Discovering Discover Chiropractic

By Jill Eyres | April 30, 2009

Dr. Kam Leung of Discover Chiropractic in San Francisco hosted Team Velo Girls last night for an educational and fun evening. Dr. Leung practices both chiropractic and Active Release Technique (ART), which targets the tissues of the body. Using these complementary techniques, he said that "as long as it's not broken or bleeding," there are things he can do to help. For example, he estimated that 85% of headaches originate in the neck, which can be addressed through adjustment and ART. Even pregnant women can benefit - he said that breech births can be caused by misalignment of the pelvis that prevents babies from turning properly in utero.

Velo Girls at Discover Chiropractic

Dr. Leung demonstrated ART on our teammate, Yari, who has had pain in various places along the right side of her body, including her knee and her back. He talked about the interconnections of the body, and how a problem with one part can cause problems in the connected parts as well. He started by working on her right ankle and calf, then moved up through the IT band and some other muscles and tendons that I've never heard of and/or have forgotten the names of (I think psoas was in there somewhere). For each area, the technique involved Dr. Leung applying pressure dynamically along the length of the muscles/tendons while moving them through their full range of motion. After Yari, Vanessa mentioned that she has had some problems with her hands associated with bike riding; Dr. Leung talked about how this was probably symptomatic of something going on higher up in the arm, in the forearm or just above the elbow.

One of the interesting things Dr. Leung talked about was how ART can be used to improve athletic performance by addressing adhesions and other conditions that prevent muscles from working to their full potential. He also talked about what athletes can do on our own to improve our health and performance. Stretching is important, particularly the day after a workout, in order to encourage muscles to recover and strengthen in a long position rather than in contraction. Dr. Leung demonstrated stretches for calves, quads, and hamstrings. Of course warming up properly before a workout is also important.

Thanks to Discover Chiropractic for a great evening and for supporting Team Velo Girls!

"Bicycling has done more to emancipate women than any one thing in the world. It gives her a feeling of self-reliance and independence the moment she takes her seat; and away she goes, the picture of untrammeled womanhood."
— Susan B. Anthony

"Just as the ideal of classic Greek culture was the most perfect harmony of mind and body, so a human and a bicycle are the perfect synthesis of body and machine."
— Richard Ballantine

"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking."
— Arthur Conan Doyle, 1896

"I thought of that while riding my bicycle."
— Albert Einstein

"Next to a leisurely walk I enjoy a spin on my tandem bicycle. It is splendid to feel the wind blowing in my face and the springy motion of my iron steed. The rapid rush through the air gives me a delicious sense of strength and buoyancy, and the exercise makes my pulse dance and my heart sing."
— Helen Keller

"The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without shocking the entire community."
— Ann Strong — 1895

"Cycling satisfies so many needs. If you're in a gregarious mood, you can go out with a group. Or you can go alone- solo. If you're in an aggressive mood, you can go fast, or if you're tired and want to unwind you can go slow. A bicycle doesn't discriminate in age, either."
— Georgena Terry

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
— Mark Twain

"The bicycle supplies ... a new pleasure — the pleasure of going where one wills, because one wills... Riding the wheel, our own powers are revealed to us... You have conquered a new world, and exultingly you take possession of it."
— Marie E. Ward, 1896

"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race."
— H.G. Wells

"She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life."
— Frances E. Willard,
How I Learned to
Ride the Bicycle