Can a chiropractor help with sports injuries?

Chiropractors specialize in treating disorders of the musculoskeletal system. They use several techniques to treat common ailments arising from musculoskeletal disorders, including widespread back pain, leg pain, neck pain, arm pain, headaches, sacroiliac joint pain, and repetitive strain injuries.

Chiropractic care can also be beneficial for the treatment and prevention of sports injuries. This article will explain how a chiropractor can help you recover from a sports injury or make adjustments that reduce the risk of future injury.

How do sports injuries occur?

Although playing sports can be a lot of fun and good for your health, it does come with some risks. It is common for people who play sports like football or rugby to injure their joints or even get concussions. Even non-contact sports that are perceived as less dangerous can cause injury if participants do not warm up properly. Most sports injuries arise from:

• Blunt Impacts When participants bump into each other, they can cause bruises, concussions, sprains, and other injuries. These types of injuries are particularly common in soccer, rugby, ice hockey, and basketball. Blunt impact injuries are even possible while playing non-contact sports like volleyball and squash, as players can collide with each other.
• Repetitive movements Certain sports and forms of exercise require participants to perform repetitive movements, which can lead to injury. Sports such as rowing, cycling, and running are often associated with these types of injuries.
• about training Athletes who do not spend enough time recovering between sessions are at increased risk of overexertion injuries to muscles or joints.
• Not heating properly Failure to warm up is one of the most common causes of injury.

How Chiropractic Care Can Treat Sports Injuries

Here are some of the ways chiropractic care can resolve sports injuries:

Spinal Realignment After Neck Injury

Neck injuries are quite common among athletes who play very physical sports like rugby and basketball. Neck muscle strains and whiplash injuries can cause swelling around the neck along with pain and inflammation. A chiropractor can make some gentle adjustments to restore motion and relieve neck pain.

Pinched Nerves

A pinched nerve occurs when a nerve is compressed by ligaments, tendons, or bone. This type of injury often occurs as a result of repetitive movements or overtraining. A chiropractor can help by readjusting the alignment of your bones to relieve pressure on the nerve.

Muscle tension

Chiropractors can work with soft tissue strains, helping to restore motion and relieve pain. Some chiropractors will use kinesio tape to support tight muscles, reduce inflammation and recurring mobility. The Graston technique, heat therapy, and active release therapy can also be used to heal muscle injuries caused by playing sports.

Back pain

Back pain is a very common sports injury. It is associated with many sports, such as rowing, tennis, and rugby. A chiropractor can help you deal with back injuries by realigning your spine in a way that relieves pain and restores mobility.

Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow

These conditions are caused by repetitive movements such as swinging a tennis racket or golf club hundreds of times. A chiropractor can provide treatments to help you regain mobility in the affected joint.

How Chiropractic Care Helps You Avoid Sports Injuries

A chiropractor can not only help you treat sports injuries, they can also help you avoid them by making sure your musculoskeletal system is in proper alignment. Some of the benefits of a properly aligned musculoskeletal system include:

• Less body wear When your joints are in alignment, you can prevent unnecessary wear and tear while playing sports. This means less stress on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
• better balance Correct alignment of the musculoskeletal system can improve your balance and athleticism, reducing the risk of falls and joint injuries.
• better flexibility Your flexibility will also improve by visiting a chiropractor regularly. This translates into greater agility on the sports field, helping to avoid collisions and resulting sports injuries.
• better muscle performance Having the joints properly aligned makes it easier to harness the strength in the muscles. You will have great control over your strength, which helps you avoid injury.