Monday, February 17, 2020
Chris Breedlove | LUCOM Marketing
Once again, Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) was a major contributor for the annual CrossFit Krypton’s Compete for a Cure competition. The event was held on Saturday, Feb. 1, in Chesapeake, Va., and brought high-intensity athletes from around the tidewater area to compete at the Chesapeake Convention Center. All proceeds benefitted St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
This year, LUCOM sent 20 student-doctors comprising of 14 third-year students and 6 fourth-year students, to provide Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) to competitors interested in receiving the service. 64 athletes were treated during the event.
“The competitors reacted quite positively to the students and the treatments they received. Some came in with acute injuries sustained during the competition and while we couldn’t fix a strain or something major, we were able provide some help to those with biomechanical issues by way of OMT,” said Mark E. Rolfs, DO, PharmD, assistant professor of family medicine. “Many of the competitors told their friends and it was great for the students to receive a diverse group of patients to treat.”
As one of two faculty advisors to the event, Dr. Rolfs believes the students performed admirably well. “They [students] felt like they were making a difference, and they did.”
The second faculty member that supervised the students throughout the day was one of LUCOM’s inaugural graduates. “The competitors went through a lot of torque and twists with very high-energy, high-rep intensity on their bodies. For the medical students, treating individuals that are very entuned with their body, provides a unique experience to patient treatments that they don’t see on a normal basis back at LUCOM,” said Zachariah Jon Jensen, DO, clinical instructor of osteopathic manipulative medicine. “It’s amazing to witness the students work, to see progression in their skills. I was recently in their position and I remember feeling uneasy, but they rose to the occasion.”
Dr. Jensen graduated in 2018 and returned last summer to be LUCOM’s first Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (ONMM) resident. “The athletes reacted in a positive manner to the students treating them, and both the students and the athletes were able to see in real time better range of motion after the treatment. Witnessing the intensity of the competition and the work LUCOM students have done, overall, it was a fun event.”
Chris Garnett, third-year medical student enjoyed the opportunity to work with members of the Chesapeake community. “It was a great benefit. We were able to treat competitors and help them feel a little better during and after the competition, and I would recommend this event for my fellow student-doctors as it’s a great chance to practice OMT,” he said. “It was also great having Dr. Rolfs and Dr. Jensen with us, they have a wide amount of knowledge and experience in OMT, and it’s been great having them to help and guide us. I’m glad we were out here at CrossFit Krypton’s Compete for a Cure.”
256 athletes participated in the sellout CrossFit Krypton competition raising $117,000 to help support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and like last year, LUCOM was also represented on the inside as Angela Tseng and Hillary Baker, Class of 2020, returned to compete. Their team was called Average Tries.
“We’ve been working with Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine for three years now, they’ve been phenomenal as one of our official sponsors,” said Adam Klink, head coach of CrossFit Krypton and the event coordinator for Compete for a Cure. “They bring their medical students to do osteopathic manipulative work on our athletes throughout the event and it just adds an extra experience for them. Many of them don’t do a lot of competitions or high-level competitions, so the fact they can work hard, put their body through high stress and then get treated, really makes a difference for these athletes.
“We’re beyond appreciative to be partnered with Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine, they’ve been a phenomenal sponsor and we can’t thank them enough,” added Klink.
View images from the event at Facebook.com/LibertyMedicine.