By "we," he meant the multidisciplinary group from Intercare, all 11 of them – two chiropractic specialists, a doctor of medicine, three massage therapists, four physical therapists, and a physical therapist-coordinator – who set up a fully staffed center for the Philippine aquatics team during the 23rd Southeast Asian Games at the competition venue at Trace College Aquatics Center in Los Baños, Laguna.
"We have been working with professional and recreational athletes for the past 12 years," Camara explains by way of background, "but this is the first time that we had an official relationship with the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (PASA), which is attached to the Philippine Olympic Committee. PASA president Mark Joseph, who is himself a swimmer and national coach, has been a patient of mine for a long time, and he understood our approach. When we proposed the idea of a performance enhancement program for the athletes, he liked it right away."
Three weeks prior to the SEA Games, the swimmers and divers were evaluated and a specific treatment plan for each one was developed. "We knew their individual times; what strokes they were going to do ahead of time," Camara relates. "We even knew who were gold potentials." Sponsored by the Bank of Commerce, the aim of the program was to enhance athletic performance, prevent injuries, and treat injuries.
"We developed a performance enhancement program using natural and alternative health care methods," says Camara, a chiropractic doctor who graduated cum laude from the Palmer College of Chiropractic-West in California, USA. It’s an eight to 10-year course, and there are less than 10 doctors of chiropractic in the Philippines. Coming from a family of medical doctors – his father is one of the first cardiologists in the country, Dr. Augusto Camara of the Makati Medical Center, and six of his brothers are doctors – Camara is also recognized as a leading expert in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and integrated healthcare. He co-founded InterCare Healthcare System with Mexican-born Armando Soto, DC, who practices in Norway.
Chiropractic specialists or chiropractors deal with the manipulation of the spine and joints as a method of managing pain caused by unhealthy joints and injured muscles and nerves. "The underlying concept is very simple," Camara explains. "Basically, we look at the body. We look at the skeletal system. If it is properly aligned – the spine is in the right place, the pelvis, the hips, and all the articulations or joints, the points where the bones meet are moving properly – then the body can perform its activity much better. A skeletal and muscular system that is properly aligned is also less prone to injury as its stress tolerance level is increased. Just like a car that is properly aligned, the body can perform what it needs to do much easier. For the recreational athlete, you are simply looking at preventing injuries. But for the professional elite athlete, you are really looking at fine-tuning their system so that they can perform at their peak level."
And perform at their peak level, our athletes did. In the end, Team Philippines was crowned overall champion of the 23rd SEA Games, and to the harvest of medals, the aquatics team contributed a total of nine gold, seven silver, and eight bronze. "We are not saying that our program was the only reason they won," Camara is quick to clarify, "but what we did was optimize our athletes’ performance. They appreciated the treatments, and they gave these credit. We just helped our athletes perform their activities better."
Diver Sheila Mae Perez won three gold medals in individual and synchronized events while US-trained swimmer Miguel Molina won a record three gold medals, all from individual events. Other aquatic gold medalists were swimmer Miguel Mendoza and synchronized divers Zardo Domenios and Nino Carog; Ryan Fabriga and Kevin Kong; and Cecil Domenios with Sheila Mae Perez.
How 16-year-old Ryan Fabriga, who won a gold in the synchronized dive, had to settle for a silver in the 10m-platform dive, despite a sprained wrist, demonstrates the athlete’s incredible spirit, says Camara. "We treated him on the morning before his competition," Camara relates. Intercare’s physical therapist did combination ultrasound and electrical stimulation on Fabriga’s sprained wrist. "There was wind factor when he did his hand stand, so that he had to go back on his feet, then back on his hand again," Camara recalls, "and then he performed a flawless dive."
Intercare set up under the diving platform to assist swimmers achieve optimum performance during the finals of the swimming competition. To free up shoulder movement and to ease pain, a myofascial release technique was performed on the swimmers. "Myotherapy is like a medical massage. It is basically a deep muscle work to break up scar tissue, and to stretch and elongate the muscles afterwards," Camara explains. "Muscles that are overused go into spasm, so they shorten, so you need to lengthen and release that so they can perform their function better."
"Together with myotherapy, we did chiropractic adjustments as well as acupuncture," Camara remarks. Aside from Camara, the other chiropractic specialist on the team was Serry Pizzaro II, a former LAPD cop and marathon runner who became a chiropractor. He went back to his roots here in the Philippines because he wanted to help people. The internal medical specialist on the team, Dr. Edwin Falconi, did acupuncture to prevent the swimmers from getting colds and asthma, since they could not take steroids or anti-allergy drugs. "Acupuncture is a natural and effective treatment," Camara points out. Dr. Falconi is also one of only two Filipinos trained in a proven advanced technology called the Graston Technique, for the treatment of connective soft tissue injuries.
"What we did to the athletes is exactly what we do to our patients in our clinics. So I tell them, they should be able to win a gold, too," Camara says. "70 percent of our patients see us for lower back pain. In fact, low back pain affects 80 percent of the population. A lot of times, they come to us for a second or third opinion. Only when regular treatments don’t work do they start to look for alternatives. The thing about Intercare is, we are able to combine what all disciplines have to offer – not just alternative but also conventional medicine – to come up with treatment programs that are complete, comprehensive, and powerful. Needless to say, they’re effective."
"A young man in his 30s came to us with lower back pain problem," Camara relates. "Nine surgeons had previously recommended surgery. After three weeks of therapy with us, using chiropractic adjustments, special types of traction, physical therapy, and massage, this guy is now fully functional, without pain, and can do all the activities he enjoys doing."
Camara cites another recent case: "A 92- year-old lady with compression fractures in her back – her spine collapsed – came in with 10 out of a 10 pain scale. After three weeks of our therapy, she is down to three in the pain scale. The pain is no longer constant, only in the morning, and she is feeling much better."
"Most people come to see us when they are already in pain. They are not proactive," Camara observes. "Part of what we do is preventive, part of it is therapeutic or curative, and the other part is enhancing performance, which is what we did for the athletes. When you are properly aligned, you fine-tune your whole system. Your sense of position in time and space is greatly enhanced so you can perform your activities better. Even your vision becomes clearer. For performance athletes, that makes a big difference."
Camara shares a few tips:
• The best way to prevent an injury is to invest time in stretching your back on a regular basis. There are two components of a healthy muscle: strength and flexibility. Most people who exercise are strong. But they don’t invest enough time in flexibility. The easiest thing you can do when you wake up in the morning is, while you are lying face up, grab both your knees and take them towards your chest and roll up like a baby. That’s one good way of stretching the back.
• Don’t stay in just one position for long periods of time. If you are sitting behind the desk eight hours in a row, give your body the refreshment of full body movement every 15 to 20 minutes, even for just a few seconds. By shifting the load, you also transfer the stress and relieve the pressure on your back.
• Invest in setting up your work station ergonomically. You don’t need to buy expensive chairs. A bad chair used properly can be just as good as an expensive chair used improperly. Have a small pillow at the small of your back to keep you upright. Make sure your feet are planted firmly on the ground. Try to keep the knees at the same level as the hips and keep your elbow at a 90-degree angle, so you’re not straining.
• Posture is our attitude. Most people are either overly extended, like the military or ballerinas, or are over-flexed (kuba). The correct direction is up. Try to imagine pushing your head up in whatever movement you are doing – whether sitting, walking, or just standing. Always think up. When you are properly centered, stresses are equally distributed. Notice that when you are holding something at the center of gravity, it’s very light. The ideal type of bag is the messenger bag that slings across. Backpacks are also good, but you have to put the heaviest load in your bag closer to your back and the lightest, farther away.
• Pain is a warning signal that something is wrong. It could be reflective of an injury. Some people who try to work through an injury can end up causing more damage that makes it more difficult to treat. So, don’t ignore pain.