Local Chiropractor to Treat Athletes at Mexico's Pan Am Games

In his 20 years as a practicing sports chiropractor, Scott Gillman has treated Olympians in Beijing and served team Jamaica at the Penn Relays, but his upcoming trip to Mexico for the Pan American games, Gillman said, will be the biggest moment of his career.

In a small tent outside the arenas where athletes compete, Gillman uses his hands to correct out-of-position joints. He manipulates connective tissue and moves cartilage to cure injuries and maximize his patients’ potential.

He will be offering services to athletes from countries around the world who require care during the games, providing many with their first ever chiropractic treatment. 

At the Beijing Olympics, a Chilean athlete who Gillman was treating “realized this was his one shot at getting care, Gillman said. "We must have worked on that one guy for over an hour.” 

The care Gillman’s profession offers is becoming increasingly demanded in the sporting world, as athletes are often lined up for treatment before chiropractors arrive, he said.

“This is a bigger moment than going to the Olympic Games because now [chiropractors] are officially a part of the country’s medical system. We are partners to provide athletes with the best care possible.” Gillman said. 

Devoted to his profession and enthusiastic about advancing its perception, the Holliston resident, with his offices in Natick, hopes that his recognition from the international community will bring added legitimacy to chiropractic medical treatment in the United States. 

“People want to be doctors and be clinically competent,” Gillman said. 

Using evidence of its demand in a competitive, international arena, Gillman and his colleagues hope to erase some of the stigma associated with their profession, which causes primary physicians to rarely refer their patients in the direction of chiropractors. 

While many of today's medical treatments are associated with large costs, Gillman believes he offers a cheaper, more effective alternative to traditional care. 

“If people want to seriously talk about changing health care, they need to let us be a part of the team, just like Mexico is letting us be a part of their team.”