One of the most important things an athlete can do for their performance is to stay healthy. Injury prevention, and management of injuries when they do happen, is vital to performance both at the amateur and professional level. In this blog we'll take a deeper look at how chiropractic care fits into the wider picture of health for athletes and helps them perform at their best. At Tarry Chiropractic, we strive to help active individuals heal from injury and prevent injury by identifying biomechanical imbalances and stabilizing the joints of the spine and extremities.
Professional Athletes
Professional athletes in all sports utilize chiropractic care frequently. All 32 NFL teams have chiropractors on staff, and 30 MLB teams currently use chiropractors. For professional athletes, their livelihood depends on their ability to perform, and it's a world in which you can be quickly replaced if your performance dips. Adjustments, passive therapies, and active rehabilitation are all ways that chiropractors can help athletes recover from injuries and prevent them for the future. Athletes bodies are under a tremendous amount of stress, and providing as many avenues of care to their players directly affects team performance.
Each sport has a unique list of things it demands of the body. Football, although heavily dependent on the specific player's position, creates repetitive impacts on the body. Conversely, golf requires athletes to put significant tension on their back and hips in a rotational manner. Baseball puts most stress on the joints of the upper extremity in the athlete's throwing arm. The underlying theme here is that the joints these athletes use need to be moving properly to function at their peak performance and prevent injury.
Injury Prevention
Injury prevention is an important part of chiropractic care for athletes. One study looked at the reinjury rate of inversion ankle sprains, and found that "43% of acute ankle sprains in volleyball athletes occurred in those who had previously suffered the same injury." Therefore, one of the best things chiropractors can do is help athletes prevent injury in the first place. Identifying joints of the spine and extremities that are susceptible to injury and helping strengthen and stabilize those joints is crucial to our role in sports medicine.
The Olympics
The Paris Olympics are right around the corner, and it's as good a time as any to look at how chiropractors fit into the overall health team of the athletes that participate. Chiropractors are a part of the United States Olympic training staff, and work with other providers – medical doctors, physical therapists, athletic trainers, massage therapists, etc. to provide comprehensive care for those at the top of the mountain in their respective sports. The USA Track and Field team is bringing two chiropractors with them to Paris in just a couple weeks. They will help the members of team USA perform at their best while under the highest level of stress and against the best competition in the world.
Amateurs and Weekend Warriors
Professionals aren't the only ones who can benefit from chiropractic care! Amateurs who are trying to maximize performance, weekend warriors who are recovering from an injury, or even the occasional pickleball player can all benefit from chiropractic care. It's important to understand your body, especially your own particular weak points, and address them before the injury happens. We'd love to help you however we can – give us a call or schedule an appointment and we'll take a detailed look at your needs and come up with the best plan to prevent injury or help you recover from whatever you're dealing with!