How Therapies from a Chiropractor Prevent and Treat Sports Injuries

Rigorous athletic practice and competitive sports performance increase the risks for injuries among athletes. Prolonged repetitive movements can overuse and damage tendons and ligaments, while blunt forces on the body from other athletes or objects can produce concussions, traumatic brain injury, and tissue injuries.

Sports medicine practitioners aim to protect athletes from these injuries while also trying to find new or alternative ways of effective treatment. Recently, there is a shift towards including chiropractors as members of the healthcare staff who take care of sports teams in recognition of their important role in better sports performance. Here’s what you need to know about how an accident care chiropractor can help prevent and treat common sports injuries.

Preventing Sports Injuries Through Chiropractic Care

A chiropractor can help athletes avert sports injuries by improving bone alignment. A study on a football team showed that when they added sports chiropractic manual therapy to their best practice management tools, the number of hamstring injuries dropped. Furthermore, other lower-limb injuries decreased as well. Chiropractic therapies included manipulation/mobilization and/or soft tissue therapies applied to the spine and lower extremity. Sessions ranged from 1 treatment per week for almost two months to 1 treatment for every month for 3 months. These sessions prevented injuries by increasing balance and improving physical form.

In addition, a chiropractor can prevent more injuries by ensuring the neck, back, and shoulders are properly aligned. Manipulations boost overall balance and relieve tension, increasing bodily function and improving sports performance.

Chiropractic Therapies for Treating Sports Injuries

Chiropractic techniques can provide additional or alternative treatments to sports injuries too. An experienced chiropractor can address diverse sports injuries alongside other medical professionals to complement conventional treatment methods. For instance, a chiropractor can apply spinal manipulation to back injuries while the patient receives physical therapy too. Subsequently, injuries affecting the knees, necks, and joints can be treated through manipulations.

Chiropractic care can also treat chronic pain that is unresponsive to pain medication. Continued sessions plus strengthening and conditioning exercises can address pinched nerves and damaged tendons and ligaments as well. Furthermore, spinal and cranial manipulations can help treat symptoms and conditions that often accompany traumatic brain injuries. Thus, accident care chiropractors can offer a wide range of therapies for diverse sports injuries.

Chiropractors can make athletes less susceptible to injury while offering effective treatments too. They can provide immediate pain relief, address chronic pain, and improve recovery rates. Hence, chiropractic therapies are useful in enhancing overall health and sports performance.

Sources:

“The effect of a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention on the prevention of back pain, hamstring and lower limb injuries in semi-elite Australian Rules footballers: a randomized controlled trial,” bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com

“The use and role of sport chiropractors in the National Football League: A short report,” sciencedirect.com

Dr. Darren Faherty D.C.

In 2004, Dr. Darren Faherty graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from UWEC - University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Dr. Darren continued education at the highly esteemed University of Western States (formerly Western States Chiropractic College) where he obtained his chiropractic degree in 2007. He has been helping people recover from injuries and return to their normal lifestyles ever since.