Chiropractic Care — A true ‘touchdown’ for the NFL
To understate a truism: the NFL is a physical business. That’s why the services of chiropractors are among those vital and trusted in a business in which each team is valued at well over $1 billion. According to The Professional Football Chiropractic Society (PFCS) all 32 teams in the National Football League offer their players and personnel chiropractic physician services as part of the triage in managing and preventing injuries. Players outspoken in their support of chiropractic include 2006 top draft pick Reggie Bush and NFL Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Rice.
According to an article in Chiropractic Economics,* the average pro football chiropractor renders 30 to 50 treatments per week during the season. With the in-season (game-playing) duration lasting 16 weeks (not including quarterback camp, mini-camp and pre and post-season), 34 chiropractors conservatively give 16,320 to 27,200 adjustments to America’s superstars in just 120 days. These numbers have surely increased since the release of these survey statistics.
One of those NFL practitioners is Dr. Alan Sokoloff, currently in his 13th year as the Team Chiropractor for the Baltimore Ravens, currently ranked 4th by ESPN as of this writing. Dr. Alan Sokoloff, D.C., D.A.C.B.S.P. or “Dr. Sok” as his patients refer to him, is also the owner/clinic director of the Yalich Clinic Performance and Rehabilitation Center in Glen Burnie, MD, where he has practiced for over 26 years.
Dr. Sokoloff points out that being an NFL Team Chiropractor is a very grueling job over a long hard season, and relates that game day requires ultimate focus, especially for the unexpected. “Most of the work is pre-game, but you have to be very attentive on the sidelines for how players come off the field and listening for your name in case you are needed–even if there are 70+ thousand fans yelling.”
But like so much of medical treatment, the best care comes from a foundation of ‘teamwork.’ “When you work for a team, you are part of a team– you are not a “know all, tell all” for every condition. We work as a team in the best interest of the athlete and have a lot of communication.”
Bottom line, says Dr. Sokoloff, is to have an “understanding that when you are a team doctor–you are a tool–one part of a toolbox, but an essential tool.”
Multi-Specialty HealthCare has over 20 chiropractors treating a variety of patients, including Baltimore Ravens fans!