Our History

Chiropractic care began more than 120 years ago when Daniel David Palmer made a back adjustment to janitor. Today, according to the American Chiropractic Association, there are more than 70,000 active chiropractic licenses in the United States. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, officially recognize chiropractic as a health care profession.

Sports chiropractors are a specialized group who have advanced training and expertise in prevention and rehabilitation of sports injuries.

The ACA Sports Council was founded in 1972 by Leonard Schroeder, the first president of the organization, and four other doctors of chiropractic (DCs). The ACA Sports Council was established to help provide advanced programs of learning related to injuries that occur during athletic events, training, competition and more. Olympic athletes began working with sports chiropractors in 1976. Four years later, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Division of Sports Medicine officially appointed its first sports chiropractor.

For more than 40 years, the ACA Sports Council has organized an annual symposium along with its general membership meeting. This event serves as a great opportunity to meet members from around the world and offers many educational sessions as well as the opportunity to earn continuing education units.

Today many professional athletic and sports organizations have recognized the value of chiropractic care and DCs abilities to treat sports-related injuries. All National Football League teams and most Major League Baseball teams have a team chiropractor. Many professional sports regularly incorporate chiropractic care in their training routines, as well as during competition.

Sports chiropractors have also been retained at many major sporting events including the Pan American Games, Goodwill Games, National Sports Festivals, New York and Boston Marathons, and the Ironman Triathlon. Chiropractic care of triathletes has been utilized from the Pee Wee leagues through the professional ranks. An increasing number of colleges and universities are using the services of a sports trained chiropractor.

Today the ACA Sports Council has well-established contacts at the USOC, International Olympic Committee, World Olympians Association, and other global sports organizations.