Chicago Hockey Hero Helped by Chiropractic

The man holding the large trophy over his head while strolling through Wrigley Field... is Jonathan Toews, the captain of the 2010 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks hockey team.

Toews was also a hero of the Canadian gold-medal Olympic hockey team, which defeated the United States in the gold-medal game in thrilling overtime fashion.

But Toews's last couple of seasons, since the Stanley Cup victory, have been marred by concussions. Hockey is a violent and brutal sport, and although headgear is worn by all players, concussions can happen on even routine hits when a player's head strikes the glass, boards, or concrete-hard ice. Toews has suffered multiple concussions, leading many sports and news outlets to wonder if he would ever be the same.

Toews says he's fully recovered. And he credits chiropractic neurology.

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Here is an excerpt from a Chicago Tribune article about Toews's journey to full health via chiropractic, with a H/T to Chiropractic Economics:

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In fact, it wasn't until late last week that Toews was convinced he's completely over the concussion that caused him to miss the final two months of the 2011-12 regular season before he returned in the postseason against the Coyotes.

While Toews was symptom-free and had cleared all the NHL-imposed concussion protocols before returning to the Hawks' lineup, there were lingering effects from the injury that even the 24-year-old center didn't realize were affecting him. They included balance and eyesight issues that were discovered and solved during a five-day stint at an Atlanta-area chiropractic neurology facility last week.

"Even if you don't feel something and you think you're symptom-free, there's probably still something there that's kind of hindering you and affecting the way your brain works," Toews told the Tribune on Wednesday. "It was just a lot of eye-movement things. My eyes didn't track very well. They didn't look from one target to the next very well. My balance with my eyes closed and my head turned a certain way was terrible. (There were) little things that I would think were normal because I didn't feel something in my head.

"But (the chiropractic neurology work) got me back to Square One and I feel great. When I walked out of there I was definitely really tired because you're doing a lot of exercises that wear on you, but it's definitely a good thing."

Toews returned Saturday after spending time undergoing a battery of tests and corrective methods at the Carrick Institute at Life University in Marietta, Ga. The institute has treated other high-profile athletes, including the Penguins' Sidney Crosby, who has had his career threatened by concussions.

If there is a bright side to the NHL lockout that began Sept. 15 and continues to drag on with no end in sight, it's that the stalemate has given Toews time to recover fully.

"I'm feeling really good now," Toews said. "The one thing about this lockout that I've taken advantage of is dealing with that injury first and foremost. I was in Atlanta to treat things. I'm not saying there were any symptoms — I felt 100 percent. But every time you get hit in the head there are some lasting things there that maybe you don't notice."