Chiropractic Care for Athletes

Athletes can benefit greatly from regular chiropractic care. Since exercise and practice put a great deal of stress on the body, regular check-ups are essential to the continued health and performance of any level athlete.

What Is Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractic care consists of physical adjustments to the spine’s alignment along with nutrition and activity programs that can help the patients get back to their best self. For athletes, chiropractic care will consist of regular check-ups to ensure their body is aligned properly and their nutrition is fitting their body’s needs. When problems arise, such as sports injuries, the chiropractor will help aid and speed up the recovery of the athlete by finding any misalignments and helping the athlete heal through heat therapy and other methods.

While it’s a common misconception, chiropractic care involves much more than simply adjusting the neck and spine. Dr. Hohn at Pure Health Clinic, located in Howell, Michigan, will usually begin with a simple check-up that involves talking to the patient to get an idea of their activity level, current nutrition plan, previous injuries, and anything that has been bothering them physically. Next, he will likely also ask about other treatment methods they have tried in the past, and whether or not they worked for them.

Since athletes need routine check-ups and care to continue performing at their best, the Dr. Hohn will likely put them on the schedule to come in once a week, twice a month, or once a month depending on the level of activity and strenuous exercise they are doing. In the off-season when the athlete is doing lighter workouts and practice, the chiropractor will likely still suggest coming in to continue their maintenance care.

How Can Chiropractic Care Help Athletes?

Chiropractic care for athletes, first and foremost, can help by fixing asymmetries in the body. The left and right side of the body are not perfectly mirrored to one another, and one of the biggest causes of injuries for athletes is this asymmetry. Since one side of the body is different than the other, there may be a strength difference between the two sides, or, more than likely, a difference in mobility and flexibility.

Differences in mobility, flexibility, and strength between the body’s right and left sides are the leading causes of sports industries. Chiropractic care will help through suggesting stretches and though physical adjustments by increasing the body’s flexibility and helping the athlete overcome any issues they’re facing in their range of motion. Soft tissue massages can be one method chiropractors use to reduce tension that could be causing the body to fall out of alignment.

These methods reduce the risk of injury by opening up the body. With increased strength and flexibility through therapeutic techniques (like massage) and regular stretching, the body will begin to open up and even out, meaning one side of the body no longer has to work harder than the other because it no longer has to “pick up the slack” of the weaker side.

Range Of Motion

Increasing range of motion will reduce the risk of injury and better the athlete’s performance overall. Adjustments will let the body move as freely as it was made to, and will help repair and prevent muscle spasms and cramps, which decrease range of motion. Increasing range of motion will also free tension in the back and neck area and reduce pain. With increased range of motion, athletes will be able to hold their form better while exercising since tight muscles won’t hold them back.

The Healing Process

In addition, fixing misalignments will speed up healing. When injured, the body tries to protect itself with inflammation and muscle spasms. With the body aligned properly, the injury will be able to heal quicker, reducing the athlete’s down time and getting them back to the game quicker.

The Benefits

By maximizing recovery and fixing misalignments, athletes will experience a multitude of benefits from visiting a chiropractor. While chiropractic work focuses primarily on the spine, the core belief of chiropractic care is that, by aligning the spine, the entire body will benefit. Through adjustments and other means, like soft tissue massage and heat therapy, chiropractic care can help treat:

  • Should pain
  • Sprains and strains in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and/or hand
  • Sprains and strains in the hip, knee, ankle, and/or foot
  • Tennis elbow
  • Golfer’s elbow
  • Headaches
  • Neck pain
  • Mid and lower back pain
  • Sciatica

With chiropractic treatment, an athlete will be able to improve their performance, recover faster from sports injuries, and avoid pain, cramps, and muscle spasms. Since a larger part of chiropractic care is also nutrition, athletes will benefit from getting a fresh perspective on what they’re eating and how much they’re eating. Dr. Hohn will be able to guide them in making nutritional choices that not only feed their body, but also give them an array of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are essential to maintaining full body wellness.

Regularly visiting a chiropractor will help athletes stay at the top of their game and avoid or minimize downtime as much as possible. With regular check-ups, athletes will stay in alignment and will be able to heal from any injuries that occur that much quicker. Keeping their bodies balanced and in alignment will improve their overall wellness and performance, and it will help prevent injuries as well. Altogether, on-going chiropractic care for athletes is important to their overall health, success, and well-being. By taking the Pure Health Clinic’s advice for stretches and nutrition, they can better their form while working out and practicing, and keep their body balanced so they can do their absolute best.

Pure Health Clinic Can Help

Interested in starting chiropractic care? Contact us today!