Health - Dynamic Sports Medicine

Understanding Common Sports Injuries: Prevention and Treatment

Posted on August 15, 2024 by Admin

Staying active and participating in sports is an excellent way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, engaging in physical activities also carries the risk of sustaining injuries. Whether you’re a professional athlete, someone who plays sports on the weekends, or simply enjoys recreational sports, it’s important to know about common sports injuries and how to prevent and treat them. This knowledge is essential for keeping yourself safe and being able to continue participating in sports.

The Importance of Injury Prevention

Preventing sports injuries should be a top priority for anyone involved in athletic activities. Not only do injuries cause physical discomfort and potential long-term consequences, but they can also lead to missed opportunities for training, competition, and overall enjoyment of the sport. By taking proactive steps and using proper techniques, you can greatly decrease the chances of getting injured and improve your overall performance.

Recognizing Common Sports Injuries

To effectively prevent and treat sports injuries, it’s important to know the most common types of
injuries that athletes often experience. These injuries can vary depending on the sport, how intense
it is, and individual factors like age, fitness level, and technique. Some of the most common sports
injuries include:

1. Knee Injuries

Knee injuries are among the most frequent and potentially crippling injuries in sports. They can
vary from small sprains and strains to more serious conditions like tears in the anterior cruciate
ligament (ACL) or injuries to the meniscus. These injuries often occur because of sudden twisting
or pivoting movements, direct impact, or overuse.

CommonKneeInjuries:

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Runner’s Knee)
ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) Tears
Meniscus Tears
Knee Sprains and Strains

2. Shoulder Injuries

The shoulder is a complicated joint that can get injured in sports that involve overhead movements
or contact. Shoulder injuries can range from mild discomfort to severe instability or tears in the
rotator cuff or labrum.

CommonShoulder Injuries:

Rotator Cuff Tendinitis or Tears
Labral Tears (SLAP Lesions)
Shoulder Impingement
Shoulder Instability or Dislocation

3. Ankle and Foot Injuries

Ankle and foot injuries are prevalent in sports that involve running, jumping, or quick changes in
direction. These injuries can range from mild sprains and strains to more severe fractures or
tendon ruptures.

CommonAnkle and Foot Injuries:

Ankle Sprains
Achilles Tendinitis or Rupture
Plantar Fasciitis
Stress Fractures
Turf Toe

4. Head Injuries

Head injuries, especially concussions, are a major concern in sports and activities where there is a
risk of hitting the head. Concussions can have long-lasting effects on cognitive function, balance,
and overall well-being if not properly managed.

CommonHeadInjuries:

Concussions
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
Skull Fractures

5. Muscle Strains and Tears

Muscle strains and tears can happen in any muscle group, but they are especially common in the
hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles. These injuries can range from mild discomfort to
complete muscle ruptures, depending on the severity.

CommonMuscle Strains and Tears:

Hamstring Strains
Quadriceps Strains
Calf Strains
Groin Strains

6. Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is a frequent problem for athletes, especially those who participate in sports that
involve doing the same movements over and over, lifting heavy objects, or engaging in high-impact
activities. Pain of this nature can arise from a variety of sources, such as muscle strains, disc
herniation, or spinal misalignment.

CommonLower Back Injuries:

Muscle Strains
Disc Herniation or Bulging
Spinal Stenosis
Spondylolysis or Spondylolisthesis

7. Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries occur when a specific body part is subjected to repetitive stress, which can cause
inflammation, pain, and possible structural damage. These injuries are common in sports that
involve repetitive motions, such as tennis, swimming, or distance running.

CommonOveruse Injuries:

Tendinitis (e.g., Tennis Elbow, Jumper’s Knee)
Stress Fractures
Shin Splints
Bursitis

Injury Prevention Strategies

While it’s not possible to completely get rid of the chance of getting hurt while playing sports, there
are a few things athletes can do to lower the risk of getting injured. These strategies include:

1. Proper Warm-up and Cool-down

Engaging in a thorough warm-up before physical activity can help get your muscles, joints, and
cardiovascular system ready for your sport. Likewise, a proper cool-down after exercise can help
with recovery and lower the chances of muscle soreness and injury.

2. Strength and Flexibility Training

Incorporating strength training exercises into your routine can help make your muscles stronger,
stabilize your joints, and improve your overall body balance. This can reduce the chances of getting
injured. Additionally, regular flexibility training can enhance your range of motion and decrease
the likelihood of muscle strains and tears.

3. Proper Technique and Form

Maintaining proper technique and form during athletic activities is crucial for injury prevention.
Seeking help from experienced coaches or trainers can assist you in learning the right way to move
and prevent injuries caused by incorrect movements.

4. Adequate Rest and Recovery

Allowing your body sufficient rest and recovery time is essential for preventing overuse injuries.
Listening to your body’s signals and taking breaks when needed can help avoid excessive strain
and promote optimal recovery.

5. Appropriate Equipment and Gear

Wearing the right protective gear, like helmets, pads, braces, and shoes, can greatly lower the
chance of getting hurt while playing sports. Regularly inspecting and replacing worn-out gear is
also essential for maintaining optimal protection.

6. Hydration and Nutrition

Proper hydration and nutrition play a vital role in maintaining overall health and supporting the
body’s recovery processes. Staying hydrated and eating a balanced diet with important nutrients
can improve your athletic performance and help you recover from injuries.

Injury Treatment and Rehabilitation

Despite your best efforts to prevent injuries, accidents can still occur. When you get injured, it’s
important to quickly get medical help and follow a thorough treatment and recovery plan. The
specific treatment will depend on the type and seriousness of the injury, but common methods may
include:

1. RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)

The RICE method is a widely recommended initial treatment for many sports injuries. Resting
the injured area, putting ice on it to reduce swelling and inflammation, using compression bandages,
and raising the injured body part can help reduce pain and support healing.

2. Medication

Over-the-counter or prescription medications, like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or
pain relievers may be suggested to control pain and inflammation linked to sports injuries.
Medications that can be bought without a prescription or prescribed by a doctor, such as
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or pain relievers, may be advised to help manage
pain and swelling caused by sports injuries.

3. Physical Therapy

Working with a licensed physical therapist is often a crucial component of the rehabilitation
process. Physical therapists can create personalized exercise plans to help regain strength,
flexibility, and range of motion. They can also offer advice on the correct techniques and strategies to
prevent injuries.

4. Surgical Intervention

In cases of severe injuries, such as complete ligament tears or fractures, surgical intervention
may be necessary. Procedures like ACL reconstruction, meniscus repair, or fracture fixation can
help restore joint stability and function.

5. Alternative Therapies

Complementary and alternative therapies, like chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, or
cryotherapy may be suggested alongside traditional treatment methods to help manage pain,
decrease inflammation, and support healing.

6. Gradual Return to Activity

After getting hurt, it’s important to slowly and systematically resume physical activity with the help of
healthcare professionals. Returning to sports or other physical activities too quickly before fully
recovering can raise the chances of getting hurt again or experiencing more problems.

Conclusion

Engaging in sports and physical activities is important for a healthy lifestyle, but it can also lead to
injuries. To reduce the risk of getting hurt, athletes and active people should learn about common
sports injuries, use prevention methods, and get the right treatment and rehabilitation when needed.
This way, they can keep playing their favorite sports for a long time. Remember, prioritizing injury
prevention and prompt treatment is crucial for safeguarding your well-being and prolonging your
athletic endeavors.

Healing Shoulder Injuries: The Chiropractor’s Perspective

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Admin

Rotator cuff issues, shoulder instability (dislocation) and labrum tears are some of the most common sports-related shoulder injuries, and while there are times when surgical intervention is required, it’s not as often as you think — or as early in the process as you might believe.

Except for the most traumatic of cases, surgical referrals for shoulder injuries are generally only considered after all non-surgical treatment options have been exhausted, because in most cases, the problem can be solved, or at least dramatically improved, through physical therapy and sports chiropractic management.

In addition, surgery is going to require some pretty intensive post-op rehab anyway in order to regain optimal shoulder function, so it makes sense to employ sports chiropractic therapies as a first-line approach. In many cases, surgery can be completely avoided.

Sports chiropractic management of shoulder pain and injury involves the use of multiple modalities that begin with assessing a patient’s quality of movement, not just in the shoulder but in the neck and mid-to-upper spine. While that may mean a spinal adjustment is needed, it can also be a useful tool for your sports chiropractic team to determine potential points of dysfunction, such as postural issues or compromised nerves or discs that have led to faulty movement patterns. Many times simply finding therapeutic movements that release constrictions and/or allow the nerve or disc to find relief can dramatically reduce pain and make chiropractic treatment much more effective.

It is important, however, to know if faulty biomechanics are an issue before doing certain intense rehabilitation exercises since choosing the wrong ones for your condition might make the problem worse. Your sports chiropractor can determine which stretches and exercises will be most beneficial.

When necessary, the manual manipulation and mobilization of the many different structures of the shoulder girdle, neck, and upper back, combined with physical therapy modalities such as ice and myofascial massage, electrical stimulation, pulsed electromagnetic field, and red light therapy, among others, can often lead to pain-free mobility.

Sports chiropractic care offers pain management of shoulder conditions in very few treatment sessions, with follow-up appointments designed to strengthen and stabilize the shoulder to prevent re-injury. If you are dealing with shoulder pain or injury, contact Dynamic Sports Medicine to see how a sports chiropractic approach can help.

Tackling Tendonitis: Causes, Symptoms, and Chiropractic Solutions

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Admin

Sports Chiropractic Solutions for Tackling Tendonitis

Tendonitis is a common condition among athletes due to the repetitive motions required in many sports. Throwing, swinging, swimming, running, jumping (and landing,) among other athletic movements, all can repeatedly stress tendons, the thick, fibrous tissues that connect muscle to bone and allow the bones to move when the muscles contract. Over time, degradation can occur.

Any compromise in movement due to fatigue, injury, equipment, or deficit in technique, strength, or flexibility can create issues anywhere in the body where there are tendons, but most commonly in the heel, knee, wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

While tendonitis can be an acute injury, it is generally a condition that develops over time, which is why tendonitis cases are often referred to with names like tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, runner’s knee, or quarterback’s (or swimmer’s) shoulder. They come from repeatedly stressing the same joint in the same ways.

In acute cases, tendonitis can result from increasing your load or training difficulty too suddenly, improper maintenance or replacement of equipment, not allowing enough recovery time, and poor posture or spinal alignments.

Sports chiropractic care has many ways of addressing tendonitis, no matter where it happens in the body. As body functionality specialists, sports chiropractors seek to identify and correct the root causes that likely led to a patient’s tendon issues.

Proper spinal and limb alignment is vital to ensuring optimal range of motion through sports-specific movements. Hands-on manipulations of both the joints and the affected muscle structure can identify misalignments, calcium deposits, constrictions, and inflammation. A myriad of non-invasive sports chiropractic treatment modalities can work together to reduce pain, increase mobility, and promote more complete healing than rest alone.

Biomechanics analysis reveals deficiencies in strength, flexibility, and muscle balance.
Corrective strengthening and stretching exercises can reduce strain on the joint and surrounding tissues and address deficiencies.
Massage therapy improves blood flow to the area.
LED red light therapy enhances circulation and energizes healing tissues.
Acoustic compression therapy directs pulse-activated waves directly to the cells to stimulate faster healing.

Sports chiropractors are experts not only in analyzing the quality of movement but in improving strength and mobility to optimize it.

Symptoms of Tendonitis

Tendonitis results in pain and tenderness when moving the affected joint or limb and can dramatically reduce the range of motion. The swelling and discomfort may start out mild and dull and get worse over time.

Tennis elbow is characterized by pain and weakness in the outside of the elbow that radiates to the forearm and wrist when you grip an object or perform any motion that requires the twisting of the wrist.
Golfer’s elbow presents pain, weakness, and stiffness on the inside of the arm that can radiate numbness and tingling through the outer fingers when attempting to grip an object or make a fist.
Jumper’s Knee, more formally known as patellar tendonitis, results in pain at the base of the kneecap where it meets the shinbone that may not only when playing your sport, but when climbing stairs and getting up from a seated position.
Quarterback’s/Swimmer’s Shoulder refers to rotator cuff tendonitis pain that radiates from the front of the shoulder down the side of the arm and may even hurt when trying to sleep on that arm.

Playing through pain associated with mild tendonitis will not make it go away, and will likely exacerbate the problem. If not treated early, tendonitis can result in a tendon tear, which often requires surgical intervention.

Sports chiropractic care is highly beneficial in the treatment of both new and chronic cases of tendonitis. If you have any of the symptoms of tendonitis or experience pain during play, visit Dynamic Sports Medicine for an evaluation.

Spine Decompression Near You

Posted on May 10, 2024 by Admin

A pressured spine leads to a lot of health complications which usually start in chronic neck pain. Is this something that you need to endure every day? If yes, then it’s time for your spine to breathe!

Imagine waking up every morning without the sharp twinge in your back or the persistent ache in your neck. In a world where spine-related issues are becoming increasingly prevalent, finding effective solutions for back and neck pain is more critical than ever. Right now, the leading solution is spinal decompression near you.

Before going to your nearest chiropractor to get spinal decompression, we think you should understand what causes some compression in the spine and also the types of spinal decompression you may need.

Common Causes of Spinal Compression

Back and neck pain often stems from spine compression like the one you are experiencing, a condition influenced by various factors. Herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and general wear and tear on the spine are among the common culprits. Understanding the root cause of your discomfort is the first step toward finding an effective solution.

If you find yourself wincing when you stand up, experiencing shooting pains down your legs, or feeling a constant stiffness in your neck, you might be dealing with spinal compression. Recognizing these symptoms early on can lead to timely intervention and a more effective recovery.

The Solution? Spinal Decompression!

Spinal decompression is a therapeutic approach designed to alleviate the pressure on your spine, providing relief from pain and promoting overall well-being. By gently stretching the spine, decompression therapy aims to create space between vertebrae, allowing discs to return to their natural position and encouraging the flow of nutrients to the affected area.

In other words, getting spinal decompression near you involves taking off the pressure endured by your spine for a long time, and carefully rebuilding its healthy posture, all in the name of relieving the pains you experience at the back.

Types of Spinal Decompression

Traction Therapy – Involves stretching the spine using a traction table or device, promoting proper alignment and reducing pressure on spinal discs.
Inversion Therapy – Utilizes an inversion table to position the body upside down, easing gravitational pressure on the spine and promoting spinal elongation.
Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression – A more advanced and targeted approach, often involving the use of a computer-controlled table to gently stretch and relax the spine.

What Will You Get From Spinal Decompression?

Spine decompression offers a range of benefits for individuals struggling with back and neck pain:

Pain Relief – Decompression therapy can significantly reduce pain by removing pressure on spinal nerves and discs.
Improved Mobility – By restoring the natural space between vertebrae, decompression therapy enhances flexibility and overall mobility.
Non-Invasive Option – Unlike surgical interventions, spine decompression is a non-invasive treatment option, minimizing the risks associated with more invasive procedures.

Mindful Chiropractic and Wellness: Spinal Decompression Near You

If you’re ready to say goodbye to persistent back and neck pain, take the next step towards a pain-free life by booking an appointment with Mindful Chiropractic and Wellness. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are here to guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have.

Our team of experts at Mindful Chiropractic and Wellness is dedicated to addressing the root causes of spine compression, offering modern and personalized treatment methods tailored to your unique needs. Our state-of-the-art facilities ensure that you receive the highest standard of care in a comfortable environment.

Don’t wait—book your appointment today and take the first step towards a life without the limitations of spine-related discomfort.

What is Plantar Fasciitis

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Admin

Plantar Fasciitis

Our feet are the foundation for all of our upright movements, supporting all of our body weight support and providing balance and stability when standing and moving. So when we have pain in one or both feet, it can drastically affect our daily activities.

The most common foot pain complaint is plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the thick band of tissue that runs from the top of the heel toward the sole of the foot. One in 10 people will experience pain from plantar fasciitis at some point in their lives.

Symptoms of plantar fasciitis include a sharp, sometimes burning pain in the heel that is often worst first thing in the morning. While it usually, gradually, gets better throughout the day, it is possible to have dull, constant pain all day.

Plantar fasciitis can affect athletes and non-athletes alike for a variety of reasons, but the most common tend to be a lack of strength in the intrinsic foot muscles and poor ankle mobility, specifically dorsiflexion (flexing your toes up toward your shin.) People with a higher-than-normal BMI or who have overly tight calves and hamstrings tend to be more prone.

There are a number of ways sports chiropractic can address these issues. The first line of treatment, after resting the foot as much as possible, is generally to prescribe specific stretching and strengthening exercises for the foot, calf, and hamstring to loosen up and smooth out the fascia and, hopefully, relieve some inflammation. It is important to stretch and strengthen the posterior muscles of the leg as well as the foot, because they are all connected, and tight hamstrings and calves will pull on the heel bone and create excess tension on the bottom of the foot.

Figure Four-Foot Stretch

Sit in a chair with both on the floor. Take your left foot and rest it on the right leg in a figure-four position. With your right hand, pull the ball of your foot (not just your toes) up toward your shin and hold for a few seconds. Relax. Repeat. You should feel a good stretch along the arch of your foot and up your Achilles tendon.

Heel Raises and Dips

Holding onto something or someone for balance, stand with both feet on a stair, curb, or small portable step with your heels hanging off the back. Lift up onto the balls of your feet and hold your heels elevated for three seconds before slowly lowering until your heel is below the step or the curb. Hold that position for three seconds before returning your foot to a neutral position. Repeat five to 10 times. After several days or weeks, graduate to single-leg exercises lifting and lowering one foot/heel at a time.

Standing Calf Stretch

Stand in a slightly lunged (diagonal) position with one leg forward and hands flatly on the wall. Keeping your back heel firmly on the ground, slightly bend your front knee until you feel a stretch in the lower portion of your back leg (calf.) Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and switch to the other leg. Repeat the stretch three times on each leg.

Foam Rolling

Using a foam roller or small, firm ball (lacrosse or tennis ball,) roll with moderate pressure across the bottom of the foot to manually soften and stretch the plantar fascia and the Achilles tendon. You can do this by rolling the foam roller or ball across the foot or rolling your foot across whichever tool you are using.

While many times, plantar fasciitis pain can be dramatically lessened with at-home stretches, severe or repetitive cases might need more serious intervention. DSM Sports Medicine has a variety of non-invasive ways to help your foot function more fully.

Manual manipulation of the foot
Soft tissue therapy along the plantar fascia
Dry needling
Gait analysis (overpronation can lead to plantar fasciitis)
Orthotics to temporarily relieve pressure

For athletes, the issues that cause plantar fasciitis can be as troubling as the condition itself. Poor intrinsic foot muscle strength and limited ankle mobility can not only make it difficult to ever reach your full athletic potential, it will also make you much more prone to injury.

Utilizing sports chiropractic therapies to analyze your biomechanics, strengthen intrinsic foot muscles, and achieve better ankle mobility will help you avoid overusing certain muscles, make injury less likely, and improve overall strength and speed.

Regardless of your fitness goals, optimal foot health is necessary to remain active and pain-free. Spending just five minutes a day dedicated to stretching and stretching the muscles of your leg and foot just like you would any other muscle of your body can both prevent and relieve painful conditions like plantar fasciitis.

If you suffer from foot pain, contact Dynamic Sports Medicine to discuss your options.

Lower Back Pain after Working Out

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Admin

Lower Back Pain after Exercise

Mild soreness, tightness, or fatigue in the lower back after some workouts is common, particularly if you have done weight work or other exercises specifically designed to engage those muscles. Like any other muscle group, the lower back will feel the work during and after deadlifts, kettlebell swings, barbell squats, and even long runs. This feeling should be entirely tolerable and short-lived just your posterior chain acknowledging that it has been challenged.

If the pain is severe, long-lasting, or causes you to cut back on physical exercise, it may be time to consider a few things.

How’s your form/technique?

While strength training is a key factor in longevity and mobility, Improper body alignment while lifting heavy objects, including weights, is a primary reason for injury to the lower back. When performing tasks like deadlifts, it is vitally important to push your hips back, and keep a flat back and your neck in line with your spine while in motion. Instead of pulling the weight up with your arms, think of the exercise as the result of pushing the heels of your feet into the ground. If you can’t maintain a proper posture without rounding the back and shoulders during a deadlift, you’re likely lifting too heavy.

Similarly, with kettlebell swings, the work comes from the thrust of the hips, not from any movement in your spine and shoulders. Your arms and the kettlebells only swing because of the momentum created by the lower body.

If you have pain after running or participating in stop/start sports, it is likely from repetitive stress that has caused one or more spinal misalignments in discs and vertebrae. It could also be the result of an underlying weakness in the core or gluteal muscles.

Are you Working with Opposing Muscle Groups?

With both strength training and cardiovascular activities, it is important to focus on muscles as antagonist pairs, and not just work the “major” muscles we think make us look most fit. Intentionally targeting all muscle groups not only leads to a better overall physique, it improves mobility, coordination, and balance, and it can help prevent pain and injury. Many extremely fit patients who come in with lower back pain often have unknown muscle weaknesses or imbalances, i.e. runners with weak glutes or tight hamstrings from weak quadriceps.

If you have persistent lower back pain after working out, it is important to make sure you do not have the beginning of injury or other conditions that will be exacerbated by continued activity. A sports chiropractic evaluation will be extremely beneficial in several ways.

The dedicated team at Dynamic Sports Medicine can:

check for body misalignments and perform spinal and limb adjustments when necessary
perform gait and technique analysis during motion
conduct strength and mobility testing to identify imbalance and weakness
utilize a variety of healing modalities such as therapeutic massage, dry needling, myoacoustic compression therapy, among others, to assist in range of motion and healing
prescribe targeted stretching and strengthening exercises to balance muscle groups and optimize movement

Remember that while fatigue is normal after engaging lower back muscles, sharp and enduring pain may be signs of current or potential injury. Contact Dynamic Sports Medicine today for a sports chiropractic approach to relieving lower back pain after working out.

Dry Needing for Elbow and Knee Pain

Posted on February 10, 2024 by Admin

Over time, even the best-conditioned athletes tend to suffer from pain associated with overuse injuries. Repeated motions from golfing tennis and many other sports can eventually exceed the tolerance of the muscles, bones, tendons, and cartilage in certain areas of your body. Elbows and knees are common joints affected by these types of injuries.

Unlike acute trauma, overuse injuries tend to sneak up on you, beginning with minor discomfort that you might ignore and, eventually becoming severe enough to interrupt training and other activities.

Tennis elbow (pain on the outside of the elbow, and in the forearm and wrist) and golfer’s elbow (pain on the inner side of the elbow) conditions are not limited to tennis players and golfers, rather, they can affect anyone using repetitive flexion and extension motions that create micro-tears and tissue degeneration in and around the elbow joint.

Overuse injuries of the knees can result in interior, anterior, and lateral pain in and around the knee. A common overuse condition of the knee is patellar tendonitis, also called jumper’s knee, which occurs when there is degeneration along the tendon that runs from the quadricep to the shin bone from repetitive pulling on the knee when jumping, landing, running, and cutting. The pain is generally located just below the knee.

Common or not, overuse injuries should not lead you to consider giving up your sport. Dry needling is one of many sports chiropractic therapies proven effective for addressing elbow and knee pain.

What is Dry Needling?

Dry needling involves the insertion of tiny dry needles (nothing is injected) into trigger points of the elbow and knee. These hyper-irritable spots in the muscles are often the site of pain and swelling, and they may even be palatable as small knots or adhesions in the upper bands of the muscles.

Dry needling seeks to deactivate painful trigger points by both reducing inflammation and improving circulation to the irritated area. When pain and inflammation are reduced and nutrients are free to flow back to the aggravated knees and elbows, healing efforts are more likely to succeed.

Many patients report a dramatic improvement in pain reduction after just one session of dry needling, with even greater relief over time, especially when used in conjunction with other sports chiropractic therapies, such as soft tissue manipulation, red light therapy, and more.

That’s because tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, and jumper’s knee are not always due solely to repetitive motion. Unbalanced muscle strength, skeletal misalignments, and poor biomechanics often exacerbate overuse mobility issues.

Once pain is relieved, sports chiropractic care is better able to address the underlying causes of pain in the elbows, knees, and other places in the body.

If you are struggling with elbow or knee pain and want to see if dry needling therapy can help you get back to pain-free athletic training, contact Dynamic Sports Medicine today.

Why Proper Hydration is Crucial for Athletic Performance

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Admin

As an athlete, you know the importance of exercise, training, and nutrition to your performance. Keeping your body in tip top shape helps you to stay on top of your game. However, what many athletes fail to realize is how important hydration is to their success, and to their overall health.

Hydration is about more than just staying ahead of your thirst. It is about providing your body with the fuel it needs to regulate your temperature, carry nutrients to crucial parts of your body and keep your body operating at an optimal level. Here is a look at the importance of hydration and how to drink enough as an athlete.

The Role of Hydration in Athletic Performance

Hydration is just as important as proper nutrition in keeping you active in the sport you love. Here are just some of the ways getting enough to drink helps you stay active.

Hydration regulates your body temperature

Heat exhaustion or heat stroke can raise your body temperature and sideline you with symptoms such as nausea, muscle cramps, or dizziness. Hydration can help. When your body has ample amounts of fluid to work with, it can more easily distribute heat throughout the body and release excess heat through sweating.

Hydration supports energy production

When you are pushing your body, either as a full-time athlete or as a weekend warrior, your body’s need for nutrients and energy skyrockets. Hydration plays an important role in meeting these needs. The more hydrated you are, the higher your blood volume, and the easier it is for your body to deliver the nutrients, oxygen and energy necessary to keep your body performing at its best.

If you do not drink enough before or during your exercise, you can easily end up without enough fluid to efficiently meet your body’s heightened demands, and that can leave you feeling weak and fatigued.

Hydration builds muscle

Building muscle and strength is often one of the primary goals of the athlete. While working out and practicing are reliable ways to help you achieve these goals, hydration is also an essential component.

Because ample fluids help to deliver nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, they also help to deliver the building blocks of muscles throughout the musculoskeletal system. That can help you get stronger and stay stronger as well as help you to avoid nasty muscle cramps that can take you out of the game.

Hydration helps you focus

If you have ever been engaged in a sport and experienced a foggy brain or inability to focus, chances are you were suffering from dehydration. Fluids help to keep your brain sharp and your mind on the game by removing wastes before they can build up in your brain. In addition, the presence of fluids can improve cellular communication and boost the nutrients your brain receives. All that focus is good for helping you to perform at your very best.

Hydration supports athletic recovery

Finally, hydration can improve your athletic performance by helping your body to recover more quickly after a game or a workout. The presence of abundant fluids can help your body receive the nutrients it needs to recover, deliver greater energy to your body, and help your body regulate more quickly. That can mean less muscle pain and tension to slow you down.

Proper Hydration: Some Tips

If you want to optimize your athletic performance through hydration, there are some best practices you should follow. Here is a look at some of the most useful tips for ensuring appropriate hydration through all of your sports activities.

Prehydrate

Prehydration refers to the practice of drinking water before you begin an exercise regimen or game. As a rule, you should try to drink about 16 ounces of fluid 2-3 hours before strenuous activity, and 8-10 ounces of fluid within a half hour of your event.

Choose electrolyte-rich drinks

Water is a fabulous choice for quenching thirst and staying hydrated – As long as you are not a dedicated athlete. However, if you want to stay hydrated during intense sports activity, you should also be drinking fluids that contain electrolytes like sodium. These will keep your body’s electrolytes balanced and keep you from losing too many nutrients through sweating.

Drink while you exercise

One rule of thumb for staying hydrated while you exercise is to drink 7-10 ounces about every 20 minutes. This will help to replace fluids lost through sweat and keep you performing optimally through your entire practice or game.

Consider your unique circumstances

The exact amount you drink before and during exercise will also depend upon your circumstances. Consider your clothing, the weather and your physical health when determining how much to drink.

For example, if the weather is hot and humid, you may require more fluids than when it is cool outside. Or, if you suffer from certain conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, your fluid requirements may also be higher. Do not be afraid to drink more than the rule of thumb in order to account for the situation in which you find yourself.

Hydrate after you exercise

Finally, staying hydrated involves drinking after you finish your activity. Try to drink at least 8 ounces shortly after you finish your activity. This will help to replenish your body and support your recovery.

Hydration can help your body work at its best, and that can help you thrive as an athlete. If you want to learn more about optimizing your performance, contact Dynamic Sports Medicine. We make Olympic athlete-trusted care available to everyone!

Why Should I See A Sports Chiropractor?

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Admin

Sports account for an average of 8.6 million injuries every single year in the United States. Meanwhile, athletes, and even those who simply value consistent physical activity, look for ways to push themselves farther and perform better. Although not always at the top of an athlete’s to-do list, visiting a sports chiropractor in Austin can often help with achieving both goals. Here is a look at how sports medicine, when applied correctly, can help you stay active.

Chiropractors improve strength, balance and flexibility

Athletic success depends in part upon an individual’s ability to use their body to complete the often complex or demanding moves required in their sport. And, often, sports injuries occur because an individual’s body is pushed past its breaking point due to overtraining, impacts during the sport, overuse, and other factors.

In order to prevent sports injuries and improve the body’s ability to handle the demands of a chosen activity, chiropractic sports medicine is often necessary. This approach to care focuses on improving the strength, balance, and flexibility of the patient.

For example, sports medicine can strengthen the muscles of the body, enabling them to better support an athlete’s balance and withstand stressors such as a football tackle or a marathon run. Similarly, chiropractic adjustments can support the healthy functioning of the body’s nervous system, improve coordination of the body’s muscles and improve their agility.

When the body is stronger, more agile and more coordinated, the athlete has an easier time engaging in the intense and often sudden movements of sports and other physical activities. And that can improve both their ability to thrive in their sport and avoid injuries that could take them out of the game.

Chiropractors improve range of motion

Improved flexibility can also mean improved range of motion – More of an ability to move the joints and muscles of the body throughout their full arc. Stiffness or limitations in movement make an athlete more susceptible to acute injury during athletic activity. A shoulder with full range of motion, for example, is less likely to tear during a tennis match, football tackle, or wrestling championship.

Muscle stiffness can be a sign of a deeper problem. For example, nerve impingement, overuse of the joint, or too much sports training after rehab can all decrease range of motion. Chiropractors can reverse this process with tailored techniques that address the cause of the stiffness. By addressing stiffness immediately, sports medicine can prevent more serious injuries that would keep you out of the game for longer.

Chiropractors address underlying movement issues

Treating the symptoms of a problem instead of their cause can only bring temporary relief. Chiropractors can evaluate a patient in order to identify the cause of their pain, limited motion, or injury.

Posture issues, muscle imbalances, skeletal misalignment and existing pain from sleep positions or sitting at a desk for long periods can affect the form we take when running, lifting weights or swinging a golf club, and that can lead to injuries in the neck, back, elbows, hips, and knees — really anywhere with a joint!

Sports chiropractors can analyze body type and posture against the muscles and movements used in an athlete’s sport of choice to correct issues that lead to compensation injuries or those that result from improper sports technique. We can also address mild pain — usually a signal there is a more severe pain to come — before it leads to damage that may take you out of your game for good.

Sports medicine improves reaction time

Reaction time can be the difference between making a soccer goal and losing the ball, hitting a home run and striking out. Chiropractic care can help. According to one study in the 90s, athletes who received chiropractic care were 6.3 percent more agile and enjoyed faster response times than athletes who did not.

By integrating the nervous system, improving flexibility and range of motion and identifying and correcting movement problems, chiropractors have the ability to make an athlete faster and more accurate in their sport. That improves performance in measurable ways.

Chiropractic care speeds up rehab times

As experts in sports rehabilitation, sports chiropractors diagnose sports injuries and create treatment plans that involve a variety of rehab therapies including cold therapy, massage, taping, manual manipulation and stretch and strengthening exercises, among others, to allow athletes to return to their sport faster.

Other ways in which chiropractic adjustments and techniques can shorten recovery from injuries (And related surgeries) include the following:

Maintain range of motion as the body heals
Reduce inflammation in the affected joints or muscles
Increase healing blood flow throughout the injured area
Alleviate pain from the injury

Chiropractic care addresses pain at the source

Often when an athlete gets injured, they realize there were signs this was going to happen: Mild pain that increased with activity or lingering soreness well after the game was over.

Addressing these signals of impending problems can prevent major problems from arising. In addition, a skilled chiropractor can follow these signals to the source of the issue and implement exercises and adjustments that can heal the underlying problem.

For example, if an impinged nerve is causing shoulder pain that makes it difficult to play your sport of choice, a chiropractor can offer adjustments designed to free the nerve so that the pain goes away – And stays away.

Fewer clinic trips and more time on the field or the court is a surefire way to improve your performance and begin crushing your physical fitness goals.

Sports chiropractors improve training and performance

Two female runners working out while listening to music on their mobile phone on an armband

By focusing on improving overall body function, and increasing range of motion and muscle strength and tone, a sports chiropractor can assist athletes in optimizing and enhancing performance.

Whether your goal is to run faster, swing harder, jump higher or play longer, sports chiropractors can analyze your training-to-results ratio to determine which factors might be keeping you from reaching your fitness goals. These can include improper warm-up, nutrition deficiencies, sleep issues or overtraining, among many others.

If you are ready to combat injuries and reach new success in your athletic endeavors, you may want to add sports medicine to your regimen. Don’t wait until you are suffering from a debilitating injury. Go now to stop injuries in their tracks and gain the flexibility, range of motion, strength, and agility you need to perform at your peak.

Want to hear from an actual patient who has experienced the beneficial effects of chiropractic care? Consider this testament.

“I’ve been a patient of this clinic since 2018 and I couldn’t recommend a place more highly. Honest business practices and quality care make me feel comfortable recommending that my friends and clients go there as well.” – Curtis Fellenz.

At Dynamic Sports Medicine, we have an unwavering dedication to helping you stay active through premier chiropractic sports medicine. Trust the gold standard trusted by athletes and book your appointment today!

Updated: May, 2023.

Treating and Preventing Shin Splints

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Admin

Shin splint pain occurs when the muscles, tendons, and fascia covering the shin bone (tibia) become inflamed. This frequently happens when first starting a running program, but is also common among seasoned athletes who run long distances or participate in sports like basketball or soccer that require sudden stops and starts.

Failing to warm up before exercise, wearing poor-fitting shoes, or over-fatiguing/stressing the calf muscles (or having extremely tight calf muscles) can all be causes.

Just like with other painful conditions that interfere with athletic training, sports chiropractic care can provide safe, effective options for preventing and treating shin splints.

Sports massage, soft tissue manipulation, and dry needling can all loosen tight muscles and make them more pliable. It can also reduce scar tissue and improve blood circulation to the area.

Strategically applied sports tape and, when necessary, orthotic shoe inserts that address pronation issues or arch support can reduce stress on the shin during activity.

Stretching and strengthening exercises add balance to lower leg structures so that they work together instead of in opposition to each other. Here are a few to try at home:

If You Already have Shin Splint Pain:

Flex/Point

Sit on a chair, bench, or another stable surface with one foot firmly planted on the ground. Bend the other leg up to hug your tibia (shin bone) against your abdomen. Slowly point the toes toward the floor and hold the position. The goal is to both stretch the muscle over the shin bone and constrict (tighten) the calf muscle. After about 20-30 seconds, flex the toes back up toward your face and hold. This position may be more uncomfortable if you already have pain but stretch through the best you can. Repeat several times and then switch to the other leg.

Toe Drag

From that same sitting position, reach one foot behind you underneath the chair or bench with your toes facing the floor. Press the top of the foot into the ground and, with resistance, drag the toe toward you until you feel the stretch in your shin. You may have to slightly rotate the foot internally or externally just a bit to feel the stretch in the right place, but you’ll know when you get there! Hold for up to a minute and then repeat on the other side.

To Prevent Shin Splints:

Diagonal Wall Stretch

Stand with your palms on a wall or railing and step back with both feet to a slight diagonal plank position. Place one foot slightly in front of the other with the knee slightly bent, and press into the back, straight leg with intention, pushing your heel as close to the floor as possible. Repeat up to ten times and then stretch the other leg.

Diagonal Heel Raises

Starting in the same diagonal wall plank position, keep both feet back and both legs straight. Slowly raise as high onto the balls of your feet as possible and hold that position before slowly pressing your heels back down against the floor. You should feel a stretch in each direction. If you want a deeper stretch, slightly bend the elbows so the torso is closer to the wall, or step the feet further back away from the wall.

Toe and Heel Walks

Prior to physical activity, take a few minutes to walk only on the heels of the foot with toes pointed toward the sky. Then work the opposing muscles by walking only on the tip toes for the same amount of time. This stretches out and warms the lower leg muscles to prepare them for activity.

Your team at Dynamic Sports Medicine can instruct you on proper technique in a variety of injury-preventing and rehabbing stretching exercises. We can also evaluate your gait, show you how to apply sports tape, and discuss the merits of sports massage to keep you free from shin splints during training.