Athletes understand they have to keep their bodies in peak physical shape, but they often don’t know the proper treatment techniques to make this happen effectively. Though weight training and rest and recuperation are obvious ways for athletes to improve their performance, many athletes might not be aware of the supplemental opportunities for treatment that can improve performance, such as chiropractic care.
Chiropractic care uses spinal adjustments to ensure the nervous system functions properly. Through a comprehensive diagnosis, chiropractors can evaluate your spine and initiate a program specifically designed to respond to your needs.
At Governor’s Park, our full-service chiropractors are committed to providing you with the most complete chiropractic care so you can remain at peak performance. Continue reading to learn more about the benefits athletes can expect from visiting a chiropractor.
What Is a Chiropractor?
Chiropractors specialize in spinal health and the optimal performance of your nervous system. The techniques chiropractors use to focus on preventing, diagnosing, and caring for spinal-related disorders and other joint issues.
Chiropractors typically provide treatment for additional ailments, such as soft tissue injuries, rehabilitative care, fitness coaching, and nutritional coaching.
What Is a Chiropractic Adjustment?
Chiropractic adjustments use controlled force applied to your spine to improve mobility and improve function. Spinal joints can wind up out of alignment due to accidents, falls, and stress, and overexertion. If these spinal misalignments continue, you can be more susceptible to chronic issues.
Chiropractic adjustments can help reduce pain, increase range of motion, and improve overall athletic performance. After receiving your new chiropractic adjustment, the most common side effect is soreness. Some soreness is normal and you should expect it to subside within a few days. If it lasts longer, you should consult your chiropractor.
Why Should Every Athlete Have a Chiropractor?
Preventative Care for Injuries
Preventing injuries comes down to many contributing factors. Diet, exercise, flexibility, and the correct training intensity all influence durability. In some cases, injuries might not be preventable. However, in many cases, injury is avoidable given the right training program.
Seeking chiropractic care can help identify spinal misalignments that cause future injuries and impact performance during sports. These misalignments can cause the following issues that influence injuries:
- Dizziness
- Balance issues
- Limited range of motion in the neck, back, and legs.
- Nausea
Spinal misalignments often aren’t easy to identify. However, they can lead to herniated or bulging discs. With a comprehensive chiropractic exam, licensed chiropractors can diagnose your misalignments to promote peak spinal performance so you can reduce your risk of injury.
Pain Relief
Athletes endure minor injuries throughout their careers. That’s part of being an athlete. However, the pain that results from these injuries can hinder athletic training programs and performance. Managing pain is a critical component of maintaining a healthy athlete’s physique and training regimen, no matter how old they are.
There might also be a temptation to use prescription drugs for pain relief. While doing so might be necessary in cases of severe injury, chiropractic care represents a safe, non-prescription pain relief method that athletes can use throughout the entirety of their careers.
For example, an athlete with chronic neck and lower back pain can benefit from a consistent routine of spinal adjustments. Athletes might also develop sciatica, a nerve disorder that causes pain and discomfort from the hip down through the legs. Treating these injuries with chiropractic care is a manageable and sustainable form of pain relief for athletes.
Providing a Root Analysis for Injuries
Treating injuries should incorporate more than responding to symptoms. It should address the core issues causing injuries. Misdiagnosis of injuries is highly common in both athletes and non-athletes. For example, your child might experience headaches and mistake their cause as dehydration when, in fact, they are a symptom of improper spinal alignment. On the other hand, athletes might mistake the headache they receive from a concussion as a common headache.
Having your child undergo periodic chiropractic evaluations ensures they understand what’s happening in their body. The chiropractor will be able to diagnose the issue comprehensively and determine the correct treatment protocol based on medical history and contributing factors.
Improved Range of Motion
Part of athletic performance hinges upon athletes’ range of motion. Regular chiropractic treatment should increase flexibility and reduce muscle stiffness. Improving an athlete’s range of motion can have the added benefit of reducing their risk of injury.
When athletes have an increased range of motion, their ligaments, tendons, and joints don’t come under the same stress as when muscles are stiff. Thus, improved range of motion can lead to improved athletic performance.
Reduce Recovery Time
Following a sports injury, the temptation is most likely to try and resume performance as soon as possible. Unfortunately, doing so can lead to further injury and delay the athlete’s return to their sport. Chiropractors issue comprehensive treatment programs to help people recover from sports-related injuries. Additionally, most chiropractors include other therapy methods such as laser therapy, heat therapy, ice packs, massage therapy, and other techniques.
These treatments reduce swelling and inflammation while expediting the healing process so athletes can get back to their sports as soon as possible. Chiropractic care also promotes healthy blood flow throughout the body which can speed up recovery.
Remain In Peak Shape for Competitions
Chiropractic care keeps athletes in their prime shape to ensure they can adhere to rigorous training schedules. It also helps them cope with the inherent wear and tear involved in their sport. Athletics are highly competitive and one injury or sub-par performance can jeopardize athletes’ chances to earn things such as scholarships and recognition. When you go through chiropractic care, you enhance your ability to perform.
Comprehensive Treatment Programs
More than 35 million Americans visit chiropractors because these specialists work closely with other medical professionals to ensure you get the most out of your treatment. Primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and other medical specialists can all provide insight into the best way for you to recover from your injury. Chiropractors can handle complex injuries and add a specialist to your treatment team for back and neck injuries that may have plagued you in the past.
Treating Injuries Without Medications or Surgery
One of the most critical benefits of chiropractic care is that it doesn’t rely on prescription drugs or surgery to respond to injuries. While surgery might be necessary for certain injuries, it should be avoided when possible. Additionally, prescription drugs can cause dependency issues, and the more methods you can use to replace these drugs, the more you can attack pain relief using a holistic approach.
Additional Benefits of Chiropractic Treatments for Athletes
Chiropractic care facilitates musculoskeletal health and nervous system performance. Adjustments should ensure your body functions in the way it was designed. Chiropractic adjustments restore mobility to joints and ease pain and inflammation in the surrounding muscles, expediting the healing process.
An estimated 90 percent of world-class athletes use chiropractic care and the following benefits provide some additional insight into why:
- Comprehensive, full-body treatments.
- Soft tissue healing.
- Improved technique and form performing exercises.
Conclusion – Why Should Every Athlete Have a Chiropractor?
One of the most pressing concerns for athletes, no matter your sport, is whether they can sustain optimal performance. The nature of competitive sports is such that the most talented are not always the ones who are the most successful. Rather, it is the athlete who can consistently improve on the skills they have and avoid potential setbacks that emerge victorious in the long run.
Chiropractic care ensures athletes of all ages stay where they belong: in the game doing what they love. At Governor’s Park, we offer comprehensive treatments to ensure athletes maintain peak performance and get the most out of their bodies. Our full-service team of chiropractors is here for all of your chiropractic care needs.
Contact us today to set up a free appointment and start making the most out of your athletic goals.
Governor's Park Chiropractic is the Colorado chiropractor team dedicated to helping individuals get out of pain and achieve better health. Offering a range of services and treatment options to meet the specific needs of each patient.