Sports chiropractors are specialists in the field of chiropractic care who work with athletes to improve their performance. These doctors specialize in assessing and treating injuries related to sports, such as muscle strain and joint pain. They also help prevent future damage by providing a personalized program for each patient, including exercise prescription, ergonomic advice, nutrition counseling, and therapeutic exercises.
Dr. Paul Grindstaff of ChiroRehab of Texas is a chiropractor in Dallas, Texas specializing in addressing sports injury. At ChiroRehab of Texas, we're committed to keeping you healthy. We'll show you the way with our tips and tricks for living a healthier life.
An Overview About Sports Chiropractic
Sports chiropractic is a branch of chiropractic health care that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. Sports chiropractors have extensive training in evaluating muscular-skeletal problems related to sports participation or overuse. Clinical findings are combined with physical examination skills such as muscle testing (neurological evaluation) and radiological imaging techniques for accurate diagnosis.
Treatment includes:
- Manual therapy (adjustments).
- Rehabilitative exercise programs.
- Nutritional advice/supplementation when appropriate.
- Massage therapy.
- Other therapies depending on the needs of each patient.
Chiropractic is a safe and natural pain management solution for injuries. The treatments associated with chiropractic care allow injured muscles and tissues to relax, relieving the tension caused by a built-up injury resulting in painful symptoms like headaches or muscle spasms. If an athlete has sustained an injury, treatment from a professional can help promote a speedy recovery. Thus, they undergo training as soon as possible.
What Does A Sports Chiropractor Do?
A sports chiropractor evaluates patients from all levels of sport and fitness, including athletes (professional or recreational), weekend warriors, military personnel, office workers/desk jockeys. The aim is to identify muscular-skeletal problems related to sporting activity or overuse, with the ultimate goal being pain relief and prevention and rehabilitation for future injury.
Sports chiropractors are masters of the human body and trained to use advanced diagnostics tools at their disposal. Using x-ray, CT scans, MRI's or Musculoskeletal Ultrasounds, they can diagnose any injury with a high degree of accuracy while also helping track rehabilitation progress. They can diagnose and treat just about sports-related injuries from common overuse injuries like:
- Runners who suffer hip pain due to running too much on the pavement;
- Athletes who have shoulder pains/injuries caused by overhead throws (such as volleyball players); or
- Tennis players suffering upper extremity problems after hitting a ball repeatedly during set play - including concussions.
Sports chiropractors are trained to correct sports injuries stemming from asymmetries and restore the body's natural balance. They can also improve side-to-side differences, which is a common occurrence in most people that causes an increased susceptibility of injury if not corrected through proper function or biomechanics training.
Why Do Athletes Need Sports Chiropractic Care?
Athletes need to have a healthy balance between three components: endurance, strength, and structure. For this reason, many competitors of all ages are seeking out chiropractic care to achieve peak performance by incorporating it into their holistic training regime.
Basketball or tennis players are susceptible to overuse injuries where the pain starts in one joint and spreads outwards. For instance, they might suffer from a herniated disc at the L-S level. The chiropractor would examine the spine using chiropractic techniques. It may include extremity manipulation and specific soft tissue release techniques that help reduce tension on certain structures of the muscles and joints through gentle stretching combined with manual pressure (manipulation).
The goal is always to get people back into their sport as quickly as possible and protect them against further injury. Thus, an athlete can continue playing for many years without any problems or limitations. Sports chiropractors have helped countless athletes return quickly from devastating injuries such as torn ACLs, rotator cuff tears, and spondylolisthesis.
Common Condition Treated by Chiropractors:
- Neck Pain
- Whiplash
- Low Back Pain
- Sports Hernia
- Quadriceps Strains
- Hamstrings Strains
- Ankle Sprain
- MCL Sprain
- Shin Splints
- Achilles Tendonitis
Common sports that may benefit from sports chiropractic:
- Running
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Baseball
- Martial Arts
- Hockey
- Tennis
- Golf
- Football
Sports chiropractors can help you get out of pain faster. They do not prescribe drugs or surgery to heal your injury like traditional medicine, which may take longer for recovery time.
Benefits of Sports Chiropractic
Flexibility, strength, and endurance are just a few of the physical benefits that an athlete can achieve with sports chiropractic. One significant benefit is that chiropractors use gentle techniques based on manipulating joints to restore motion. It helps athletes avoid long periods away from their sport while also reducing future injuries through improved posture and muscle balance. They're also trained in making prehabilitation programs to prevent potential problems before an athlete gets injured again instead of just healing current injuries.
Furthermore, the following are the benefits of receiving sports chiropractic care:
Natural Remedy For Sports Injury
Injuries from sports can be problematic for a person - they may leave the injured party with chronic pain or even cause disability. Chiropractic care has been shown to help these injuries and is safe because it doesn't involve needles, surgery, drugs, or x-rays. Sports chiropractors will treat you until your symptoms are gone.
Improves Healing Process
Sports chiropractic has been shown to improve healing for sports injuries, meaning that you'll need less time off your sport and suffer fewer complications. You may even find that with regular treatments from a qualified chiropractor, there are many ways in which the injury never entirely occurs.
Improves Muscle Functioning
A good chiropractor will detect if an athlete is developing muscle imbalances before they become chronic problems or cause damage to other parts of their body. They can help remedy these issues through adjustments and stretching exercises - this helps athletes avoid long periods away from their sport while also reducing future injuries through improved posture and muscle balance. They're also trained in making prehabilitation programs to prevent potential problems before an athlete gets hurt.
Improves Sleep Quality
Tiredness is one of the most common symptoms of a poorly functioning spine. Regular chiropractic treatments can help eliminate this problem by improving your posture and reducing nerve interference through their adjustments. It means that after receiving chiropractic treatment from a qualified professional, you should have less back pain. Thus, it improves sleep quality, provides more energy during workouts or games (or performing other tasks), and reduces fatigue in athletes who compete for nighttime events.
Improves General Health
Many people don't realize chiropractors because they're trained to look for problems beyond just injuries related to sports. Sometimes an athlete will see them with general aches and pains, including migraines or headaches, neck, and even lower back pain.
Prevention of Injuries
Chiropractic care is a form of alternative medicine that corrects the weak links in your body and strengthens your muscles, making it more difficult for sports injuries to happen.
Relieves Pain
Chiropractic techniques are used to alleviate pain from musculoskeletal and neurological injuries. When vertebrae compress spinal nerves, it can cause intense pain at the base of your neck down your leg - but by readjusting these vertebrae, pressure is taken off those pesky nerve endings, causing unbearable discomfort. Sports chiropractors also employ additional therapies for relief, such as massage, hot/cold treatments, ultrasound therapy, or physical therapy when needed.
Increased Range of Motion
Spinal adjustments not only correct misalignments in your spine but also promote better blood flow and decrease pain. Chiropractic adjustments help with flexibility by loosening tight muscles and allowing for more movement.
Increased Strength
Getting adjusted helps the spine become stronger, making it easier to do all sorts of tasks without pain or injury. The chiropractor will strengthen your core and other body parts (such as back, neck, hips), making you better able to perform physical activities like sports.
Decreases Stress
Sports chiropractors also help reduce stress levels that can be brought on from chronic pain or injuries through massage therapy techniques! This type of touch is known for decreasing cortisol production. Cortisol is the hormone being released by our body during stressful situations.
Reduced Medicinal Dependence
While competing in and training for their sport, athletes are at an increased risk of injury. These injuries can lead to significant pain that may require prescription medications such as Tylenol or anti-inflammatories. However, these prescriptions come with a high level of risks, including addiction which you must take very seriously before using them long term. A study by the Journal of Pain Medicine found that patients who received chiropractic care required fewer opioid prescriptions than those who did not receive treatment.
In conclusion, chiropractic care is beneficial for many reasons. You can use it to prevent injuries and improve general health and make it easier on the body during workouts or games (or performing other tasks).
It also helps athletes who compete at nighttime events stay more alert and reduce fatigue, so they are ready to perform their best in any situation! And last but not least, a sports chiropractor will help you find relief from aches and pains, including migraines or headaches, neck pain, and back pain.
Whether you're a professional athlete or just love to play sports on the weekends, it can be hard to find someone who understands your needs. That is where we come in! At ChiroRehab of Texas, we specialize in treating athletes of all levels and ages with chiropractic care. We have helped people from all walks of life achieve their health goals for years. If you are an athlete looking for a chiropractor in Dallas, Texas, that will help relieve pain and get back out there as soon as possible, contact us today to schedule an appointment:
- Visit us at 6711 West Northwest Highway, Dallas, TX 75225
- Call us at: (214) 369-4777
- Send us a message: info@chirorehaboftexas.com
References:
- https://www.palmer.edu/getmedia/2caf403d-04e7-4d9a-ae69-caab2022579c/infographic-sports-chiropractic.pdf
- https://www.woodgrovepinesclinic.com/blog/125378-5-benefits-of-sports-chiropractic-care
- https://www.p2sportscare.com/sports-chiropractor-2/
- https://spinalandsportscare.com.au/sports-chiropractic-benefits/
- https://lifestylechiroaz.com/chiropractic-care-for-athletes/
- Corcoran, K. L., Bastian, L. A., Gunderson, C. G., Steffens, C., Brackett, A., & Lisi, A. J. (2019). Association Between Chiropractic Use and Opioid Receipt Among Patients with Spinal Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Pain Medicine. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnz219