Blog

Top Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Athletes

Once every four years, the Summer Olympics take over for two weeks in August. On every platform, from social media to your television, Americans are entranced by the feats that Olympians are able to accomplish with their bodies. Olympic athletes flip through the air, kayak raging waters, break speed records on the track and in the pool, lift immense amounts of weight and bike their way into history. As we sit down each night to watch Primetime coverage, we wonder how these Olympians keep their bodies from breaking down – how are they able to keep training day after day and year after year?

There’s no denying that physical activity can take a toll on the body for all athletes. The daily rigors of training and practice can place large amounts of impact, strain and stress on the body and its muscles. It doesn’t matter the sport: from football to cross country, soccer to baseball, volleyball to lacrosse, these are sports that demand intense physical effort from the athlete. That’s one of the many reasons why athletes at all levels turn to chiropractic care to keep them injury-free and feeling their best on the court, field, track, or at whatever location they compete.

Top Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Athletes

Heal Faster

While many athletes receive chiropractic care only when treating injuries, chiropractic adjustments have an additional value: they reduce the healing time for minor injuries. Regular spinal adjustments reduce the irritation of the nerve roots between the vertebrae, allowing the body to heal faster.

Prevent Injuries

Chiropractic care also helps to prevent injuries. For athletes involved in high-impact sports like, football, soccer and lacrosse, chiropractic adjustments increase flexibility, improve performance, increase blood flow and improve range of motion, thus minimizing the risk for injury. As further evidence, a recent study conducted in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders reported that football players who used a regiment of chiropractic care had fewer leg injuries than those who did not.

For athletes of low-impact sports like golf or tennis, chiropractic adjustments help to relieve the strain placed on the body from repetitive movement (for more information on golf and chiropractic care, click here.). Chiropractic care is a natural and effective method for stopping injuries before they happen.

Improved Performance

When the spine is even slightly misaligned, the resulting dysfunction can cause areas of irritation in the nervous system, thus disturbing other systems of the body. When systems of the body are not functioning properly, athletic performance diminishes. Conversely, when the spine is performing at its very best, the rest of the body does, too. When athletes receive chiropractic care, their athletic performance is noticeably improved.

Decreased Pain

The spine plays an integral role in keeping athletes out of pain and in optimal health.  Joints, muscles, nerves, discs and ligaments are all sensitive to pain. When there are misalignments in the spine, these tissues receive more stress and strain than usual, resulting in pain throughout the body.

When Dr. Van Ness and Dr. Parkin treat athletes at Van Ness Chiropractic, they treat the athlete as a whole. A customized, comprehensive program is prepared with the two-fold goal of avoiding injuries and helping the athlete towards optimal performance. Dr. Van Ness and Dr. Parkin are both athletes treating athletes, and they have years of experience treating Barrington-area sports teams of all levels. For more information on sports performance care at Van Ness Chiropractic and to learn more of the top benefits of chiropractic care for athletes, visit https://www.vannesschiro.com/services/sports-care/.