Imagine being in the final mile of your invigorating evening jog when pain begins to radiate throughout your back and legs. Have you pushed yourself too hard the past few days? Do you need more sleep and rest? Did you stretch well enough? Or maybe the pain is coming from a deeper issue, hidden inside your body, in need of attention for recovery.
Athletic injuries are often caused by pushing your body beyond its limits. Many athletes rely heavily on chiropractors to enhance their performance, aid in faster recovery after injury, and to help prevent injuries from ever occurring. Chiropractic care helps optimize musculoskeletal function, improves an athlete’s range of motion, reduces pain in critical areas of the body, and so much more.
Whether you are a talented, rising professional athlete or the unofficial star MVP of the local high school football team, chiropractic care provides drug-free solutions to help athletes perform at their absolute best. Unlike taking pain medication, through chiropractic care, the risk of drug addiction or chemical damage to the body is eliminated. Chiropractic adjustments enable damaged muscles to relax, thereby helping the pain from an injury to fade. Chiropractic care even provides athletes with a natural remedy for a variety of symptoms like headaches, muscle spasms, insomnia, aches and pains, stiff muscles, injuries, and more.
A Chiropractor for Every Level of Athlete
Whether you are a former athlete, wannabe athlete, passionate amateur, or dedicated weekend warrior, having a chiropractor who is committed to your health and success can help take your game to the next level.
Did you know that experts estimate that 90 percent of professional and Olympic-level athletes utilize chiropractic care to enhance their performance outlook – from reducing injury risk to improving sleep patterns? Chiropractic care is considered essential for many athletes and teams. So much so that every National Football League (NFL) team, many Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) golfers, Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Hockey League (NHL) teams have chiropractors on their staff not only to keep athletes performing at their best, but also to help prevent injuries outside of games – during practices, workouts, etc.
Common sports injuries seen by chiropractors include Achilles tendon issues, calf and hamstring pulls, golfer’s elbow, groin strain, back, neck, and shoulder pain, thigh injuries, and more. Even Olympic athletes employ personal chiropractors who oversee conditioning before competitions. Some of the most famous professional athletes in sports rely on chiropractic care to maintain their bodies in optimal shape, ensuring quick and comprehensive recovery. Well-known athletes from a wide range of sports, including Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and Venus Williams, among others, rely on chiropractic care to help them perform at an unparalleled level.
Chiropractic for Athlete Injury Prevention
Chiropractors are undeniably valuable to all athletes when it comes to preventing injuries. Biohacking, or personal improvement to modify aspects of biology to improve health, performance, and well-being, becomes valuable in addressing issues with the body that may predispose an athlete to an avoidable injury. We all want faster, more natural resources to feel our best. Because of this, biohacking has become a hot topic for athletes looking to incorporate or further utilize chiropractic care into their routine.
Biohacking is the art and science of modifying your internal processes to take personal control of your biology. This proactive health approach focuses on performance, longevity, and resilience. Biohacking looks at areas of your day-to-day such as sleep optimization, nutrition and fasting, neurofeedback, various light, sound, and frequency therapies, exercise, body movement and recovery technology, supplements, and nervous system regulation. Biohacking uses cutting-edge science and long-proven knowledge to optimize your body and brain. What is something critical to an athlete that can often be overlooked? The importance of the nervous system! This is where chiropractic care comes into play.
Chiropractic enhances an athlete’s biohacking strategy through nervous system optimization, improved brain-body connection, enhanced mobility and recovery, increased energy, and mental clarity.
Growth Opportunities for Chiropractic Care in the Sports Industry
The sports industry’s thorough integration of chiropractic care demonstrates its real value and importance to athletes. Chiropractic care within the sports industry further enhances international events and investments, increasing the economic opportunities and growth of the industry.
From the beginning, chiropractic’s fundamental principles and techniques have focused on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of neuromusculoskeletal disorders. Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) can treat athletes suffering from concussion-like symptoms, including neck discomfort, headaches, and dizziness. The preventive nature of chiropractic interventions helps decrease injury rates and improve the long-term health of athletes seeking career longevity and a greater quality of life upon retirement.
Financially, chiropractic care within the sports medicine sector can help attract international attention. By demonstrating how chiropractic care can exponentially enhance athletic performance and injury management, teams can prove their dedication to sports excellence and innovation. Care for professional athletes attracts major sporting events, resulting in increased economic opportunities, job creation, and the overall expansion of the sports industry. Incorporating chiropractic care into sports medicine benefits individual athletes and contributes to the overall growth and success of the sports industry.
Enhanced Performance with Chiropractic Care
Range of motion, flexibility, and movement can be easily improved by a chiropractor, helping athletes of any sport achieve their full performance potential. Through chiropractic care, athletes often notice increased flexibility and reduced muscle stiffness. When an athlete’s body isn’t sore, they can stretch essential muscle groups more easily, helping them tremendously when it comes time to shoot some hoops, score the winning goal, or cross the finish line first.
Minimizing Recovery Time
Sprains, strains, and stress injuries can often be reversed by chiropractors who help reduce an athlete’s risk level. After an injury sidelines an athlete, the healing process can be accelerated with chiropractic adjustments and techniques. These solutions help reduce inflammation, improve blood flow, and aid in the body’s necessary internal repairs. Athletes who love their chosen sport can get back in the game quicker and minimize their downtime. Returning to a beloved sport too quickly or without an exam from a chiropractor can be dangerous and result in additional or more serious injuries.
Chiropractic adjustments help the body recover, in addition to treatments such as cold laser therapy, heat therapy, ice packs, massage, spinal decompression, and more. These types of treatments can reduce swelling and inflammation in the body, allowing it to heal quickly and completely.
Managing Pain as an Athlete
Chiropractors are trained to discover pain problem areas and to help athletes recover drug-free.
Many athletes (especially parents of young athletes) are uncomfortable administering prescription pain medication. Chiropractic care can manage pain by locating and addressing the direct cause of pain or injury without the use of potentially addictive medications. Chiropractic’s ability to improve nerve communication, reaction time, coordination, and more helps to optimize an athlete’s performance.
Instead of waiting until an injury occurs, athletes are more regularly seeking chiropractic treatments long before pain strikes. This can help prevent injuries in the first place!
If an athlete’s spine is misaligned without their knowledge, symptoms can impact their performance. These symptoms often include ailments such as dizziness, balance problems, limited range of motion throughout the body, tingling in the extremities, nausea, and more.
Enhancing an Athlete’s Sleep Health
Did you know that sports chiropractic can even help regulate essential sleep patterns, which in turn affect an athlete’s performance? Regularly seeking chiropractic care promotes natural, healthy sleep and can even help alleviate poor sleep patterns caused by pain or injury. Rest is crucial for an athlete’s performance. Fatigue is a common symptom that drives patients to seek care, and fixing your sleep issues can help provide increased energy during games.
Parker University is Your Partner in Sports Chiropractic
Whether you consider yourself an athlete or not, your health and fitness goals can be met with tailored chiropractic treatments. Your health is ever-evolving, and chiropractors are empathetic about that. Too many athletes suffer needlessly and end up taking carelessly prescribed medications that will never address or solve the root of the problem. Sports chiropractic resets the body, works out those annoying kinks in your spine, and helps eliminate the underlying causes of painful conditions.
Athletes work hard every day to improve and grow stronger, so you deserve to live a healthy, happy, productive life pursuing your passion for your sport of choice. Is it time to give your chiropractor a call? Game on! You can score big when you incorporate chiropractic as a part of your training!
Parker University DC Hybrid Program
If sports (or any type of) chiropractic interests you, Parker University is the place for ambitious learners to put their future careers in motion. With the unique opportunity to help shape the future of chiropractic care, Parker University students graduate as skilled practitioners who are prepared to make a meaningful difference in healthcare. A successful career in chiropractic requires passion. At Parker University, students graduate ready to start their DC careers with the unparalleled confidence and hands-on, real-world experiences necessary to make an immediate impact in the chiropractic industry.
Are you interested in completing as much online coursework as possible? Great news! Parker University offers a DC hybrid program for students to complete their first four trimesters through an online platform. The Parker University DC hybrid track allows students to begin their personalized educational journey online and complete non-adjustment courses, such as physiology and biochemistry, virtually. Once students progress to trimester five, they will transition to the Dallas, Texas, campus for courses in hands-on adjustment and clinical training.
What’s even better news? Parker University DC students can concurrently earn a master’s degree upon graduation at no additional cost. Parker University DC students, as early as the sixth trimester, can apply to one of Parker University’s online master’s programs to take alongside their DC coursework, with a 100 percent tuition scholarship!
Take the future into your own hands and get ready to “adjust!” For more detailed information about Parker University’s prestigious DC program, go to parker.edu.
Parker University in Dallas, Texas, (formerly Parker College of Chiropractic) is named for its late founder, Dr. James William Parker. For five decades, Dr. Parker’s passion, skillset, and love were entirely directed toward chiropractic – from the day he began recuperating from childhood illnesses, thanks to chiropractic adjustments, until he passed in 1997.
Travel back in time with us as we honor our fearless leader, Dr. Parker, and the countless accomplishments he has contributed to the chiropractic industry.
Parker Chiropractic Seminars Establishes Successful Reputation
While still a senior in chiropractic college, Dr. Parker opened two successful practices in Illinois and published a book on chiropractic. After graduating from chiropractic college in 1946, he moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and developed one of the fastest-growing chiropractic practices in chiropractic history.
In 18 months, he established 18 clinics in almost every major city in Texas. From his experience operating these offices, Dr. Parker improved chiropractic care and developed methods for establishing and maintaining successful chiropractic practices.
Under Dr. Parker’s direction, a foundation was created in 1951 to conduct postgraduate chiropractic seminars. Since its inception, the seminars evolved into PSPS (Parker School of Professional Success), known today as Parker Seminars. Nearly 40,000 chiropractors, or approximately two-thirds of the world’s doctors of chiropractic (DCs), have attended these Parker chiropractic seminars.
Parker College of Chiropractic – Dr. Parker’s Vision Comes to Life
In the late 1970s, due to the urging of his colleagues, Dr. Jim Parker helped establish and fund Parker College of Chiropractic and consented to lend his name to the school. These colleagues felt students could benefit from Dr. Parker’s remarkable success, healing techniques, philosophy, and business training, which was not included in the traditional chiropractic curriculum. This approach quickly emerged as the foundation for Parker College and serves as its basis today. These doctors believed that if students were exposed to his principles and teachings during their years of training, they would become more successful healers and practitioners after graduation.
Parker College Celebrates Grand Opening
Parker College was chartered by the State of Texas on March 8, 1978, and received its nonprofit IRS status in October of 1978. The original campus, located in Irving, Texas, officially opened on September 12, 1982, which was also Dr. Parker’s 62nd birthday.
The first class of 27 students graduated in September of 1985. After the campus opening, enrollment increased, and the college moved to its larger Dallas campus in September of 1989. This new campus featured the latest educational resources, including amphitheater classroom seating, full video display, podcasting technology, advanced laboratories, and a 30,000-square-foot outpatient wellness clinic where student interns could learn and practice with the best doctors in the profession.
In September of 1993, enrollment reached 1,000 students, making it the third-largest chiropractic college in the world. The original Irving campus was converted into a 6,000-square-foot chiropractic wellness center where patients continue to receive chiropractic care today.
Introducing Parker University – Tremendous Growth and Success Fosters University Status
In April 2011, Parker College of Chiropractic officially became Parker University, paving the way for new healthcare degree programs that expand students’ knowledge and provide more opportunities for Parker graduates to serve. Parker University’s rich history and the invaluable contributions of Dr. Parker set the foundation for Parker’s impact on the healthcare profession.
Following extensive tornado destruction to campus in October of 2019, Parker University in Dallas had to rebuild and add new facilities in time for students to return to the classroom by the Fall of 2021. The new 64,000-square-foot South Building now provides students with more than 25,000 square feet of learning space filled with state-of-the-art technological and educational resources.
The rebuild also provides students with a Teaching and Learning Center, customized clinical case simulations using virtual reality technology, an improved campus bookstore, an updated dining hall, numerous student study areas, huddle rooms, and much more.
Today, Parker University in Dallas, Texas, has approximately 2,000 students and more than 35 academic programs, including its chiropractic program and master’s degrees in neuroscience, clinical neuroscience, strength and human performance, and functional nutrition. In 2022, Parker University had the honor of celebrating Dr. Jim Parker’s 102nd birthday.
Parker University’s Points of Distinction
• recognized as one of the 25 Fastest-Growing Colleges in the U.S.
• recipient of the 2021 FutureEgde 50 Awards
• “2022 Great College to Work For®” with a “Perfect Score” and recognized as an Honor Roll Institution
• The Parker University Board of Trustees received the John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership in 2020 in recognition of its leadership and initiative
• recognized by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the Veterans Administration, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
• HIMSS Approved Education Partner (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Inc.)
• No. 1 for Best Online Business Schools in Texas List for 2020
• 2021 Blackboard Catalyst Award
• Parker University College of Business and Technology wins 2021 Best Colleges in America
• won prestigious Chiro Games 13 times
• named one of the Best Online Colleges in Texas in 2023 by Intelligent.com
Check out the full list of Parker University’s awards and accomplishments here!
Chiropractic Economics – Issue #13 “Top Tech”
Throughout its notable history, Parker University has stayed on the cutting-edge of technological advancements that specifically enhance student education and prepare students to operate at nothing less than their highest level upon completing their degree program and starting their healthcare career.
Parker University, the fourth-fastest growing college in Texas and the fastest-growing college in Dallas, was founded in 1982 by Dr. James William Parker. Today, Parker University has more than 1,800 students and more than 35 academic programs, including its famed chiropractic program, as well as master’s degrees in clinical neuroscience, strength and human performance, functional nutrition, and healthcare management. Currently, Parker University’s chiropractic cohort is the second largest of any campus in the world!
Parker University has expanded its leadership in educational technology among chiropractic programs with new partnerships with companies such as SimX and Touch of Life Technologies (Toltech). The university has even been recognized and awarded for its role in implementing advanced educational technologies.
Parker University Partners with SimX to use VR Technology
With the university’s SimX partnership, the initiative is to deliver clinical case simulations using VR technology. SimX’s industry-leading VR medical simulation platform is used worldwide by top institutions like the Mayo Clinic, Stanford, Northwestern, the University of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Air Force, and others. It allows students to work together in multiplayer VR cases either together in the same space or from the safety of their own homes. SimX’s solutions work to enhance both in-classroom and online learning, making it possible to conduct sophisticated instruction that provides realistic learning experiences for students.
Parker University is the first chiropractic school to partner with SimX to develop customized clinical cases using VR technology. The custom simulations created will help develop and reinforce soft skills such as empathy and communication with the patient and to help familiarize the student with physical landmarks and tools for patient examination. Some critics in the industry are concerned that Parker University students will no longer learn how to adjust real patients, and nothing is further from the truth. Clinical simulation is not intended to replace hands-on labs. It is a tool to support and enrich classroom learning and be a bridge to real patient interactions.
Parker’s VR simulations run on top-of-the-line, all-in-one wireless headsets that cost drastically less than older wired models. Instructors, students, and simulation moderators will be able to work simultaneously in the same virtual environments with each other, using SimX’s patented technology, whether they are a few feet away in the same classroom or across the country.
“We are pleased to be adding so quickly to our recently announced suite of advanced educational technology solutions for our students,” says Parker University President Dr. William E. Morgan. “We are committed to maintaining our educational technology leadership for both online and in-classroom instruction. The significant investments we have made in this area have already paid off in greatly enhancing instruction, which has been challenging for most universities during the pandemic. The fact that our students have been able to continue their instruction without interruption during this period and that we are experiencing record enrollment speaks to the great hunger students have for best-in-class education that exploits the most advanced technology solutions.”
Parker University Announces Partnership with Toltech to Enhance Anatomy Comprehension and Interpretation
Parker University is proud of its continued partnership with Toltech, an initiative that continues to establish the university as a recognized leader in educational technology. Toltech is a medical education company that develops and sells interactive software to help provide a virtual learning environment combining state-of-the-art interactive technology with real anatomy from the National Library of Medicine’s Visible Human Project®, as well as higher resolution images. Toltech collaborates with professional medical societies, educators, and practicing professionals to create and test next-generation tools to educate and train a wide range of healthcare professionals and students.
This Toltech partnership aims to enhance anatomy comprehension and interpretation through an immersive virtual learning environment that increases student engagement and improves learning outcomes.
“We are excited to expand our partnership with Parker University to bring the next frontier in anatomy education to their students today. As one of the first institutions to put virtual reality with real human anatomy directly into students’ hands, alongside traditional gross anatomy resources, Parker University is creating a blueprint for the future of healthcare education,” says Greg Spitzer, COO of Toltech.
Parker University chose to work with Toltech based on the suitability features of their technology for anatomy and gross anatomy courses. For example, the real virtual anatomy dissection software (VH Dissector) includes more than 2,000 anatomical structures with correlated 3D and cross-sectional views.
With the help of the right partners, Parker University is moving fast to incorporate advanced technologies like VR, AR, and simulation into its prestigious programs. To ensure Parker University students are the best anatomists they can be, students are given three ways to learn anatomy – the traditional gross anatomy lab, the VH Dissector on their devices, and now, in VR.
High-resolution immersive headsets, together with Toltech’s VH Dissector, offer an unrivaled educational environment with proven comprehension of spatial relationships and intuitive interactions. In addition, this type of solution allows for the integration of real anatomy at a relatively low cost and provides constant availability.
Parker University Professor and Academic Chair in the Department of Basic Sciences Dr. Georgina Pearson says, “Until you have experienced using VH Dissector in virtual reality mode, you cannot begin to imagine the tremendous benefits this state-of-the-art technology can bring to anatomy education. The interface is the most realistic experience you can have studying anatomy, short of performing actual cadaver dissections. You can easily manipulate, rotate, zoom in, dissect, expose, and study the human anatomy. The experience is almost as if you had a holographic cadaver standing before you, ready for you to explore and study any time you need, even from home. This will be a powerful supplement to the actual cadaver dissections we perform in our program.”
Recognized for Innovative Excellence
Parker University is proud to be listed among the winners of the 2021 FutureEdge 50 Awards. This semiannual awards event focuses on organizations adapting to the changing business landscape with advances in automation, cloud-native applications, and digital innovations. Innovations in this year’s class include technologies advancing organizations across various industries.
It is wonderful to be recognized for the innovative technologies the university uses to enhance the student experience. Parker University is creating the first-ever AR/VR simulations and making many other impressive technological advances for use with chiropractic education and health science programs. Parker University is poised to do nothing less than change the nature, quality, and availability of chiropractic education.
“Creating truly immersive and interactive educational experiences, both in the classroom and online, can energize and empower students, engaging them both intellectually and experientially. This is how cutting-edge technology can not only help students advance their knowledge but also develop and sharpen their professional skills,” says Senior Director of Academic Informatics and Compliance Lisa Gabriel. “I’m thrilled that Parker University has made such an absolute commitment to realizing this vision.”
Parker University continues to implement the latest and greatest educational technology to best prepare students for ultimate career success. As Parker University’s technological partnerships continue to expand, nothing will stop the organization’s growth and leadership in providing new, state-of-the-art classroom technology. The future is now, and Parker University is excited to explore new ways to effectively learn alongside its students.
Parker University was recognized as one of the Healthiest Employers in North Texas by the Dallas Business Journal. Each year, the Dallas Business Journal recognizes companies that proactively shape the health of their employees. Parker University was honored as an organization that’s committed to creating a healthy workplace.
The Healthiest Employers awards program evaluates organizations based on criteria including culture and leadership commitment, foundational components, strategic planning, communication and marketing, programming and interventions, and reporting and analysis. Parker University was awarded in the midsize company category, along with six others companies.
Parker University actively promotes a healthy work environment for employees and encourages them to make positive lifestyle choices. The university implements a variety of wellness programs including Simply Well, which is an online tool used to motivate employees to manage and increase healthy behaviors. The customized program enables employees to identify their possible health risks and empowers them to improve their health with the help of individualized action plans and support tools. Employees receive Simply Well points for participating in events such as self-defense classes, weekend walks, and workouts on campus like yoga or P90X.
Parker University also provides free chiropractic care, health and wellness counseling, and discounted health and wellness products, including supplements, back and neck supportive pillows, and massagers.
In addition, the Human Resources Department collaborates with the Parker University Wellness Committee, which plans healthy events and programs throughout the year. “We’re proud of the numerous programs and support systems we have that encourage and assist in employees’ health,” said Sandra McLean, the chief human resources officer of Parker University. “Our wellness committee provides extensive support for employees. They’re great about coming up with fun ways to get people moving and inspired about being active and eating healthy.”
Parker University also has a gym on campus with free weights, treadmills, ellipticals, a basketball court, and a yoga area that’s free to employees and their spouses.
