Written in Partnership with BACKspace ECU
Chiropractors interested in participating in an international event with FICS must complete an International Certificate in Sports Chiropractic (ISCS).
For more information, see https://fics.sport/
Spectacular summer of sport
Members of the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic (FICS) were involved with three huge international sporting events during the summer of 2022 – the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK and the European Championships in Munich.
The World Games 2022
Chiropractors from eight countries represented FICS at the 2022 World Games (TWG2022) from 7-17 July and treated more than 3,400 athletes participating in 30+ sports. The experience for many was a revelation in how far chiropractic has come in the sports world and the growing appreciation for what it provides. Chiropractors worked in fully equipped, air-conditioned tents at all 15 venues of the competition. They were granted special credentials by the Alabama Legislature and given lodging and uniforms like the rest of the medical team.
The warm welcome results from years of relationship building between FICS and the International World Games Association (IWGA). FICS began its partnership with IWGA in 2003 and has since developed a contract to supply sports chiropractors for the World Games, held every four years in locations across the globe. “Through our work at the World Games, we now have seven different sports federations that we have contracts with,” said Brian Nook, who serves as the FICS representative to the International Sports Federation Commission. “The strategy is to prove how sports chiropractic can assist in the world of sport.”
“We work only in the warm-up areas. Our primary focus is getting the athlete ready to perform at their best and their optimum, and also recovery after their competition and getting them ready for their next competition.”
Another FICS goal is to earn chiropractic care regular representation at the Olympic Games. While chiropractors support athletes at the Olympics, their participation depends on the host country and individual participating countries, teams and athletes, At the World Games, they are as much a part of the healthcare structure as doctors and physiotherapists. “We are trying to educate the IOC (International Olympic Committee) on what we provide and our benefit, but also to make sure that there’s an equitable and level playing field for all athletes,” explains Dr Nook. “Putting chiropractic into the Olympics, that’s been a long 30-year project, but we have to prove ourselves. We need to demonstrate what we’re doing, and the World Games and working with the international federations allows us to do that. The pinnacle of FICS is that every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic, and this is a way in which we can hopefully help to make that happen,” he added.
Ryan Cevola, a chiropractor working in Spain and a member of the AEQ, describes his experience: “From an outsider’s perspective when you see the best in the world competing it their sport, you almost feel as if they are somebody special or untouchable. At first, I was a little intimidated but once you realise that these elite athletes are human beings with the same spine as all of us, you instantly turn into the expert to save the day.
“My main events were powerlifting and flying disc. Powerlifting was a challenge because at the upper end of the weight class, these guys were huge. Try putting a seven-foot, 400-pound massive athlete in side posture. Try stripping a subscapularis with your thumb when theirs is bigger than your quadriceps. And the biggest issue of them all was if the portable tables were going to be able to withstand that weight and force from adjusting. On day 2 of our week spent with the powerlifting event, we heard that the team at sumo wrestling had just broken a table! Too much weight on tables that were not designed for it. It was challenging for sure, but very exciting. And being able to speak Spanish helped out a lot – it made communication much easier with all the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, plus Italy.
“When we made the transition from working with giants in the cold indoor air-conditioned powerlifting competition to working with the skinny long-distance running flying disc players in the outside Alabaman humid heat, our nervous systems had to adapt. But it was a breeze working with the flying disc players as if in your practice, you had worked on adults all day and then your last ten patients were all 15-year-olds!
“I wish I could have seen more sports in action, but it was impossible. 30 sports all happening at the same time, and we had to take care of our events. But even so, sign me up next time for sure. China here we come!”
Chris Wood, a UK chiropractor and British Chiropractic Association (BCA) member, was another one of the FICs team at TWG2022. “The World Games is undoubtedly one of the largest stages in international sport, and to work at this event as a sports chiropractor representing our profession, was both a huge opportunity and responsibility.
“The breadth and depth of such an experience have to be one of the pinnacles of a sports chiropractor’s career (it certainly was for me). I had the opportunity to work at a number of different sporting events at the games, including Racquetball, Squash, Gymnastics and Karate.
“What struck me the most about my experience at TWG2022 was how supportive and professional the FICS team of chiropractors were (54 of us in total from around the globe – centuries of experience combined!). I was also awed by how pivotal and appreciated our services were at the event – a view shared and expressed with gratitude by the athletes, the organisers, and the hundreds of volunteers.”
Another TWG2022 chiropractor was Aourégan Logé, a member of l’ Association Française de Chiropraxie (AFC). She said: “I am really very happy and grateful to have been able to participate in this international event and to be there for all these athletes from all over the world with all these sports. It is a pleasure for a sports chiropractor to participate in such an event and to see that all these athletes are really very happy that we are there for them, providing them with care, and that they come with a big smile to say thank you before, during or after the competition.”
Audrey Yargui, also an AFC member, was a chiropractor at both TWG2022 and the European Games: “I have been a volunteer for FICS since 2014. I like participating in these sporting events because it gives me experience in the field, allows me to meet people, exchange with them and learn something new each time for my practice.
“With FICS and its contacts, we have the opportunity to make chiropractic known throughout the world. And what better than to offer this support to athletes from all walks of life?
“It’s also a means of ensuring healthy fair play, as some countries cannot send a medical team with their athletes. Athletes and their entourages are happy with this service and sometimes it helps to improve chiropractic on a world and national level too.
“TWG2022 was my second World Games, and I had the opportunity to be cluster leader. I don’t intend to stop there!”
Commonwealth Games
Over the eleven days of the Commonwealth Games, 21 chiropractors, the majority FICS members, worked over multiple sites in Birmingham, UK. This was the first time that chiropractors had been part of the Commonwealth Games family and the majority were based at the Game’s polyclinics as part of the COPS Team (chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists and sports massage).
The polyclinics were located in multiple sites at various sporting venues in order to allow easy access for the athletes and acted as ‘one-stop shops’ for diagnostics and treatment for acute injuries and for those athletes wanting a pre-performance tune-up or post-event check-up.
There was comprehensive on-site imaging, including X-ray, ultrasound and MRI, plus an on-site dispensary open from 7 am – 11 pm in addition to the multidisciplinary team of sports doctors, radiologists, opticians, dentists, pharmacists and of course the COPS team.
As well as working in the polyclinics there were chiropractors working pitch-side in a primary triage role with the field of play teams and chiropractors working as sonographers, and the British Virgin Islands support team included a chiropractor looking after BVI athletes across multiple sports.
Juliet Lock from the UK, another BCA member, has been a chiropractor at the polyclinic in previous Commonwealth Games but this time had chosen to work as a member of the field of play team: “I was based at the NEC looking after netball. The games were all televised, so our pitch-side skills were particularly on point. There was a good team of doctors, physios, anaesthetists, paramedics etc. The team rotated twice a day so we would look after both the warm-up court and the game court. We also looked after the half-time entertainment, which on some days was cheerleaders and the other days street dancers. The netball arena was full every night and the atmosphere amazing.”
European Championships
Munich 2022 was the biggest sports event in Germany since the 1972 Summer Olympics. From 11-21 August, Europe’s best athletes competed for the highest accolade of their sport on the continent – the title of European Champion. Nine Olympic sports were featured: athletics, beach volleyball, canoe sprint, cycling, gymnastics, rowing, sport climbing, table tennis, and triathlon.
Amy Bowzaylo from Bahrain, President of the Bahrain NCSC and FICS Executive Council Rep, said, “The European Jui Jitsu Championships were a great experience. We were able to treat athletes from all of Europe, including some Eastern European countries that don’t have ready access to Chiropractic. It was a good opportunity to increase awareness and educate the athletes. All of our services were greatly appreciated, especially one athlete with scoliosis who experienced immediate relief with spinal manipulation and Rocktaping to change muscle contraction patterns.”
