Category: Athletes

Individualized Sports Strengthening Programs

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Sports Chiropractic Sports Medicine: A Key Component of Your Fitness Regime

At Dynamic Sports Medicine, our patients are dedicated to a regular, vigorous exercise routine aimed at maintaining good health. This includes enjoying benefits like boosted cardiovascular health, high-quality sleep, improved bone density, and firmed muscle tone.

Yet, many fitness enthusiasts like runners and cyclists often grapple with aches and pains that hamper their active lifestyle. Common ailments include plantar fasciitis, tight hamstrings, and pain in the lower back, shoulder, or knee.

How Our Chiropractic Sports Medicine Can Help

Our aim is to keep you physically active and injury-free. We provide adjustments and evaluations for when you’re injured, but our services extend beyond that. We prescribe bespoke exercise techniques and sports strengthening programs built around your individual body type and fitness goals.

Your Individualized Sports Strengthening Program with Dynamic Sports Medicine

Our comprehensive sports chiropractic consultation results in your own targeted sports strengthening program – just one component of our many services. We offer physical evaluations of posture and strength, body alignment guidance, nutritional counseling, and stretches and exercises tailored to you and your routine.

These programs aim to support your exercise regime by relieving tight muscles, reducing chronic pains, and improving range-of-motion issues. Many athletes incorporating our regular chiropractic care into their fitness regime have reported a decrease in pain, a lower risk of future injuries, and additional benefits such as improved digestion, circulation, and neurological function.

Let Dynamic Sports Medicine design an individualized sports strengthening program to optimize your workouts, making them more satisfying and less painful.

Frequent Knee Injuries & How To Prevent Them

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The knee is the largest, and possibly most complex, joint in the body. It is where all of the major bones of the leg join together with ligaments, cartilage, and tendons to facilitate movement by allowing the leg to bend.  

Because it has numerous moving parts and performs so many weight-bearing functions, the knee is prone to multiple types of athletic injuries, especially in sports like soccer, football, basketball, and volleyball where sudden stopping, starting, pivoting, and cutting is often required during play. Runners, skiers, and gymnasts are also at increased risk.

Overuse injuries from repetitive motions and natural wear and tear to the joint can result in general knee pain and stiffness, along with worn-down cartilage, meniscus or tendon tears, and tendonitis. These types of injuries not only make it uncomfortable to participate in your sport but can eventually make it difficult to climb stairs or get up from a seated position. 

Acute injuries to the knee, such as fractures, dislocations, and ligament injuries, tend to be associated with more traumatic events like awkward landings or a direct impact with another player or the ground and can have an immediate impact on mobility.  

While some of these injuries will immediately or eventually require surgery, many knee complaints can be addressed through chiropractic care, especially if caught soon enough. That’s because proper body alignment plays a key role in knee function and overall body mechanics. 

Oftentimes, knee pain and injury don’t even originate in the knee but are a result of a limited range of motion in the hips and/or lower back that places undue strain on the knee joints. Correcting misalignments or lack of flexibility in these areas can relieve the stress on the knees, reduce pain, and prevent further pain and injury. On the flip side, pain that originates in the knee may cause an athlete to compensate in ways that create misalignments (and pain) elsewhere in the body.  

These minor discomforts, when ignored, can end up becoming major problems. Often, patients report experiencing escalating or off/on pain for months or even years before finally tearing a meniscus, ACL, or facing another injury requiring surgical intervention. It’s best to have knee pain seen about right away.

The thorough assessment and diagnostic methods utilized in sports chiropractic can be useful in not only pinpointing the source of the pain — whether in the knee or elsewhere in the body — but also in formulating an appropriate treatment plan. 

Your chiropractor may suggest: 

* Xrays or other imaging
* Spine or knee adjustment to ensure everything is properly aligned
* Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) and/or soft tissue massage to reduce inflammation and increase blood flow to the area
* Deep tissue or trigger point therapy to reinforce mobilization
* Stretching and strengthening exercises to encourage flexibility and stability

If surgery is required, sports chiropractic can complement orthopedic efforts as an important part of rehabilitation during the post-op period. Many of the same therapies used on patients who don’t need surgery are extremely effective at alleviating pain (and limiting the need for prescription medications,) and reducing healing time. Furthermore, chiropractic rehab focuses on strengthening and stabilizing the knees to prevent future injury. 

Even for athletes who currently have no pain, sports chiropractic can help keep it that way.  When included as part of a regular training program, chiropractic therapies are extremely effective at both reducing the likelihood of injury and optimizing performance.

Sports chiropractic is increasingly an athlete’s first stop when experiencing pain during training or play. If you’re dealing with knee pain, whether new or old, mild or severe, contact Dynamic Sports Medicine for an evaluation.  

 

Common Ankle Injuries

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Ankle pain and injury can happen to anyone whether you’re an athlete or not, but 25 percent of sports injuries are foot and ankle related. These types of injuries are common for those participating in sports like basketball, soccer, football, dancing, and other running-and-jumping activities and include:

*Strains and sprains
*Achilles tendonitis/tears
*Plantar fasciitis
*Stress fractures
*Fractures

In soccer alone, ankle sprains and foot fractures are some of the most common injuries sidelining players at all levels. 

While you can twist your ankle stepping off a curb or on other uneven surfaces, the speed, and force involved in athletic ankle injuries often make them much more severe, so it’s important that they are diagnosed properly and treated correctly. 

When they aren’t, chronic pain and even disability can occur — and not just in the foot!

An ankle that does not heal and function properly can affect mobility and gait, requiring compensation from other parts of the body, leading to misalignments and discomfort in the knee, hip, and back as well. The resultant pain can affect not only your participation in your athletic pursuits but the way you walk and perform everyday tasks.

While it’s always a good idea to initially rest an injured ankle, painful foot, or other body parts, it’s also important to find out what’s wrong with it. Sports chiropractic uses a variety of diagnostic tools, including x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans to thoroughly assess the source of the pain and determine the cause. Once any swelling goes now, a chiropractor can manually evaluate the foot for injury-related misalignments that will prevent complete healing or might have led to the injury in the first place. 

Sports chiropractic is great for helping to reduce pain and speed healing without prescription medications and the many side effects that often come with them. Instead, chiropractic uses a variety of proven techniques such as electrical muscle stimulation, cold laser therapy, Pulsed Electro Magnetic Field therapy (PEMF), Kinetisense Technology, and stretch therapy to initiate and boost the body’s natural healing processes. 

These rehabilitation therapies complement manipulations that may be needed on the ankle to encourage greater stability, strength, mobility, and flexibility that not only will assist in complete healing but could help to prevent injuries in the future. 

Sports chiropractic routinely identifies misalignments in the body that might have contributed to a weakened ankle structure, as well as other misalignments that resulted from a recurring ankle injury or chronic ankle pain. It’s amazing how often knee, hip, and back pain is related to the original ankle injury, or vice versa, and addressing one can lead to relief in all areas. 

Treating sports injuries quickly and properly is the best way to get you back in the game, but a strong focus on injury prevention is key. Regular sports chiropractic is a non-invasive, extremely effective means of both treating and preventing ankle pain and injury. Specialized expertise in body mechanics, nutrition, and conditioning allows sports chiropractors at Dynamic Sports Medicine to help athletes keep athletes injury-free while optimizing performance through improved range of motion, flexibility, and strength. 

 

Sports Chiropractic for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common problem resulting from compression of the median nerve inside the carpal tunnel, a passageway comprised of ligaments, tendon, and bones that leads from the hand to the wrist. This path provides sensation and strength to the thumb and first three fingers. 

When the nerve becomes compressed due to irritation, inflammation, or damage, it can cause numbness, tingling, pain, and/or weakness in the hand, particularly with motions involving the thumb.  The discomfort experienced varies based on the severity of the condition and can affect grip strength, the ability to grasp an object, and the ability to form a fist.  

Carpal tunnel is most often seen in athletes like cyclists, pitchers, gymnasts, and those in grip-dependent sports like golf or tennis, who put continual stress on the ligaments in the wrist. It can also be caused by injury to the hand or wrist, water retention, and certain health conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, pregnancy, and alcoholism. 

Whatever the cause, pain from carpal tunnel syndrome can be severe enough to dramatically affect your ability to stay involved in your sport.

The key to avoiding long-term damage, surgery, and the possibility of having to abandon certain athletic pursuits is having your carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosed quickly, treated appropriately, and followed up with preventive measures to limit future pain or recurrence.

How Dynamic Sports Medicine Can Help 

Sports chiropractic is not only able to properly diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome but to evaluate an athlete’s technique, equipment, lifestyle, and other factors that make him or her more prone to the condition.  As with some other sports injuries, identifying specific causes leading to undue stress on wrists, such as poorly padded handlebars or improperly fitted racquets or clubs, allows sports chiropractors to make recommendations to help with the issue. 

In addition, as specialists in nerve entrapment syndromes, chiropractors can provide gentle but effective manipulation of the wrist, hand and even the elbow to relieve pressure on the median nerve, as well as determine if misalignment elsewhere in the spine could be contributing to nerve compression in the wrist. 

Often we prescribe massage therapy or other of our effective modalities designed to reduce inflammation, pain, and numbness through the relaxation of constricted fascial tissues that contribute to compression.

Specialized exercises designed to reduce pressure on the median nerve and strengthen surrounding muscle tissues can help relieve symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and assist in rehabilitation. 

Recovery time varies based on the severity of the pain and the length of time the nerve has been trapped, but even in cases requiring surgery, sports chiropractic can speed recovery time and offer more complete healing of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Contact Dynamic Sports Medicine today if you have symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and start on the sports road to recovery. 

What is Fascia and Myofascial Release?

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Myofascial Release

A massage is always nice after a long day or hard workout, but did you know a massage can improve overall body function and protect it from injury?  If it’s Myofascial it can! Myofascial release is a highly targeted form of massage aimed not at the muscles in general, but at the body’s fascia, the stretchy, web-like film that covers and separates every muscle in the body.

Found directly between the skin and muscle, fascia should be flexible and stringy, as well as very strong. Its purpose is to provide structural support to the body and protection to your muscles, while still allowing for free and easy movement.

Over time, however, the deepest fascial layers can become distorted, thick and non-pliable as the result of several factors, such as daily activity — or lack thereof — posture (standing and sitting,) flexibility and repetitive motions. Distortions in the fascia lead to pulled muscles, spasms, pain around the joints, and limited mobility, as well as more severe conditions like frozen shoulder, tennis/golf elbow, plantar fasciitis, knee pain, and tension headaches.

Here’s how: When one part of the body is not working efficiently, another will compensate. If your shoulders ache from being hunched over a desk all day, your lower back may take on some of the load of lifting those weights or grocery bags. Overly tight hamstrings cause the quadriceps muscles to do the work the hamstrings are unable to. When this happens, fascia thickens to protect the improperly utilized muscle from overstretching or injury.

This chronic stress to the fascial fibers causes them to lose some of their natural shape, texture and flexibility, eventually limiting mobility and causing pain during activity.

Constricted fascia is a common side effect of both active and sedentary lifestyles, and can be addressed through a chiropractic evaluation of posture and body alignment, combined with specific stretching exercises and myofascial release.

At Dynamic Sports Medicine, we specialize in the most advanced sports therapy and myofascial release techniques available today, Fascial Distortion Model (FDM), Active Release Technique (ART), Cupping, Dry Needling, and Graston Technique.

Our more physically active patients find it useful in both the treatment and prevention of injuries, while my more sedentary, desk-bound patients can improve their posture and circulation for more all-day comfort.  Almost all notice an immediate improvement in pain level, flexibility and mobility.

Come see us to learn more about myofascial release and how it can improve your overall body function.

Exercises to Alleviate Pain from Plantar Fasciitis

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Plantar fasciitis is a disorder of the connective tissue (fascia) that reaches from the heel of the foot to the toes. While its primary job is to support the arch of the foot, it also helps determine a person’s balance and gait. When it becomes overstretched or inflamed it can cause varying degrees of pain in the heel and the bottom of the foot on impact with the ground, particularly when first bearing weight after a period of rest. 

Several things can cause the condition, including long-distance running and other exercises that place a lot of stress on the heel area, individual foot mechanics, ill-fitting shoes, obesity, and age.  Plantar fasciitis generally comes on gradually, is fairly self diagnosable, and treatable with rest and conservative therapies that don’t further stress or stretch the plantar fascia. 

Following are some recommend exercises if you suffer from plantar fasciitis.

Foot Flexion

These gentle movements can be done before ever getting out of bed to help ease top-of-the-morning pain. Lying on your back, slowly flex the foot and toes back toward your face, and hold them in that position for three to five seconds. Repeat multiple times to help loosen up the heel end of the fascial tissues that may have tightened overnight. This can also be done from a chair before getting up after long periods of sitting. 

Toe Extensions

From the same prostrate or seated position, try to curl your toes inward toward the balls of your feet as tightly as you can before unrolling them and spreading the toes apart as wide as they’ll go. This stretches the upper part of the band. 

Foot Rocks

Upon standing, but before walking, grab onto support and gently rock back and forth from heel to toe to increase blood flow to the area and loosen up constricted tissues. Remember, the condition partly comes from the band being overstretched and not offering necessary support, so the goal is not to go super high onto the tips of the toes, but simply to achieve a gentle rocking motion. 

Toe Pick-ups

From a seated position, place pencils, marbles, or other small objects on the floor and attempt to pick them up with your toes and hold them for a few seconds before dropping them again. This is a more active version of the toe extensions discussed above and is good for strengthening the fascial band. 

Calf Stretches

Because the plantar fascia connects to the calf at the back of the foot, pain from plantar fasciitis often extends into the calf, and vice versa. Stretching the calf muscle can help relieve pain in both areas. A gentle way to stretch the calf is to stand on a step or curb, and let your heel hang off the back. Make sure that the edge of the step is not placing pressure on the arch of the foot and that you are holding onto something or someone for balance. 

Remember that these movements are intended to be gentle so as not to further stress the plantar fascia and lengthen healing time. For this reason, deep massage, which is often helpful for other fascial pain, is not a good idea for plantar fasciitis. Mild rubbing or comfortably rolling the foot over a massage ball or muscle roller can help smooth out constrictions and relieve pain, but intense pressure to the area is not advised.  

Even though pain is more likely to occur after physical activity than during, temporarily discontinue exercise that places stress on the heel or that further aggravates the injury. Rest, ice, and conservative therapies are best.  

If you would like help diagnosing or treating plantar fasciitis, we at Dynamic Sports Medicine are here for you. We can show you which of the above exercises are best for you and the correct way to do them, as well as offer adjustments and other therapies, pain management techniques, and imaging to speed healing and reduce your risk of future injury. 

Don’t let foot pain keep you down. Call us today. 

The Importance of Strong Ankles

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Targeted Exercises for Strength & Balance

When trying to reach peak physical fitness and prevent sports-related injuries, an often overlooked area of concern is the ankle. 

In fact, unless you’re actually experiencing pain, it’s easy to forget what a huge role the muscles supporting the ankles play in practically all physical activity. 

As one of the body’s most major weight-bearing structures, the musculature of the ankle affects the ability to perform activities like running, jumping, and balancing, as well as the likelihood of developing a variety of lower leg injuries, such as ankle sprains and strains, shin splints, Achilles heel tendonitis, and associated discomfort in the calf and foot. Having strong ankles can also reduce the likelihood of painful rolling of the joint from falls, slips, and trips, and improper landings, that, once they occur, are more likely to happen again. 

The multiple muscles that cross the ankle work together (or not) to enhance mobility as well as stability, so it’s important to regularly challenge them for strength and balance.

While often the appropriate ankle exercise depends on the athlete’s preferred activity and current pain situation, there are many helpful exercises you can easily add to your routine. Aim to do three sets of 10 reps each, even if you have to work up to that. 

Standing Heel Raises
This one is as easy as it sounds. Stand with your feet hip-width distance apart in front of a counter, banister, or other stabilizing surface and slowly raise yourself onto the balls of your feet and back down. This should be a controlled movement to fully lengthen and contract the muscles of the ankles and calves.

Single-Leg Balance
Start by standing on one foot on a hard, stable surface for 30 seconds at a time. If that proves to be too easy, move to a carpeted area or another soft surface to increase the challenge, eventually trying to stand one-footed on a balance board, Bosu ball, or another less stable surface. Additional challenges include tossing and catching a ball in the air while balancing one-footed, or tossing a ball to and from a workout partner while in the same position. It is common to have better balance on one foot than the other. If this is the case with you, work the less stable foot for an additional set. 

Squat Jumps
This one adds some intensity but is great for strengthening not only the ankles but the hamstrings, quads, and glutes as well. Standing with your feet hip-width apart, slowly lower to a full squat, and then jump straight up with fully extended legs and pointed toes before landing again in a squat position. This can also be done on a balance board or ball without actually leaving the ground. Just push up with force from a full squat to a standing position while working to maintain balance. 

Rehabbing the Ankle
If you already have ankle pain, it’s important to begin with non-weight-bearing exercises that improve range of motion and mobility. These can be done while lying supine on the floor or on a mat. 

Ankle Rotations
With the resting leg bent and the foot flat on the floor, extend the working leg toward the ceiling. Slowly rotate the foot/ankle in a clockwise position 10 times, followed by a counter-clockwise rotation the same number of times. Switch legs and repeat. 

Dorsiflexion/Plantar flexion
With the legs stretched out in front of you, point the toes with intention, holding the position for two-five seconds before relaxing again.

 Follow that by a series of foot flexes, pulling the toes back toward the nose and holding two-five seconds before relaxing. 

Ankle Inversion/Eversion
Lying on your back with your legs straight and hip-distance apart, engage the ankles muscles by rotating the ankles/feet inwards toward each other. Hold this inverted position for two-five seconds before relaxing. 

In the same position, evert your ankles by turning them away from each other, holding the outward turned position for several seconds before relaxing.

While ankle pain is common with many athletes, if you have constant or recurring ankle pain there may be something bigger going on. Improper body alignment, myofascial dysfunction near the ankle muscles, or undiagnosed injuries should be addressed before starting or continuing a targeted exercise program. If you are experiencing ankle pain in spite of regular strengthening and balance work, contact Dynamic Sports Medicine for evaluation.   

Nutrition for Athletes: Before & After a Workout

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Proper nutrition for athletes is necessary when preparing for an endurance event to ensure you have the energy and strength to train effectively, perform on event day, and maintain immunity during the rigor of regular intense athletic pursuits. 

Nutrition for athletes must include all of the macronutrients:

  • Complex carbohydrates — whole-grain bread, oatmeal, sweet potato
  • Complete proteins — eggs, salmon, chicken, leafy greens
  • Healthy fats — avocados, oils, nuts, and seeds

Amounts of each will vary depending on individual metabolism and the length and intensity of the day’s training, so it’s important to experiment on what combination works for you. Generally, you should aim for a 60:15:25 carb:protein: fat ratio.

When you eat can be as important to consider as what you eat.

What to Eat Before a Workout

Carbs are easier to digest than proteins and fats, so their ratio should be higher in meals and snacks eaten before a workout.  Allow adequate time for digestion to prevent body systems from competing (the body’s focus is on your workout instead of digestion.) Don’t forget that carbs have a tendency to get stored as fat if not utilized properly, so don’t go overboard unless planning a particularly intense session.

What to Eat After a Workout

Your body is most receptive to the replenishment of glycogen reserves in the time period immediately following your workout. Consuming some simple carbs and proteins within the first hour will aid in muscle recovery and prepare your body for your next session. Avoid empty simples like sweets and juices in favor of fiber-rich whole fruits. Adding in a handful of nuts or some other healthy fats helps replenish lost energy.

While it can be tempting to indulge in junk foods after an intense workout, it’s not a good idea to do so regularly. Your body gets more efficient as you get deeper into your training and you’ll begin to burn fewer calories with the same workout over time.  Junk foods with their empty calories will neither help you perform nor recover.

What to Eat the Day of an Event or Competition

Everyone is different, so it may take some experimentation to determine how you perform after certain food and supplement combinations. By focusing on sports nutrition early in the training process, you’ll have time to fully understand your body’s needs and responses to foods and better know how you should eat in the days leading up to your endurance event.

Some like to carb load the whole day prior, while others prefer a carb-heavy breakfast and lunch followed by a light dinner. Work to determine your best combination of fiber, fat, and protein to keep you satiated, but not so full that you can’t get a good night’s sleep.

On event day, sports nutritionists generally recommend a light, easy-to-digest breakfast that packs an energy punch. Whole grain toast or a bagel with peanut butter and a banana, for example. 

The Big Finish

After the big event, what your body needs for recovery will be determined by the intensity of your experience, the weather, and how effective your training program ending up being. In general, your first goal should be to consume a light snack comprised of carbs and protein aimed at initiating your immediate recovery needs.  A recovery drink or shake may do the trick.

Your body will be working to rebound from the exertion of the event and will thank you for saving any heavy meals for several hours after completion.

Food is both fuel and medicine.  Nutrient-dense foods and snacks eaten in the right combination and at the right time throughout your training can effectively prepare you for — and help you recover from — your endurance athletic events. Make sports nutrition a priority component of your training.

DSM is a Safe Place to go for Care

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Fear of contracting covid-19 in the doctor’s office or other healthcare facility waiting room has resulted in an alarming trend.  Many patients are foregoing medical care even when they need it, instead, deciding that their pain isn’t worth the risk of going into the doctor.

But this can be a big mistake. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong, and the longer you wait to have it evaluated, the worse the pain may get, even resulting in compensation injuries to other areas. While minor aches, pains, and muscle stiffness can often be treated with rest, ice, or epsom salt soaks, certain conditions like sciatica, acute pain from a new sports injury, or chronic pain from an existing injury, absolutely require an in-person visit, particularly if the pain radiates down the leg or causes numbness or tingling in the extremities.

At Dynamic Sports Medicine, we are working even harder to ensure your health and safety during this time while still providing you with the most advanced sports medicine technology and treatment methods available. Our enhanced safety protocols allow us to continue with our hands-on treatments and also minimize risk to both patients and staff.

While your wellness is always our top priority, we are currently:

* seeing patients by appointment only to prevent overcrowding in the office and to allow adequate time to disinfect our already-spotless common areas and treatment rooms between patients.
* routinely screening staff and patients for fever and symptoms.
* suspending late-cancellation fees to encourage patients to reschedule appointments should they develop symptoms of fever, body aches, nausea, shortness of breath, or a sore throat.
* providing no-contact pick up of nutritional supplement refills, rehab equipment, or other materials
* requiring all staff and patients to wear masks in the office in accordance with local and state mandates and CDC recommendations.
* providing check-in by phone, so patients can remain in their cars until their room is ready.
* requesting that patients wash their hands thoroughly upon entering the clinic, and again before leaving.

All of us at Dynamic Sports Medicine care deeply about your health, wellness, and healing from injury. Even though we are high-touch in many of the modalities we use in the evaluation and treatment of back and neck pain, headaches, and injury treatment and prevention, we are committed to ensuring you feel safe making and keeping your sports chiropractic appointments during this time.

If you just need a consultation, follow-up, to review test results, or have questions about rehab exercises you have been prescribed, we are happy to see you through a virtual visit or perhaps a phone call. However, when hands-on adjustments are essential for the proper healing of existing sports injuries, or to stabilize vulnerable areas to decrease the likelihood of re-injury, we are here for you. Please don’t hesitate to call us for an appointment.

Sports Chiropractic for Baseball Injuries

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While Covid 19 leaves many uncertainties about upcoming youth, high school and professional baseball seasons, players of all ages continue to train hard to hone their craft and practice play however possible. And, since there’s no quarantine on getting hurt, it’s as important as ever to prevent and treat baseball-related injuries to ensure players are ready to go when they finally hear the call to “play ball!”

Baseball may be (mostly) no-contact, but the sport’s players experience more than their fair share of game-related injuries. Coaches, trainers, and players alike have come to realize that total recovery involves more than assessing and rehabbing the area of injury, and regularly rely on sports chiropractic care to assist in total body healing.

Why Chiropractic for Baseball Injuries?

Chiropractic is proven effective at reducing pain and speeding up healing for both overuse and traumatic sports injuries.

The repetitive motions required for pitching and throwing, and awkward positions necessary for catching and batting, lead to a number of common issues such as torn rotator cuffs, strained shoulders and backs, and excess wear on the joints.

On the flip side, the short bursts of intense muscle action needed for sprinting, sliding, and reaching for balls frequently result in pulled hamstrings, sprained ankles, jammed joints and overextended knees, among others. When you consider the twists and torque placed on the body to complete replay-worthy maneuvers, it’s no wonder baseball (and softball) results in so many injuries each year.

With spinal adjustments and other specialized treatments, such as joint manipulation, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, and electrical stimulation, chiropractic care encourages faster recovery times for common sports-related injuries, because instead of focusing on just the injured area, chiropractic care works on assessing the mechanics of the whole body through proper alignment and release of constricted tissues.

Adjustments of the spine and extremities not only allow the body to realign itself for better overall functionality, they can reduce pressure, improve blood flow, and reduce inflammation in the area of injury to encourage more rapid, and more complete, healing by reducing pain and increasing range of motion.

Chiropractic for Prevention

Chiropractic care can also be helpful in reducing the likelihood of injury and managing injury-associated pain. Along with mastering good technique and wearing proper safety equipment, chiropractic care is a great tool for preventing many common baseball-related injuries in the first place. Ensuring the body is properly aligned before and throughout training and play improves range of motion, body mechanics and overall functionality that can drastically reduce a player’s chances of getting injured or re-injured.

And, whether alone or in conjunction with conventional therapies, chiropractic can often reduce or prevent the need for prescription medication while the injury heals, which is a bonus for those who can’t (or don’t want to) deal with prescriptions meds and their side affects.

Whether you currently have baseball-related pain, or you want to reduce your chance of injury or re-injury, discover the many ways chiropractic care can help. 

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