Parkour
Parkour is a discipline originating in France with a simple philosophy: to overcome obstacles--mental and physical.
Dr. Kenneth Kao and Parkour
Dr. Ken, along with Ryan Ford, began parkour in 2004 as one of the first of Colorado's traceurs. It was a hard choice to leave Colorado's growing scene for medical school, but Dr. Ken felt there was an important piece missing in the Parkour community.
A doctor who knows parkour as only a traceur does.
He has devoted much of his studies with traceurs in mind: injuries, impact, and ideal function. Dr. Ken hopes to provide the parkour community with care specialized to their discipline, and his work will allow practitioners to continue training the whole of their lives--but stronger, and faster.
Why Traceurs Need Chiropractic
Chiropractors enhance functional neurology via the joints and muscles of the body. This means that a palm spin, or a kong vault done improperly might be due to improper communication between the body and unconscious mind--and not because of technique.
Improper communication often arises from an original mistake, usually when first learning a technique. Most injuries are not detected until the traceur experiences pain, and often a traceur performs something he describes as "easy" and is surprised when he experiences pain never felt before. The pain indicates that the injury happened long before the pain itself, but remained dormant and undetected.
It is important to detect adaptation before pain. The body knows when there is injury, and it avoids further injury by compensating. But if forced to continually perform in a way it cannot, damage occurs. Re-injury. Chronic repeat annoyances like an ankle that keeps rolling, or a trick wrist. Detecting and dealing with hidden injuries before they become a significant handicap will provide more time for training, and less in rehabilitation.
Experience
Dr. Ken has worked with both Tribe and Tempest members as well as being the APEX Movement Pro Team Doctor.
Testimonials
"From the moment I met Dr. Kao it was apparent that he knew his craft. My understanding of chiropractic prior to meeting him was much like anyone else's: doctors who crack the bones of people with back problems. I was absolutely amazed to find that the complexity of the science applies to the entire body and how all your muscles, bones, and neurological signals interact with each other. Even more interestingly, these interactions and proper alignments come from and affect parts of the body you'd never imagine were remotely related, yet integral to each others' operation. Who would have thought that aligning my neck would cure a chronic ankle injury?
"Much like gymnastics, martial arts, or break dancing, the discipline we practice called parkour is an intensive full body workout that requires the unhindered operation of all our muscles and joints. When I arrived at the clinic, I suffered from a range of ailments including wrist, knee, lower back, and the worst, ankle problems. Until that point I had simply accepted these injuries as costs of the sport and treated them as chronic issues of which I would never completely rid myself. After only the first couple sessions I was amazed with the abundantly obvious improvement! As a special treat to my inquisitive mind, Dr. Kao actually took the time to explain what was happening in my body, why the injuries persisted, and how he was fixing them. I can only describe the experience as something equivalent to learning how to read; it was extremely encouraging and fascinating at the same time. I often found myself audibly laughing at my own ignorance. Although it sounds cliché, I felt my eyes had been opened.
"Nearing the end of my initial treatment, I sustained a rather serious neck injury that should have robbed me of a significant amount of mobility, but Dr. Kao's expertise shined once again. I never thought that at this point, now, 3 months later, I would 98% of my regular, tenacious self.
"Needless to say, I could continue on for pages, but I'll refrain for the sake of your patience. Apart from the physical benefits and improvements Dr. Kao has provided me, I will be forever thankful simply for the peace of mind that what I had previously thought of as career-ending, or at the very least, career-impeding injuries can be treated and in most cases solved with only a couple visits. Because of Dr. Kao's help and professionalism, I expect to unrelentingly and doggedly continue on with parkour for several years beyond what I originally imagined. It doesn't do his cause nearly enough justice, but all I can do is say, thanks!"
-Brian "NoSole" Orosco, Member of Tempest, American Ninja Warrior, YouTube Live, PK Takes Las Vegas, Dancing with the Stars
“The body is an incredible machine, with complex relationships between all parts of the body. I never understood this complexity until Dr. Kao worked with me to correct my problems and boost my athletic potential. Dr. Kao is one of the most knowledgeable and empathetic people I have ever known; I trust him 100% and would recommend him to everyone.” -
-Ryan “Demon” Ford, APEX Movement Gym, Member of APK's Tribe, Featured on ESPN, TIME, and The New Yorker
Resources and Articles
You can find parkour resources as well as check out Dr. Ken's Interview with Reuters, with APK as the Traceur of the Month in March 2009, "The Freerunner" speaking on Traceurs and Chiropractic, and his talk at Parkour Visions here.