Although most commonly associated with helping with back pain, there are many different reasons why people choose to visit a chiropractor. Sports injuries are just one.
If you have ever participated in sport on either an amateur or professional level, you’ll know that the risk of experiencing an injury is fairly high. Most sporting activities require pushing our bodies above and beyond their usual day-to-day movement. Whether it’s a single event or wear and tear caused by repeatedly working our body to the limit, the damage that can occur usually affects the musculoskeletal system – the network of bones, muscles, and connective tissues that enable us to stand and move.>
The effects of an injury can vary significantly, from a minor sprain or strain that heals quite quickly, to a serious problem like a muscle tear or broken bone, which could take weeks if not months of recovery time. Healing and recovering from any injury requires you to take time out of your chosen sport so that your body can rest. Chiropractic treatment is just one technique that can help to accelerate the recovery of a patient following a sports injury. Here are a few other benefits of chiropractic care for sports injuries.
Whether you are a serious athlete or you play sport for fun, you’ll naturally want to try and heal from your injury as quickly as possible – particularly if your injury is affecting your quality of life. One of the biggest benefits of chiropractic care for sports injuries is that it can help accelerate the healing process so that you can get back to normal rapidly. Spinal realignment helps all of your body systems work more effectively. It does this by removing pressure on the spinal cord, which is a key element of the central nervous system. When your spine is properly aligned it enables oxygen and nutrients to reach the damaged area and heal it more quickly. This process also helps to reduce inflammation, which in turn eases pain and stiffness that may be affecting your quality of life.
If you suffer from an injury, you will almost certainly experience some discomfort or even significant pain. Many people who take painkillers quickly find that they become dependent on them to function every day. Fortunately, chiropractic treatment can naturally reduce your pain. Again, this is largely down to improved circulation, but chiropractic treatment also triggers the body to release its own pain-relieving hormones, counteracting both inflammation and discomfort. Many patients who undergo chiropractic treatment for injuries find that they don’t need to take pain medications whatsoever.
A large percentage of patients who have suffered an injury find that it has a direct impact on their ability to move around freely and comfortably. As we know, chiropractic treatment helps to reduce inflammation, and this can quickly improve your range of motion again so that you can perform your usual day-to-day movements and return to your chosen sporting activity quickly.
Although sporting injuries are very common, there are things that you can do to reduce your risk. Your chiropractor has extensive knowledge of the musculoskeletal system and will be able to identify any areas of your body that are likely to be prone to injury. They can also recommend treatments and exercises which will strengthen the weaker areas, making you less likely to get hurt – for example, adjusting your warmup and cool-down techniques to ensure that they are effective. By balancing and strengthening your body, not only are you at less risk of suffering an injury, but you are also conditioning your body to perform at its very best every time.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of chiropractic care for sports injuries, or to schedule your chiropractic appointment, please call our team at Valley Spinal Care in Scottsdale, Arizona at (602) 788-4200 today or in Phoenix, Arizona at (602) 368 3578.
