How Can Chiropractic Care Benefit Athletes?
Fall is coming; the temperature is cooling down, school is back in session, and all of the summer vacationers are returning home. It is a bitter sweet feeling packing up the summer bathing suits and shorts and get back into wearing sweaters and scarfs. While fall is such a cozy time to be in, it is also home to many other exciting events. Events that are fun for the whole family, if you choose to participate in watching or playing them. For example, NFL Football begins this month as well as the European Soccer Cup (UEFA). These are events that many people look forward to watching. Nothing tops spending Friday nights under the lights at a high school or college football field; as well as sitting on the couch on Sundays watching your home team play on the TV. Or watching your favorite European Soccer team score on the TV and jump up screaming “Goal!!” Now we know because of COVID-19, the fall sports aren’t the same but, in time, things should return to normal. Football is arguably Americas most popular sport, we dedicate a whole day to celebrating and watching the end result of a whole football season, The Super Bowl!
Now, even though these sports are so popular, they do stir up a bit of controversy. What most people don’t realize is the reality behind these sports, they are not as ideal as they seem. By that I mean, these athletics are not gentle on their bodies. Whether it is soccer, football, hockey or any other contact sport, these individuals are undeniably taking a toll on their bodies by participating in these activities.
The constant pounding and tossing around of these athletes takes a serious toll on their spine whether they notice it or not. The most common injury in any contact sport is a concussion. A concussion is classified as a traumatic brain injury. While, that does sound scary it is more common than you think. A concussion takes place when a person, most commonly an athlete, take a blow to the head. This blow will cause the head and the brain to rock rapidly back and forth in the skull. This rocking can further create these chemical changes in the brain, resulting in what we call a concussion.
When a concussion takes place it is usually due to a head or neck injury. Whether it is noticed immediately or goes undiscovered for some time, it is important to take the precautions after discovering a concussion. Like we said, a concussion is caused by trauma to the head and or neck, this injury usually leaves the individual with a spinal misalignment. Most commonly found in the neck, which if left undiscovered or untreated for long enough, can impact the remainder of the spine. In turn causing further pain. That being said it is important for contact sport players to keep their health in check and chiropractic care is one of those methods.
Chiropractic care can benefit athletes in more ways than one:
Chiropractic care can improve mobility: Much like stretching, an adjustment will help increase the athletes range of motion. When your range of motion is in good condition, you should be able to move more freely and ultimately painlessly.
Chiropractic care can help prevent injuries: By further increasing your range of motion, your chance of an injury may decrease. In addition to that, an adjustment and chiropractic therapies can help prevent more extensive injuries that can come with intense sports.
Chiropractic care can provide sports related herniation relief: Athletes are commonly faced with herniated discs due to the high impact they take regularly. A few sessions at your local chiropractors office doing non-surgical spinal decompression can help decrease the pain and in the end, may reverse the herniation.
Chiropractic care can increase your strength and endurance: When you visit a chiropractor regularly and receive adjustments, your body will begin to become stronger. Now, I am not saying you will physically build muscle just from getting adjusted, but your body will have less difficulty handling strength training and endurance workouts.
Chiropractic care can help relieve pain as well as help prevent further pain from developing: As we discussed prior, concussions are common with athletics; specifically football. We further talked about what occurs when these injuries are left untreated. These injuries can develop causing issues with other areas of your spine. As our office likes to say, if people could see their spines the way they see their teeth, more people would take care of their spines.
Everyone at one point should look into chiropractic as it has many benefits. Chiropractic care is also a completely natural way to heal the body, which is why it is recommended so heavily to athletes. Some doctors tend to jump to prescription medications in efforts to heal an individual, while chiropractors instead “use the body to heal the body”. Our bodies are capable of far more than what we think, we have all the power to heal ourselves as long as we give and treat our bodies with what they deserve. Chiropractic care can help you achieve a natural, drug free, way to relieve pain and may help prevent future problems. Athletic or not, I recommend looking into chiropractic care.