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Hans Garten MD, and Wolfgang Gerz, MD
Hans Garten, MD, and Wolfgang Gerz, MD, have both written textbooks on Applied Kinesiology (in German) for manual medicine students in Europe.23-29
Jose Palomar, MD
Another manual method derived from PAK and growing in popularity is Proprioceptive-Deep Tendon Reflex (P-DTR). Developed by a student of Goodheart’s, Dr. Jose Palomar is an orthopedic surgeon from Mexico. His system has been successfully used in clinical practice for several years. Its evidence-base is growing as are its published outcome studies.30 Dr. Palomar created a unique system of neurological provocations and discovered rules about how the CNS reacts to particular stimuli—both functionally and dysfunctionally. Those types of manual effects (stimulus) can be produced in a form of light swiping (to stimulate the receptors of touch), stretching (to stimulate Golgi receptors), deep pressure (Paccini), and many more. Today PDTR works with most of the exteroceptors, interoceptors, and proprioceptors.
Applied Kinesiology in Olympic and Professional Sports
Dr. Goodheart was invited as the first chiropractor to be part of the U.S. Olympic Sports Medicine Committee. The first official appointment of a chiropractor to the US team began with the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, when Dr. George J. Goodheart, Jr’s name was given to Irving Dardik, MD (then chairman of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Sports Medicine Committee, and a vascular surgeon) by Dr. Stephen J. Press.31 Dr. Goodheart treated some 15 athletes and “their response to treatment was great. Some of the ski-jumpers moved up four places after treatment, although I grant that might have happened regardless,” as Goodheart modestly pointed out.
Interestingly, Dr. Dardik was a world-class runner himself and developed a problem with his leg in 1978. After a few miles of running, his hamstring would cramp whenever he tried to pick up the pace and sprint. One of his colleagues suggested he contact Dr. Goodheart. Dr. and Mrs. Goodheart flew to New Jersey and met Dr. Dardik at his office. After a preliminary discussion, Dr. Dardik was impressed with Goodheart’s MMT examination of his problem and his leg. Goodheart diagnosed the symptoms as caused by a gait-mediated reactive muscle condition. After manipulation of the mechanoreceptors located on the foot and correction of foot subluxations, Dr. Dardik was able to run faster than he had in some time with no pain or cramping.
Goodheart felt the inclusion of a chiropractor on the Olympic medical staff was a must. “I think it’s an important thing. Chiropractic is uniquely related to the nervous system and the musculoskeletal system and can provide therapeutic and preventative support, as well as improved performance potentials.” The efforts of Dr. Goodheart and the chiropractors who followed after him have played an essential part in the success of the United States’ Olympic athletes, helping the U.S. win more than 1,000 medals since 1980, including 467 gold medals.
Dr. Goodheart was an invited speaker at the USOC’s “Conference on Biomechanics and Kinesiology in Sports” four years later (1984) and was elected a member of the American College of Sports Medicine the same year.
The historic importance of the appointment of Dr. Goodheart to the Olympic Team in Lake Placid in 1980 was emphasized in the journal Chiropractic History: “Since the days when Dr. Goodheart established good relationships with the medical staff during the 1980 Winter Olympics and the creation of the chiropractor intern selection program in 1984, few problems have arisen between the chiropractors and orthodox physicians.”31
The letters below are from Dr. Irving Dardik, Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Council on Sports Medicine.
Goodheart’s Report About the Olympic Games
After the Olympic Games, Dr. Goodheart gave a review of his Olympic experiences for Chiropractic Economics.
“I got to Lake Placid Sunday Night and the US Olympic Committee had a station wagon pick me up. We were lodged at the Whiteface Inn, a very fine resort in the very famous Adirondacks. I reported for processing as per Colonel Miller’s orders on February 11th. The processing basically consisted of going through a series of stations. We were fitted with Olympic and athlete delegate clothing, estimated to be worth $1,500.00 and $2,000.00. The winter gear consisted of boots, several types of pants and ski pants, a shearling sheep jacket, a ten-gallon hat, sweaters, T-shirts, turtlenecks, underwear, a camera, and even a hair dryer. The gear received was of the top quality and it was a pleasure to receive and use them. The Levi Strauss Company was on hand to fit and make any alterations necessary-these accomplished in record time. I received my clothing allotment and the processing circuit at around 10:00 and by 4:00 o’clock the alternations have been accomplished. The Levi Strauss Company was very efficient.
“Credentials were obtained at the Olympic Village and the credential committee surveyed your relationship to the US Olympic delegation. You were given glorified dog tags encased in plastic with your picture and description of your activity and also a certain code number. In the event you did not live in the Olympic Village, these were exchanged at the reception area by the New York State police for a visitor’s pass which you had to wear around your neck at all times. The security maintained by the New York State police included checkpoints at the initial penetration into the Olympic Village area and also the actual input to the Olympic Village. The security was very high.
“The area for the US Olympic Committee was at the periphery of the Olympic Village and consisted of a number of trailers that had been erected by a Canadian concern who low bid the project. The Olympic medical and medical therapy trailer was housed in half with the press section and there was no way for a chiropractic treatment table to be placed in the section. Dr. Dardik was kind enough to find another trailer which had been used for TV viewing for the Olympic athletes and had been divided into two sections. I was given the use of half a section of the trailer and through the good graces of Skip Goggin, President of Williams Manufacturing Company, Elgin, IL, where they manufacture the Zenith table and Mark Feld, distributor of Zenith and other chiropractic products in New York, we got the table installed. They made the long trip to New York to the Olympic Village with many difficulties trying to get the table past the security. The contents of the vehicle were “sanitized” which meant sniffed by dogs who were trained to seek out high explosives but finally installed in the trailer adjacent to the sports medicine trailer. This was accomplished on Thursday of the first week and we began seeing patients on Friday.
