Jim McMahon’s Chiropractor on ESPN 30 for 30

Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon’s chiropractor Dr Scott Rosa has had a significant impact upon McMahon’s health.

I never knew the nature and significance of this impact until I watched the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about the ’85 Chicago Bears the other night.  This episode of 3o for 30 (trailer here) was a tribute to the Super Bowl winning team that created a cultural phenomena in the ’80’s complete with iconic characters like William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Steve “Mongo” McMichael, and of course quarterback Jim McMahon.

McMahon has been suffering from the effects of all of these hits and it’s been well documented that his life has been forever changed by excruciating head pain, early onset dementia, depression, mood swings and suicidal thoughts.

Jim McMahon’s chiropractor steps in

The notoriety of his plight brought him to the attention of doctors who believed that they could help.  Dr Raymond Damadian is a medical doctor who invented the first MR (Magnetic Resonance) Scanning Machine, and co-founded the first company to manufacture MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanners.  Dr Damadian invited McMahon to his Long Island New York headquarters to have an MRI study performed. The results revealed that McMahon’s top two spinal vertebra were misaligned, causing a backup of cerebral spinal fluid and increased pressure around his brain.

Damadian introduced McMahon to chiropractor Dr Scott Rosa.  After Dr. Rosa examined McMahon, he determined that there was a potential for McMahon to experience improvement with treatment.  Jim McMahon’s chiropractor then performed a specific adjustment to McMahon’s C1 and C2 vertebrae near the base of his skull. (Watch a clip of the procedure here) The relief was almost instantaneous.
“When they first did it to me, it was like the toilet flushed,” McMahon said. “I thought to myself, ‘No wonder I can hear my heart beating. It was bang, bang, bang.’ I was having trouble speaking. I couldn’t see clearly. But as soon as [Rosa] moved those bones, it was amazing.”
McMahon needed a few more treatments — and still requires help in making sure his spine is properly aligned — but he is living a relatively normal life again. There still is some short-term memory loss, but not nearly to the extent he experienced before getting help. And there is joint pain from arthritis, something he understands and accepts after so many years of playing in the NFL. But there also is relief from the symptoms that once threatened his life.
The 30 for 30 documentary tells the story of the Bears, of Jim McMahon’s chiropractor, but it also may ultimately provide hope for many who also suffer from life altering and sometimes threatening symptoms associated with spinal joint alignment. I have spoken before in this blog about chiropractic care in the NFL, and how every NFL team includes at least one chiropractor in their organization.  The NFL landscape in the ’80’s was so very different, and chiropractic had yet to make the inroads into the sport.