3 Ways Chiropractic Can Help With Sports Injuries
For an athlete, injuries are one of the worst things imaginable.
Many sports injuries can leave athletes sidelined for months, if not longer. In some cases, certain sports injuries can even put an athlete out of commission forever.
In this article, we will review the three top ways in which chiropractic care can help athletes with regard to sports injuries.
The Benefits and Risks of Sports Participation
Sports provide many potential benefits to athletes. For instance, athletes develop discipline, strong bodies, and self-confidence.
For most people, these benefits far outweigh the risks inherent in sports.
While you may be able to point to some different risks that result from sports participation, the most obvious risk is that of injury. Depending on the sport, participants may suffer from cuts, bruises, broken bones, concussions, or spinal cord injuries, to name a few.
Obviously, some of these injuries can be prevented through simple methods and can be easily treated as well. In fact, chiropractic care provides 3 major ways in which athletes can avoid and overcome sports injuries
Top Three Ways Chiropractic Care Can Help With Sports Injuries
There are many different ways in which chiropractors can help athletes. Here are the top three!
#1 Chiropractic Care Can Improve Coordination
To varying degrees, every sport requires some level of coordination. Coordination comes from having a solid connection between the nervous system and the muscles being used for the task. There are many parts of the brain and spinal cord that can assist with coordination.
That being said, all impulses that travel to and from the brain must go through the spinal cord. If the spinal cord is unable to efficiently transmit these signals, coordination can suffer.
For this reason, chiropractors focus on improving spinal alignment. By putting the spine into the optimal position through manipulations and other treatments, athletes can often avoid injury by virtue of moving with improved coordination.
#2 Chiropractic Care Can Decrease Pain
All pain is processed by the central nervous system. For example, if you stub your toe, this impulse of pain travels along your nerves, through your spinal cord, all the way to the brain. From there, your brain has to decide how to react to this signal. Therefore, after receiving information from the injured tissue, a new signal has to then travel in the opposite direction, from your brain to your toe.
When the spine is not conveying these signals as well as it should, people often experience higher levels of pain and decreased healing capabilities. Therefore, by correcting misalignments in the spine, chiropractors can help athletes heal from painful conditions.
#3 Chiropractic Care Can Increase Range of Motion
After an injury, one of the most obvious limitations is usually range of motion. For instance, when an athlete injures his or her shoulder, he or she will often have trouble moving said shoulder through a complete range of motion.
On the flip side, decreased range of motion can often predispose athletes to a higher risk of injury.
For both preventative maintenance and rehab, chiropractic treatments are the perfect option. These spinal adjustments bring the spine back to optimal alignment and allow associated joints to travel through a further range.
Are you struggling with a sports injury that doesn’t seem to heal, no matter what you do? Alternatively, are you looking for ways to decrease your risk of injury in your chosen sport? If you answered yes to either or both of these questions, it’s time for you to visit your Noblesville chiropractor at Anchor Health Chiropractic. We are experts in all things related to sports injuries, and we would love to help you today. Schedule your first appointment today!
