Sports Injuries and Chiropractic Care
By Sara Butler
Exercising is crucial to your overall health, and for some, participating in sports is crucial to their mental health. They need an outlet to compete. But sports, especially competitive sports, can lead to injuries if you aren’t careful. The chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic have a lot of experience treating patients who have sustained sports injuries. Here are some of the most common injuries and how chiropractic can help.
Tendonitis
When you’re working hard and pushing your muscles, tendons and ligaments to perform, you can injure them quite easily. Tendonitis is one of the more common injuries because it’s typically the result of overuse, also called a repetitive use injury. It can cause the tendon to become inflamed, which then leads to swelling and pain in the area of the injury.
Shin Splints
Shin splints are common in runners because it is an overuse injury involving the tibia, another name for your shin bone. Shin splints cause an ache or throb after you exercise, often caused by irritated and swollen muscles. They can also be caused by stress fractures or are a result of having flat feet.
Sprains and Strains
Sprains and strains are the most common type of sports injuries. Sprains are caused by a tear in a ligament, the soft tissue that attaches bones together. Ankles are the most common joint to sustain sprains, but they can really happen anywhere. If you sprain a ligament in your spine it can lead to a more serious condition such as a herniated or bulging disc.
Strains are tears in tendons or muscles. They often are the result of the twisting of a joint or an overextension. A common strain that impacts athletes is plantar fasciitis, where the ligament on the bottom of your foot is overused and becomes inflamed, causing pain.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help
These types of injuries are usually pretty easy to diagnose, often because athletes often know when something isn’t right with their body and they’ve been injured. When you see your chiropractor for an injury, they will do a physical examination to help pinpoint the problem, then work with you to create an individualized treatment plan to address it.
Chiropractic care has been found in many studies to decrease the healing time of injuries, and may even help you to avoid injuries in the first place. That’s why it’s always a good idea to see your chiropractor before you start a new workout plan or switch things up in your training. Your chiropractor may have some helpful suggestions and tips that will keep you healthy as you work to reach your athletic goals.