The director of DeLuca Family Chiropractic in Old Bridge recently tended to the medical needs of international athletes participating in the 2019 CSIT World Sports Games.
From July 1– 6 in Tortosa, Spain, Dr. Anthony J. DeLuca treated men and women competing in American football, gymnastics, track and field, wrestling, soccer and beach volleyball under outdoor conditions that often exceeded 95-degree temperatures.
“The heat was a constant concern throughout the event,” DeLuca said in a prepared statement. “Working in conjunction with physical therapists and emergency personnel, we were the first line of defense for athletes suffering anything from sprains and strains to heat exhaustion. In several extreme cases, we actually had to move quickly to remove players from the field in ambulances. The heat combined with each athlete’s intense competitive nature were a constant concern requiring ongoing attention. It was our job to keep everyone safe no matter how badly they wanted to win.”
DeLuca was one of 24 chiropractors chosen by the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic (FICS) to serve on the medical staff of the CSIT World Sports Games, which is held every two years. The 2019 event included approximately 3,000 amateur athletes participating in 14 separate competitive venues, according to the statement.
In preparation of the July games, DeLuca spent months furthering his chiropractic skills with a deeper knowledge of the motions, actions and potential injuries suffered by football, volleyball and soccer players.
“In an office setting, you often have the opportunity to pre-screen patients,” DeLuca said in the statement. “Everything on the field happens quickly and spontaneously, necessitating the need to react instinctively, decisively and always with great forethought. This is essential for the welfare of these individuals, who in many cases trained very hard, traveled a long way and sacrificed a great deal to participate on the world stage. Our first goal is doing our very best to help them achieve, but always with an eye toward long-term health and safety.”
A certified chiropractic sports physician and personal fitness trainer, DeLuca has been tending to the chiropractic needs of athletes since he founded DeLuca Family Chiropractic in 1989. In recent years, this also included working with the medical teams treating the on- and off-field injuries of Olympic hopefuls participating in activities at the U.S. Olympic Training Centers in Chula Vista, California, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In addition, DeLuca was chosen by FICS to support the medical needs of athletes participating in the fourth International Workers and Amateurs in Sports Confederation World Sports Games in Lignano, Italy. He has been on the medical staff of the Great Britain team competing in the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships held in Nice, France, and was among the first group of chiropractors selected to officially deliver sports chiropractic care at the Poly Clinic of the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Other activities include serving as the team doctor for the Great Britain and Republic of Georgia ice dancing teams competing in the 2010 and 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, the Israeli team competing at the 2007 World Skating Championships and the Great Britain team entered in Skate America 2006, according to the statement.
“I take great pride in representing the chiropractic profession at events like the CSIT World Sports Games,” DeLuca said in the statement. “Gaining the trust of people who have never worked with a chiropractor or speak a different language is sometimes difficult, but always deeply rewarding. As a professional, there’s no greater feeling than helping an individual overcome an injury and going on to compete at the highest possible level.”
For more information, call 732-679-2414 or visit www.dfccares.com.
