U.S. Olympic Committee hires first DC as medical director.
Mike Reed, DC, quietly made chiropractic history 10 months ago when the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) hired him as one of two medical directors for its Sports Performance Division. Dr. Reed, who is based at the USOC Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., is the first doctor of chiropractic in the history of USOC to serve in the position.
As a medical director, he is responsible for helping to prepare elite U.S. athletes for international competitions—including this month’s Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China—by making sure they receive the specialized health care they need to recover quickly from injuries and get into top physical form.
How did you first become involved with USOC?
I worked with USA Weightlifting for more than 20 years. I traveled all over the world as their team physician—including to the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona and the 1996 Games in Atlanta. In 1997, I became the chairman of their Medical Committee. During my involvement with USA Weightlifting, I created a multidisciplinary program where athletes received integrated care from a variety of healthcare providers. USOC liked what I was doing, and asked me to create a similar model that could be used for all athletes.
Which athletes do you work with?
The Sports Performance Division divides sports into four categories—or “sportfolios”—which include Strength and Power, Endurance, Team and Technical, and Acrobatic and Combative. I focus on athletes in the Strength and Power and Team and Technical categories, which are comprised of sports such as sprinting, hurdles, throwing sports, weightlifting, bobsled, luge, Alpine skiing, swimming, baseball and hockey.
What other specialists do you work with?
Within each sportfolio, there is an exercise physiologist, a bio-mechanist, a dietician, a sports psychologist, and a sports-conditioning specialist. There are two medical directors serving the four sportfolios.
How does everyone get along?
Very well; at USOC, no one person is the end-all be-all. We expect everyone to communicate. For example, the athletic trainer, the medical doctor, and the chiropractor all sit down and discuss an athlete’s situation.
What do you do on a daily basis?
At the USOC Training Center, I conduct blood tests, I assess injuries, and I treat and/or arrange treatment for injured athletes. Incidentally, statistics show that only about 15 percent of medal winners come out of the Olympic Training Centers. The majority of medal winners train on their own across the country. I set up medical care and other types of healthcare providers for these athletes, too. In addition, I have had the opportunity to participate in sports-related research.
What sort of research?
I’m doing a pilot study with GE right now. We’re conducting echocardiograms on weightlifters, rowers, and speed-skaters, trying to determine how their hearts are different than the rest of the population. Perhaps one day we will be able to predict who our most promising athletes are by observing how well their hearts function.
Are you excited about going to Beijing?
Yes, I’m going in a medical position, but when I get there I’m really looking forward to rolling my sleeves up with my team and helping to get things ready for the athletes—swinging a hammer, unloading containers, setting up gym and medical equipment. Everyone pitches in, from doctors to administrative assistants. That’s the USOC approach.
Have you learned any Chinese?
USOC gave us CDs of Chinese for Dummies. I have been listening to them in my car and I’ll be listening to them on the plane to Beijing. It’s challenging; one word spoken with three different intonations can have three different meanings. I’m going to try to keep my mouth shut!
What’s it like working with Olympic-caliber athletes?
A high-level athlete can be somewhat of a genetic anomaly. After injuries, some of them actually heal faster than regular people. They want to get better faster, too. Keeping them reigned in can be tough because they’re so eager to get back into the game.
It is glamorous working at international athletic competitions?
It’s not always glory. Sometimes you just want to be home. People who get into this field really need to pick a sport that they enjoy. And on the Olympic level, it’s very important that if you say you’re going to do something (such as work an event), you do it. You can’t leave people hanging.
Olympians understand the value of chiropractic, don’t they?
In general, yes. There’s a much higher utilization of chiropractic in the athlete population. I’ve done studies for the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians comparing utilization. We found that usage of chiropractic among athletes is between 28 percent and 40 percent, whereas it is only around 8 to 10 percent in the general population.
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Fast Facts:
Name: Mike Reed, DC
Family
Wife: Diana; daughter: Kelli
Positions
Medical Director, Performance Services Division, U.S. Olympic Committee (2007-present); Faculty and Director of Sports Medicine Residency Program, Southern California University of Health Sciences (2004-2007)
Practice
Reed Sports Chiropractic Center, Grover Beach, Calif. (1983-2004)
Honors
Distinguished Sports Chiropractor Award (2008), American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (ACBSP); Robert C. Reed Award for Best Abstract (2007–2008), ACBSP; Leonard Schroeder Award for Best Original Research (2007), ACBSP; Sports Chiropractor of the Year (1997), ACA Council on Sports Injuries and Physical Fitness
Education
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Masters of Applied Science (2003); Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, DC (1981)
Certifications
Diplomate American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (1993); Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (1987)
Professional Activities
USA Weightlifting Sports Medicine Committee, United States Weightlifting Sports Medicine Society, Olympic Sports Medicine Society
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