Chiropractic Treatment for Amateur Athletes
“I think it should be mandatory for athletes to see a chiropractor”- former Major League Baseball player, Barry Bonds
You’re probably aware that a lot of professional athletes utilize the services of a chiropractor to keep their bodies in peak physical condition, most professional sports organizations have a chiropractor as part of their medical staff to help manage the stress that these athletes put their bodies through on a daily basis. This care can help to prevent some of the lifelong health problems that so many players have been plagued with after retirement.
Chiropractic Care Can Benefit All Athletes
Of course, you don’t have to be a professional athlete to benefit from regular chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractors are able to provide specialized treatment of musculoskeletal issues and injuries without the use of drugs or surgery. This makes your chiropractor a natural choice for the injuries that are often connected to competitive sports.
All too often, athletes suffer from minor injuries that can cascade into much larger problems. For example, a player will twist an ankle sliding into home and then they’ll continue playing on the injured ankle. The muscles of the leg and foot will then work to stabilize the affected area to prevent further damage. Unfortunately, this can result in a decrease in range of motion, and pain that radiates far from the original injury for a long time to come. That ankle sprain that you had a few years ago now shows up as a problem in other parts of the body, like the knee. Remember the old song about the knee bone being connected to the thigh bone? The joints and muscles of the body work that way too.
The Many Faces of Chiropractic
Hands-on adjustments to help move the body back into alignment and restore proper balance. Chiropractic care is especially effective for athletes because it utilizes a wide variety of therapies and is complementary with other forms of medical care. A chiropractor can provide the following treatments to help patients cope with their pain and heal their injuries:
- Heat and ice therapy to relieve swelling and inflammation.
- Instructions on exercise to help strengthen the area around the injury.
- Tips on how to avoid reinjuring the site.
Chiropractic care offers athletes a balanced approach to treatment and healing. Chiropractic adjustments help patients to regain their normal mobility and help injured areas of the body find their way back to normal function. This, combined with rest and care of swollen and inflamed tissues, will help athletes find their way back to their sport quickly and without lingering pain. Additionally, Doctors of Chiropractic are able to instruct their patients on proper stretching and exercising, to ensure that the injury has no chance of reoccurrence.
When you look over all of the benefits that chiropractic care provides, it’s easy to see why the pros have embraced this natural method of healing and why we can all take a page out of their playbook. Contact your chiropractic team today for safe, all-natural healing for your sports injury.
