Pictured above: Dr. Alan K. Sokoloff / Dr. Fab Mancini / Dr. Oscar O. Otero
Not everything happens by chance, or does it. I had the opportunity to present at the ACA Sports Council Conference in New Orleans in October 2016. Besides learning and sharing, I met some dedicated sports chiropractors from the federación mexicana de quiropráctica deportiva that were looking to learn more; especially when it comes to American football. They had asked if I would consider coming to speak in Mexico City in the future. Four months later, I found myself in Mexico City, speaking to both chiropractors and chiropractic students at the Comisión Nacional de Cultura Física y Deporte (National Commission of Physical Culture and Sport). The conference was titled, “Futbol vs Football” or “Soccer vs. American Football”. While I spoke on American Football, Oscar O. Otero, DC, the chiropractor for the Puerto Rico National Soccer team, spoke on soccer. We covered concussions, common injuries to each sport and how chiropractic care fit in to each discipline.
In addition to myself and Dr. Otero, the panel also included the medical representative to the NFL in Mexico, Gerardo Castorena, MD, and one of the more engaging and motivating speakers, Fabrizio Mancini, DC. The classes I taught were extremely well received and very interactive. Having a real time interpreter made my delivery easier (there was not a delay in laughing at bad jokes) and I could understand questions asked and the rest of the presenters who spoke in Spanish. I did not realize at the time that in addition to attendees in the class there were medical team leaders, as well as team owners and general managers for some of the American football teams in Mexico. During the breaks in classes, we had great discussions on the information being taught and the inclusion of chiropractic care in the medical team already assembled. It immediately created opportunities for some of the doctors of chiropractic in attendance that actually started work that weekend. It even crossed into soccer team opportunities as well.
I cannot tell you how fulfilling it was to help this relatively new profession in Mexico (with 4 new chiropractic colleges) break into the sports medicine world. It was all about sharing information, documentation, and communication.
A great big shout out goes to the board of the federación for all their work and foresight to not only make the event happen but make it an over welling success. On a side note, it was great to share the experiences in Mexico City (as well as the great food) with my wife and new colleagues. We had the opportunity to be hosted for an authentic Mexican dinner by one of the board members. Over the top!!! Love the learning and sharing… and Mexican home cooking. Looking forward to a return soon.
Dr. Sok
