Treating and Preventing Sports Injuries With Chiropractic
Chiropractic care is becoming more and more acceptable in the management and treatment of sports injuries. Back, neck, knee, ankle and hip injuries are some of the top sports injuries where a chiropractor is often asked to provide care. From the local sports organization to the professional athletic club, coaches and trainers realize the benefits of chiropractic for their athletes’ injuries.
The sports with the most injuries are contact sports such as football, rugby, wrestling, hockey, soccer, and basketball. Most of the sporting injuries occur in lower body such as the ankle and knee.
Addressing the Underlying Cause
Most sports injuries cause pain and dysfunction, often taking the athlete out of action for a period of time. Chiropractic care can help rehabilitate the injury naturally, and often times quicker than any other medical procedure. Not only does chiropractic help heal the symptoms (pain and dysfunction) of the injury but it addresses the underlying cause of the injury to help prevent future injuries.
Diet and Nutrition
Your chiropractor can also evaluate your diet and recommend changes which can keep your energy levels up. Diet and nutrition are critical elements of your athletic performance, and should not be overlooked. Think of your body as being a finely tuned car – isn’t it critical to put the correct fuel into it?
Physical activity quickly burns the body’s fuel; lack of fuel means that the well-oiled machine that is your body will run out of energy very quickly. Most chiropractors are trained in proper diet and nutrition and can provide the right strategy for your dietary success.
Chiropractic Treatment
As a natural, holistic practice, many modalities are used in chiropractic care to address the body as a whole. Completely recovery from a sports injury means addressing all imbalances in the body and strengthening the core. A chiropractor’s course of rehabilitation for a sports injury may include adjustments to the spine and extremities, physiotherapy, heat and ice therapy, low-level laser therapy, electro-therapy, exercise programs, and nutritional counseling.
All of these are designed to rehabilitate the injury and improve range of motion, balance, flexibility, joint proprioception, coordination, agility, and body symmetry to help prevent future injuries. Chiropractic methods are safe and effective. The focus is to treat the underlying cause of the pain and provide a complete rehabilitation.
Licensed Doctors
Chiropractors are licensed Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) who are trained extensively in the biomechanics of the body as a whole. Their goal is to correct imbalances and injuries naturally using manipulative therapies and other natural modalities. Adjustments are medical techniques and should never be attempted by anyone other than a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic.
Enjoy your sporting activities – and your active lifestyle in general – and keep pushing yourself to the limit. Athletics are great for the mind, body, and soul. They increase your heart rate, build muscles, and keep the mind sharp. Just make sure you follow through on all of the necessary steps required before you take the field – and don’t forget to enlist the help of your chiropractor. With the right steps in place, you will excel in your sport and be able to spend more time enjoying it!