Can Chiropractic Care Help in Recovery of Sports Injuries?

Sports injuries can leave you sidelined for a long time if your recovery is incomplete. Torn muscles, dislocated joints, and other injuries are common for weekend warriors as well as professional athletes. Chiropractic care is an effective, non-invasive treatment that not only helps the recovery process but can also help prevent injuries from occurring.

What Is a Sports Injury?

A sports-related injury refers to any type of injury incurred while exercising or participating in an athletic activity. They are typically caused by any of the following:

• Accidents
• Poor training
• Overtraining
• Improper gear
• High-impact competition

Injuries also occur from not warming up or stretching enough before an activity. 

Overuse is often cited as the number-one cause of sports injury. Swimmers, runners, and tennis players are especially vulnerable to overuse injuries. Cross-training and proper recovery between workouts are the best ways to prevent injuries related to overuse. 

The Most Common Sports Injuries

Many different kinds of sports injuries can occur, but the most frequently treated injuries are:

• Sprained or strained muscles
• Knee injuries
• Inflamed muscles
• Pain along the shine bone (shin splints)
• Dislocations
• Tendon injuries (tendonitis)
• Rotator cuff injuries

Of course, not all injuries are avoidable. Sometimes you can take all the right precautions and still get hurt. When that happens, the first thing to do is to stop competing or working out. Trying to “walk it off” and continuing to play if hurt can cause more harm, turning a minor injury into something worse. 

If you can’t get medical care right away, remember to “RICE” your injury: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. 

How Does Chiropractic Care Help?

Chiropractic care is a whole-body approach to wellness. Chiropractors don’t just treat an isolated injury. They look at your entire musculoskeletal system to see how subluxations, posture problems, spinal irregularities, or other issues may be contributing to injury. Addressing the whole body, including nutrition, will help injuries heal quicker and more completely.

An experienced chiropractor can help you recover from an acute sports injury in several ways. First, by applying specific sports massage techniques, a trained chiropractor can reduce the pain and swelling associated with injury.

Second, keeping the spine and hips in proper alignment eases inflammation and pressure on joints. Reduced inflammation allows the proper circulation of nutrient-rich blood that is crucial to healing.

Strains and Sprains

Sprains can happen when a muscle or tendon gets torn or stretched beyond its capacity. Athletes are prone to strains/sprains in the ankles, wrists, and hamstrings. Your chiropractor may apply soft tissue massage, EMS (electric muscle stimulation), and a variety of gentle stretches and exercises to relieve the pain and encourage healing.

Dislocations

Athletes who participate in high-impact sports are more likely to experience a painful dislocation of the joint bones. Shoulder joints are especially susceptible to dislocation. In addition to moving the joint back into its natural position, a chiropractor may use ultrasounds, laser therapy, electrotherapy, or hot and cold therapy to treat the area.

Shin Splints

Shin splint cause pain along either side of the shin bone that connects the ankle to the knee. Repetitive motion is typically the cause of shin splints and rest will relieve the pain. If left untreated, shin splints can become so painful they may prevent even a trained athlete from competing. Range of motion exercises for the foot, calf, and ankle can reduce the pain and strengthen muscles to prevent the condition from reoccurring.

Knee Injuries

Knee injuries can take you out of the game for a season or a lifetime. Pain in one or both knees can be caused by twisting, overuse, or a poor running gait. Chiropractic treatment may include hip and spine adjustments to make sure the body is properly aligned as well as massage, hot and cold therapy, or EMS to relieve pain.  

Is Chiropractic Care Safe for Athletes?

Chiropractic treatments are safe, non-invasive techniques that are suitable for any patient. There are no dangerous side effects and no downtime except that which an injury may need to heal. Many athletes and sports teams consider chiropractic care a priority for treating and preventing injury.

Some sports injuries are caused by underlying issues that chiropractic care can correct, such as:

• Spinal misalignment
• Limited range of motion
• Poor health
• Muscle imbalance
• Poor movement patterns

A chiropractor is trained to address these issues. Regular chiropractic care can reduce recovery time, reduce pain, and prevent further injuries — and the treatment is natural and drug-free.

Don’t Wait for an Injury to Benefit From Chiropractic Care

Chiropractors don’t just help after an injury. Chiropractic care is designed to increase wellness and prevent illness and injury. Including chiropractic care as part of your overall fitness program can help you increase your endurance, reduce the chances of injury, and recover faster if injury should occur. Don’t wait until you are in pain to experience the benefits of chiropractic care. Contact Vida Integrated Health today and learn how to improve your sports performance naturally.