Chiropractic Gives Foosball a Helping Hand
By Chris Brown
Foosball, the table game in which figures spun on a metal rod kick a small ball into the other team's goal, has been popular in bars and fraternity houses since it first reached the U.S. in the 1950s. Professional foosball has risen in popularity recently following the award-winning 2019 documentary Foosballers. For professionals and amateurs alike, as in any high-intensity wrist sport, foosball has a potential for wrist injury. And, like most wrist injuries, chiropractic can help relieve and prevent their occurrence whenever you're doing anything with a lot of wrist movement -- foosball or not.
When the Foosball Table Kicks Back
Injuries in foosball revolve around the sport's primary force producer, the wrist. The most common injuries from the repetitive wrist whipping are tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. In rare cases, the wrist tendon can even tear from the torque of the foosball hit. Tendinitis is caused by the repetitive quick movement of the wrist and carpal tunnel from long periods of hand pressure on the foosball stick.
Prevention is the best medicine for both tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome with foosball. Wrist braces and anti-inflammatory medications are the main preventative measures recommended by primary care doctors and, once injury occurs, rest and ice are the primary solutions. Surgery may even be required if the wrist reaches a severe level of injury. Chiropractic, however, offers a more proactive approach to prevention and early injury care than mainstream medicine.
Chiropractic Keeps Your Foosball Figures Kicking Hard
Carpal tunnel and tendinitis are common amongst chiropractic patients in general. Chiropractic manipulation of the wrist joint has shown great promise in relieving, and preventing a recurrence, of both. In a 2013 survey of chiropractic doctors, they stated that joint manipulation was effective in treating tendinitis without the need for medical co-management. However, the article in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics did note that more research was needed to support the evidence of chiropractic's tendinitis benefits.
Carpal tunnel syndrome, on the other hand, has a more documented history of successful treatment by chiropractic. This is especially true when the injury is early in its development, as chiropractic's joint manipulation techniques actively ease the pressure upon the nerve and allow it to heal. In one particular 1994 case study of a 42-year-old female with carpal tunnel syndrome, 12 total sessions over a four-week span significantly increased grip strength and dissipated symptoms. As with any chiropractic care, these results could be even more helpful when used as a preventative measure.
With these successes, chiropractic needs to be the regular, right-hand treatment of any frequenter of the foosball table.
If you have developed wrist pain, regardless of whether you are a professional foosballer or just an enthusiastic amateur -- or maybe you bowl do something else with a lot of repetitive wrist movement -- the doctors at The Joint Chiropractic can help resolve your injury. The Joint offers affordable rates for walk-in adjustments. And, with over 600 clinics nationwide, wrist relief is never far away.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Madison, Ala.