Many athletes visit chiropractors for help managing common sports injuries. Chiropractors use adjustments and other therapies to relieve pain and improve mobility.
Today, we’re highlighting how chiropractors help with common sports injuries, including the treatments, recommended therapies, and other solutions chiropractors use for sprains, strains, knee injuries, swollen muscles, and other common sports injuries.
Top 10 Most Common Sports Injuries – and How Chiropractors Help
Chiropractors can help manage specific sports issues. They can also help manage overall aches and pains.
Almost every professional sports team in North America employs a chiropractor. Many professional athletes talk to a chiropractor daily or weekly to address various issues.
Amateur athletes also depend on chiropractors for aches and pains, mobility issues, and other problems.
Below, we’ll talk about some of the most common sports injuries and how chiropractors help.
Sprains: Sprains and strains are the most common types of injuries among athletes. When a ligament stretches too far or gets torn, it’s called a sprain. Many athletes experience sprains in their ankles or wrists. You might notice swelling or bruising. With more serious sprains, you may feel temporarily unable to move the region.
Strains: Strains are similar to sprains, but they occur when a muscle or tendon (not a ligament) gets torn. Tendons connect muscles to bones. When the tendon gets pulled too far, it leads to a strain. Many people experience strains in their back. Other athletes get them in their hamstrings. A strain can cause painful swelling or spasms. Like a sprain, it can temporarily immobilize the muscle.
Runner’s Knee: Knee injuries are common in many sports – from team sports to running or cycling. Excessive movement around the knee – say, when running or playing soccer – could lead to runner’s knee, where the area around the kneecap becomes tender. The scientific term for runner’s knee is patellofemoral syndrome.
Other Knee Injuries: Knees can be more severely injured. Some athletes develop pain on the sides of the knees, for example, or tendonitis. Others develop issues with the ligaments around the knee. Four crucial ligaments support the knee, and all these ligaments can be damaged from sports. Some athletes experience knee injuries because of awkward twists and turns. Others have knee issues because they failed to adequately warm up.
Shin Splints: Many amateur runners and ‘weekend warriors’ are familiar with shin splints. A shin splint is a common term for any pain along the shin bone or tibia, which is the bone running down the front of your leg between your kneecap and your foot. Like knee injuries, shin splints can occur due to a failure to warm up. Others develop shin splints simply from running or playing sports on hard surfaces – like a basketball court or concrete running path.
Fractures: Sports are filled with repetitive impacts, and these repetitive impacts can lead to fractures. Some athletes also develop fractures from a one-time impact – say, a particularly hard fall. Stress fractures can seem minor at first, but they can easily develop into a more serious issue.
Back Pain: Many athletes develop back pain because of subluxations, herniated discs, and fractures. Unlike other injuries listed here, which only target one part of your body, back pain can impact every part of your body – and back pain rarely gets better on its own.
Neck Pain: When most people think of whiplash, they think of car accidents and similar traumatic events. However, athletes at all levels can get whiplash. A single impact can cause whiplash – like a hard hit in a contact spot. Or, multiple smaller impacts over time can cause whiplash.
Concussions and Head Trauma: Concussions are tricky, and they affect people in different ways. Some people recover quickly from concussions, while others suffer serious neurological damage. Concussions can occur in both contact sports and non-contact sports.
MCL and ACL Injuries: MCL and ACL tears can affect all types of athletes. The ACL and MCL are two of the crucial ligaments for your knee. When these ligaments tear – say, by sudden movement or repetitive movements – it can lead to significant pain and mobility issues.
These are just a few of the common injuries experienced by athletes at all levels. Athletes can also experience swollen muscles, Achilles tendon injuries, dislocations, and countless other issues.
Fortunately for athletes, chiropractor have a proven ability to help manage these injuries and help athletes recover.
How Chiropractors Help Treat Sport Related Injuries
Chiropractors tackle sports injuries in different ways. A good chiropractor analyzes the patient’s issue, then recommends a customized treatment protocol based on that analysis.
Chiropractors can alleviate sports injuries in several ways. Some use sports massages to target pain and swelling in the targeted area. If an area has recently been injured, for example, then a sports massage can help.
Some of the recommended treatments chiropractors use include:
Chiropractic Adjustments: Most chiropractic care revolves around the use of adjustments, which are gentle spinal manipulations that realign vertebrae and help alleviate sports injury pain. The chiropractor manually adjusts the vertebrae to restore vital functions and relieve pressure from injured areas, helping patients heal more quickly.
Spinal Decompression: Spinal decompression can help athletes manage bulging or herniated discs, among other back and body issues.
Flexion Distraction: Flexion distraction can also address bulging and herniated discs among athletes.
Physiotherapy Techniques: Chiropractic clinics are equipped with physiotherapy systems. A chiropractor could use cold laser therapy, ultrasound, electric stimulation, and other techniques to target swelling, muscle pain, and other sports injury issues.
Every Major Pro Sports Team Employs a Chiropractor
With few exceptions, every major sports team in North America employs a chiropractor. All National Football League teams and most Major League Baseball teams have a chiropractor. Most National Hockey League teams employ a team chiropractor, as do most National Basketball Association teams.
Chiropractors must be doing something right – and that’s why many athletes depend on chiropractic care to perform at the highest levels.
Schedule a Free Sports Injury Chiropractic Consultation in Lakewood, CO Today
Schedule a free sports injury chiropractic consultation with Renew Chiropractic in Lakewood, Colorado today.
We’re a leading chiropractor clinic in the Denver area, and we have proven expertise providing chiropractic care to athletes of all levels.