Dr. Mindy Mar is the first female Doctor of Chiropractic to be hired by the National Football League.

On September 11, 2011, the San Diego Chargers will play their first game of the regular season against the Minnesota Vikings. Excitement will be in the air as Chargers fans don jerseys of their favorite players, arm themselves with pennants and other team memorabilia, pick the prime parking spot for tailgating and find their seats to enjoy the action-packed game and entertaining half-time show.  All the while, Dr. Mindy Mar--the first female Doctor of Chiropractic to be contracted by the National Football League (NFL)--will be hard at work to ensure everything is in place to provide superior on-site health care services for the San Diego Charger Girls, the official dance team of the San Diego Chargers.

In 2007, the 28 member professional cheerleading squad contracted Dr. Mar of the San Diego Center for Health to be their team and game day doctor. Mar is a member of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians® (ACBSP®) and is a diplomate of the ACBSP® (DACBSP®), which is the highest level of training and certification of sports medicine in the field of chiropractic. Athletes who perform at the professional/elite level, such as the Charger Girls, need a health care practitioner who has extensive knowledge and experience at preventing, treating and managing sports-related injuries. "Many sports-related injuries often involve more than one structure and can mimic other conditions," noted Dr. Mar in an email correspondence. "Proper examination and diagnosis of sports injuries requires specialized knowledge and skill both on and off the field," she explained.

In order to become certified as a DACBSP®, Mar had to complete an additional 200+ hours of training beyond the initial 120 hours required to achieve the title of Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician® (CCSP®). "The diplomate program via the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians® provides specific training in the field of sports medicine and emergency procedure management for the chiropractic sports physician/practitioner," she described. "Advanced first aid, spinal boarding procedures and emergency trauma care are heavily emphasized in the diplomate program," stated Dr. Mar.

Any athlete is at risk for developing a sports-related injury; but, at the professional level, the risk becomes greater due to the degree of difficulty of the physical tasks performed. Furthermore, the intensity of the training associated with professional sports increases the risk for overuse and repetitive stress injuries. In the sport of cheerleading, injuries can range from minor, such as a strain or sprain, to catastrophic, such as heat exhaustion and head or neck injuries. Any form of injury can affect performance and can have serious consequences for both the team and the individual athlete who depend on having a competitive edge for livelihood.

"Injury prevention is key to keeping an athlete or team healthy enough to meet the physical demands of their sport. Proper hydration, dietary needs for one's particular sport or body type, warm-up or cool-down and exercise rehab for biomechanical reinforcement and specific adaptation to imposed demands when it comes to one's strength and conditioning training are all key components for injury prevention," commented Mar. "Various adjustments, therapies and soft tissue treatments help accelerate recovery time and repair after training or performance, which allows athletes at all levels to not be as susceptible to overuse injuries," noted Dr. Mar.

Mar utilizes various techniques to restore and maintain the health of the Charger Girls. These include methods such as Kinesio® Taping, physiotherapy modalities, exercise rehabilitation, the Graston Technique, as well as chiropractic adjustments. On game day, however, her therapy choices are limited. "Some treatments are not appropriate to perform on game day due to the fact that a period of rest or icing is necessary. This is not possible on game day, so certain therapeutic stretches and soft tissue therapies (i.e., Graston Technique) are avoided," explained Mar.

The San Diego Charger girls are one of the best dance teams in the NFL. Likewise, Dr. Mar can be deemed a "superstar" in her own right. She is a role model for women of all generations who aspire to be successful in careers/fields dominated by men. In addition, she can be accredited with helping to advance the chiropractic profession by increasing the awareness that chiropractic methodology has a valuable role in sports medicine. "Chiropractic care is ideal for both injury prevention and injury treatment with repetitive stress and biomechanical deficiencies in mind. Chiropractors look at the body from a three dimensional standpoint and incorporate adjustments for joint realignment and mobilization, soft tissue therapy for scar tissue breakdown/healing and exercise rehabilitation for stability and strength," she noted.

What are some words of wisdom that Dr. Mar has for other women, particularly younger females? "My advice to young female readers would be that any goal or vision is possible as long as it's your passion, your calling...what lights you up inside. Because if indeed the path you take is your calling in life, then the hours of study, hard work, internships, research, etc., required to succeed in your chosen path will be well spent. You can never have enough education in your chosen field. You can never be too passionate about your path in life. People are drawn to passion and confidence, but it is important to remember that success does not typically happen over night. Also, it's about the journey.... and not the destination. I've never let any thoughts or comments discourage me from obtaining goals and breaking barriers in my chosen field of chiropractic and sports medicine."

To learn more about Dr. Mar and the San Diego Center for Health visit, http://www.sdcenterforhealth.com/. To find out more about the Charger Girls visit, http://www.chargers.com/.

References
Email Interview; Dr. Mindy Mar, San Diego Center for Health

San Diego Center for Health website

The San Diego Center for Health is a full service sports medicine and chiropractic center established in 2003.