Structural Fingerprint

A number of years ago a Chiropractor fom New York, Dr. Tim Maggs who had worked as a team doctor for the New York Giants developed a concept of treatment and evaluation of athletes that has changed the entire paradigm of how we offer patient care, especially our athletes. I was fortunate to be a part of that initial group of doctors that embraced this new concept. Up until that point we were offering care for patients and athletes after they had been injured. What he developed was what he called the “Structural Fingerprint” for each athlete. What that allowed us to do is evaluate the athlete before he became injured and look for clues already contained in the athlete’s body structure and even their psychological make-up that may lead to an injury. If we can correct these issues then perhaps we can keep the athlete from being injured in the first place or at least reduce the risks. It worked. By evaluating how the patient stands, walks, how their diet is, and what their psychological outlook is we can then increase the stability of their body biomechanics and perhaps lessen or take away their odds of being injured. One of the most important things in this new paradigm is to evaluate how the patient stands and bears weight. We have a computerized foot scanner that determines how the athlete bears weight and whether there is any pronation or supination that not only alters what the foot is doing but also how it affects the remainder of the skeletal structure.For instance, we know that foot pronation generates internal knee rotation and destabilizes the pelvis and sacroiliac joints. This creates undue stress on the low back and the knees. This is especially critical for our female athletes. The female body structure has a wider pelvis which creates an increased angle from the pelvis to the knee. In both male and female it significantly impacts the stresses on the knees and leaves them vulnerable to injury. We can compensate for this by having orthotics made which fit in the shoes and not only helps prevent injuries but may improve athletic performance.

In addition to the Chiropractic, Applied Kinesiology, and Structural Fingerprint Analysis along with the computerized foot scanner we also provide therapy using ultrasound, cold laser, and hot and cold packs. The more that we can offer you, the patient, the more quickly we can get you back on the road to good health, improved performance, and back in the game.