These results are hardly surprising; tools and equipment are typically designed for those of 'average' height and build. Those at either end of the height spectrum find themselves having to use equipment that is not the ideal size for them which can cause extra strain on the spine. Ideally, people should take time to find equipment that is the right size for them. Longer handled tools, raised worktops, properly adjusted seats and desks can help to prevent back pain. We chiropractors recognise that 'prevention is better than cure' and much of chiropractic care is about giving advice to help prevent back pain in the first place, as well as treating it. |
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