Chiropractic Care For Runners
For many, running is an attractive and practical exercise because it offers so many immediate benefits. Wether on the beach, a path through a park, or even down a city street, running can be performed just about anywhere. The rhythmic motion of the legs keeps the lower body toned. Enormous amounts of calories get burned. The respiratory system is engaged and the cardiovascular system is kept in tune. In fact, many people become addicted to the endorphins that get released in the brain after a certain amount of time spent running, which results in what is known as “runners high”.
Unfortunately the other side of the coin for runners carries almost an equal amount of disadvantages. These mostly come about through the very nature of the action itself, which requires the runner to pound the pavement with their skeleton repetitively for long periods of time. This stress on the musculoskeletal system often leads to injuries of the knees, ankles, and hips. There’s really no way of avoiding these injuries if running is a large part the exercise regimen, and all runners will eventually hurt their musculoskeletal system in some way.
The standard recommended procedure for dealing with injuries accrued through running is to stop running and give the body time to heal itself. Visiting a doctor, putting icepacks on the afflicted area, and getting over the counter pain killing medication are also traditionally advised for these types of injuries. There are alternatives though, which can be less expensive and more effective.
One of this alternative means for healing injured muscles, joints, and bones is chiropractic therapy. Chiropractic therapy has been shown to be highly effective in getting runners back up on their feet and feeling less pain than more traditional methods.
The popular image of the chiropractor is of someone who works on the backs and necks of patients, cracking the vertebrae of the spine into place to relieve pain. This is inaccurate, however, because chiropractors actually treat the entire body. Runners who visit chiropractors often do so seeking relief for knee pain, which chiropractors can manage with adjustment to the knees with their hands.
Other problems common to runners that chiropractors can treat are sprains, strains, and trauma to joints. The soft tissues around the joints can benefit greatly from regular chiropractic treatment, which can help to manage chronic pain in ankles, knees, and hips.
Another benefit for runners from chiropractic treatment is that healing to muscles and ligaments often happens more quickly when receiving chiropractic adjustments. Not only does that decrease the pain felt from injury in less time but it also reduces the possibility of being injured in that area again.
Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Robert Pittman