The linebackers you see on the playing field on Sunday afternoon are in prime physical shape. Some of the credit for their condition goes to the 34 chiropractors who work with the NFL teams.
We asked these chiropractors to share their likes, dislikes, and advice with you about working in the professional realm. Here’s what they had to say.
AFC TEAMS AND THEIR DCs
Damian D. Redlinski, DC, has been “officially” adjusting the Buffalo Bills since 2000, “but I have been adjusting players and other members of the Bills’ organization since 1979,” he says.
How he got to be team chiropractor is worth reporting: “My first office was a mile from the stadium. One day a kicker with the team, Rusty Jackson, came in for an adjustment. Word spread among the players, and more become patients.
“Every year, I sent letters asking for a position with the team and every year I received the same basic answer: ‘No position is available.’ I continued treating the players, coaches, and staff at my office. I sneaked into training camp with the players hoping we wouldn’t be detected. I went to the team’s first three Super Bowl appearances and adjusted players at their hotels. In 2000 there was a change of training staff and I was brought on board.”
His advice: “Keep trying. Keep knocking on doors. Keep your name out there.”
Spencer H. Baron, DC, DACBSP, (Baron2520@aol.com) as worked with the Miami Dolphins for 10 years. He reports that he is “thrilled at being a part of the healthcare team’s triage approach to diagnosing and treating the impaired mechanics of sports injuries.” He says that working with a corporate structure can keep relationships fragile. “That is why we need our group of professional football chiropractors to organize and strengthen its position in the NFL,” he says.
His advice: “Superior communication skills, good technical abilities, and timing will open every door.”
Michael A. Miller, DC, CCSP, CCRD, (chiromam@aol.com), has worked with the New England Patriots for 25 years. He enjoys the camaraderie of the players and coaches, the respect from the team, and seeing the results in the performance of the players. Although he enjoys the field experience and excitement as well as being a member of a world champion Super Bowl team, he doesn’t like to be away from his family on road trips.
His advice: “Get experience treating weekend warriors. Volunteer at community sporting events. And take postgraduate courses in sports injury and rehab.”
• Alan Sokoloff, DC, DACBSP, is one of two team chiropractors of the Baltimore Ravens, whom he has served since 1999.
Becoming a pro team chiropractor was something he always wanted to do. “I like working on athletes at all levels,” he says. “At the highest level, you can really see the fruits of your labor blossom.”
His advice: “Start at the local level and gain experience working with athletes in a sport you are familiar with. And don’t get in over your head. Covering events and teams can be a heavy burden, especially if a player gets hurt and you are the only one standing around with “Dr.” in front of your name.”
Douglas C. Miller, DC, (drmillerdc@comcast.net), is also a team chiropractor of the Ravens, with whom he has worked for 10 years. He enjoys working with individuals who are dedicated to achieving peak fitness and performance, although he dislikes dealing with a few “arrogant superstars.” His advice: “Make contacts with everyone associated with the sport of your interest. Learn new approaches to treating athletes. Never stop learning.”
Steven W. King, DC, (swkmlcc@aol.com), has been working with the Cincinnati Bengals through the team trainer, Paul Sparling, for eight years. Players are sent to him when they ask for chiropractic care. He says he was sought because of his reputation in Cincinnati. His advice: Treat everyone the same. And treat them honestly.
• Greg Kempf, DC, has been team chiropractor for the Cleveland Browns since the 1999 season. He especially likes working with the best orthopedic physicians in the country, as well as seeing the players respond to treatment.
Dana Harper, DC, DACNG, CCSP, is a newcomer to the Houston Texans: He’s been adjusting them for one year.
His advice: “Keep learning and practicing your skills.”
Stacey S. Conrad, DC, CCSP, CCEP, (drssconrad@aol.com), team chiropractor for the Indianapolis Colts, joined the team 11 years ago. He says that most players have worked with a chiropractor in the past. The few who haven’t are amazed how adjustments improve their performance and recovery capabilities. Like others who travel with their teams, Conrad is not fond of being away from home 20+ weekends a year.
His advice: “Share information with the athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, and other team doctors. Share your expertise with the healthcare team so that it may help formulate a plan that will best help the athlete. Stick to your specialty.”
• Anthony J. Iselborn, DC, DACBSO, ATC, CSCS, (sportdocjx@comcast.net), has been team chiropractic consultant to the Jacksonville Jaguars since 1995. He doesn’t especially like the long hours, but he enjoys working with the players and watching them excel. His advice: “Become a specialist in sports and get involved in your community.”
David Rouse, DC, (dakiro2@fdn.com) is another team chiropractic consultant to the Jaguars, and like Iselborn, has enjoyed that role since 1995. He can’t find a downside to working in pro football. His advice: “Take sports courses and soft-tissue courses.”
Preston Wakefield, DC, now in his second season with the Tennessee Titans, works as a specialist in low-force chiropractic with the team. He says, “It is an honor to share my expertise with the people within the organization, in a combined effort to advance the goals of the team.”
His advice: “Imagine that each patient you treat is a pro athlete. Stay focused in the moment and heal each one. Work on your knowledge and treatment skills and get ready. It will happen.”
Chuck Woosley, DC, (cawoosley@aol.com), also works with the Titans. Now in his eighth season, he says that his favorite thing about being team chiropractor is having the opportunity to work outside of the normal office practice. He says, “It’s not very pleasant being in the locker room after a loss.” His advice: “Realize that there is a system in place and you must conform to that system to maintain a positive relationship with the other professionals working with the team.”
• Shawn M. Caldwell, DC, (shawn@caldwell chiropractic.com), has adjusted players on the Denver Broncos for two years. He began working with the Broncos because of his experience with the Colorado Rockies baseball team. “The ownership group from the Rockies became patients and asked me to be their team chiropractor. Because of my [seven-year] reputation with them, the Denver Broncos came to me and asked if I would be interested in working with them, also.” His advice: “Be a good chiropractor and treat everyone like they were world-class athletes.”
Evan Mladenoff, DC, (teamdoc@kc.rr.com), has been with the Kansas City Chiefs since 1993, in the AFL championship game. Mladenoff says the players have a lot of respect for chiropractic. “They know what works to get them ready for game time,” he says. His advice: “Be careful what you ask for. It is a pressured environment in which the demands for players to perform are high, likewise the demands for the doctors to perform to get them ready.”
Saby Szajowitz, DC, CCSP, works with the San Diego Chargers. “I started working with professional athletes 12 years ago (five seasons with the Chargers). Athletes are focused and dedicated to staying healthy and preventing injuries, making working with them rewarding to me,” he says.
Helping an injured athlete return to play is gratifying to him, but the pressure of getting him back to “full throttle” isn’t.
His advice: “Meet people, be sincere, and be honest. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
• Richard D. Belsky, DC, CCSP, QME, has also worked with the Chargers for five years. He says, “I enjoy the challenge of developing a treatment plan and the thrill of seeing that it has helped the player when he’s on the field.”
His advice: “It’s important to understand the mechanism of an injury and to figure out how that injury affects the function of the player’s job. Take a postgraduate sports program or another rehabilitation postgraduate course. That will give you the tools to be a team chiropractor.”
Other AFC team chiropractors include George Rizos, DC, New York Jets; Greg Kempf, DC, Cleveland Browns; and Joel Smooke, DC, Pittsburgh Steelers.
NFC team DCs
Rensay David, DC, (championsclinic@nts-online.net), is now in his seventh season as team consultant for the Dallas Cowboys. One of the things he likes best about his role is providing soft-tissue treatment to players. “It makes them feel better quicker and longer,” he says. David doesn’t treat players on game day; he lives two hours away and prefers to spend time with his young family.
His advice: “To work with pro players you have to have humility, integrity, and be ‘rhino-skinned.’ That is, you have to know how to handle someone who is hurting in situations that can be stressful.”
Frank Brady, DC, (fbrady@meiluspa.com), has worked with the Philadelphia Eagles for two years. “Knowing you have the opportunity to work on some of the finest-tuned athletes in the world is awesome!” He especially likes working with one of the best training and medical staffs in the league. But, he doesn’t care much for training camp. “It is very demanding. I am away for at least two weeks, working 12-hour days.”
His advice: “Start with the high schools and local colleges. I started working with local golf pros and the next thing I knew, I had touring professionals under care.”
Sol Cogan, DC, (cogan@healthquest.us), has kept the Detroit Lions “in line” for four years. His advice: “Pursue your dreams persistently.”
• Andrew Klein, DC, (aklein33@hotmail.com), has been working with the Minnesota Vikings for four years. It was his love of sports that led him to this work. His advice: “There is a combination of experience, continuing education, hard work, and being in the right place at the right time (also known as luck) that leads to working with a pro team.”
Jim Hovey, DC, (hoveychiro@comcast.net), has worked as the team chiropractor for the Atlanta Falcons for 12 years. As a former football player, he was motivated to work with the team so that he could put chiropractic in a highly visible position. His advice: “Start at a level where you can be involved in the sport. Fine tune your skill so that you are competent and valuable for the profession to acquire.”
Kris Purvis, DC, (drbones24@yahoo.com), has been the team chiropractor for the Atlanta Falcons for 13 years. He became focused on working with a pro team in 1983 during his senior year at Palmer. “I called John Riggins, Washington Redskins running back, when he was hospitalized with a low-back injury. The idea of working with the NFL became cemented in my head.” He still finds the work exhilarating but tiring, since he works Monday through Saturday in his office. When football season starts, he works Sunday, too — a seven-day work week.
His advice: Start with whatever sport you can. The experience is invaluable. Picking a sport you are passionate about always helps, too.”
• Maz Neshat, DC, (mazclinic@alltel.net), has worked with the Carolina Panthers for two years. He got into this work because of his love for football and considers it “a once in a lifetime job.” His advice: “Do the best you can at your job.”
Robert A. Lizana, DC, (drrob@abigno.com), is the “official unofficial” team chiropractor of the New Orleans Saints and has been involved with professional sports for nine years. One of the things he likes best about his involvement is the relationships he’s developed with players. “The players are always doing nice things for my kids and my staff, such as visiting them for their birthday parties.”
He says the schedule is very demanding. “From the start of training camp (July) to when our last game was played (January), I literally worked every day except one.”
His advice: “Make sure it is something you really enjoy, because working with a team takes a lot of time and commitment.”
Brian K. Allard, DC, of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has been team chiropractor since 2003. “The job is great; however, it comes with tremendous responsibility and time commitments that affect one’s personal life,” he says.
His advice: “Don’t lose sight of what a chiropractor does. You don’t need to do everything. Just be the best at one thing. Adjust, adjust, adjust!”
Curtis P. Maynard, DC, MUAC, (drpmaynard@maynardcwc.phxcoxmail.com), has served the Arizona Cardinals for five years. “In college, I set goals to have a sports-specific practice. I began treating professional golfers and then, by referral, other pro athletes,” he says. He especially enjoys working with the other team physicians and sharing his expertise in sports injuries, prevention, and the role of chiropractic in performance enhancement. The one “tiny” negative is the time commitment.
His advice: “To work with professional athletes and teams, you must be a team player yourself.”
Michael E. Murphy, BHK, DC, team chiropractor for the St. Louis Rams for the last three years, wanted to work with professional athletes because of his enjoyment of sports.
His advice: “Learn to work as part of the team.”
Other NFC chiropractors include Ken Ehrman, DC, New York Giants; Jason Winseck, DC, Washington Redskins; Mitchell Katz, DC, Chicago Bears; Michael Zoelle, DC, Green Bay Packers; Mark Eastland, DC, San Francisco 49ers; and Jerry Ramageda, DC, Seattle Seahawks.
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