Chiropractic Care for Athletes: Keeping Student Athletes One Step Ahead of the Game
As another season of sports is gearing up and while securing the right equipment and fan merch is important, your main concern is the health and risk of injury for your young athlete. It is estimated more than 3.5 million children under 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries every year. Some injuries cannot be avoided, however there are steps you can take to lower your young athlete’s chance for injury. Ensuring good nutrition, wearing proper equipment and having a well-check visit before playing is good advice, however visiting your chiropractor can be of benefit too. It is estimated that 90% of world class athletes, including all NFL teams, incorporate chiropractic visits as part of their training regimen.
Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Athletes
If your spine is working smoothly, the body’s overall performance increases. Improper spinal alignment forces muscles to compensate for the misalignment and can increase nerve pressure.
Chiropractic treatment improves flexibility and range of motion, thus athletes who see a chiropractor have more effective training with less time being missed due to pain or injuries.
If an injury or pain occurs, chiropractic treatment is done without the use of drugs and many times avoiding surgery. Soft tissue techniques increase mobility and relaxation in the tissue, decrease lactic acid and improve blood flow. Inflammation can be decreased with laser treatment.
Which Athletes Can Benefit?
AGE – anyone who is active, regardless of age, will benefit from chiropractic care. In fact, with an estimated 30 million children participating in organized sports, this group should be encouraged to see a chiropractor. Most college and many high school athletic departments are including a chiropractor as part of their training.
TYPE OF SPORT – it does not matter what sport a person is playing to see a benefit. Contact sports are not the only ones demanding on the spine. In fact, most non-contact sports require the body to do repetitive motions which the body generally is not trained to do causing repetitive strain injuries (RSI).
LEVEL – it is clear why professional athletes benefit, however even first time athletes will too. Many young athletes lack advanced training and have an increased chance of injury or pain. Seeing a chiropractor before participating can help prevent injury or pain from occurring.
Childhood and adolescence are critical times for the development of bones and chiropractors are trained to treat the entire neuromusculoskeletal system. Start your children one step ahead of the game with a chiropractic visit, they will help keep their body balanced, flexible and perform at an optimal level safely.
Also, if you suspect an injury, it is important to seek treatment immediately as trauma inflected in sports is not always visible and can lead to more severe injuries.
Hamilton County Indiana’s Creekside Chiropractic serves youth athletes from the following areas: Carmel, Westfield, Noblesville, Zionsville, Lebanon, Tipton, Sheridan and the surrounding.
Book your youth athletes appointment today.
