Tips on Preventing Back Pain and Injuries in Athletes

Chiropractic care in the athletes

Chiropractic therapy provides not only treatment to athletes in case of an injury but also aids in preventive services to them. Chiropractors, through different massage therapies, manual or electric manipulations, and adjustments, help manage the pain and discomfort in the musculoskeletal region with a prime focus on the spine or lower back region. A stiff body presents with decreased range of motion of the joints and associated structures.

Injuries are bound to happen when athletes undergo heavy physical activity and stress. But, if the athletes happen to prevent such injuries, an overall improvement in their performance can be seen. Chiropractic adjustments and manipulations also occur to shorten the recovery time of sports injuries in athletes. Chiropractic professionals help correctly align the body, including the spinal curvature, and also aid in restoring the flexibility of the joints and the associated structures, including the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. The range of motion of different joints, including neck and shoulder, knee, and jaw (temporomandibular joint), increases profoundly after chiropractic adjustments.

This blog is structured to help you discover tips and tricks to help athletes or people indulged in heavy physical activity to prevent injury and associated back pain problems through chiropractic therapy.      

Tips on preventing back pain and injuries in the athletes

Chiropractic care is a non-invasive therapy that involves any medications or drug therapy for the patients. This is the most significant advantage of this therapy, especially for athletes and other people associated with sports or heavy physical activity. The stretching exercises and manipulative adjustments help the patients relieve pain, discomfort, or spasm in the joints and muscles. Various published reports claim that about 90% of professional athletes, including those of Olympic-class champions, defer other methods over chiropractic care to reduce their risk of injury during sports activity and increase their overall performance while playing.

There are multiple ways through which chiropractic professionals help their patients in preventing sports injury and back pain-related issues. Some of them are discussed below.

Spinal manipulations

The spine or backbone serves three purposes in the human body. These include providing support to the body, promoting flexibility, and protecting the nerves, including the spinal nerve and the neurological bundles. Hence, a misaligned spine will not aid in these functions and will not cover the vital nerves in the human body. The chiropractic team of professionals is well-trained to address the issues related to the spine and other joints.

They help in managing and preventing symptoms of pain and discomfort in the joints, reduced range of motion, stiffness, and reduced mobility of various joints and the associated structures. The tingling sensation, paresthesia, and tension in the athletic complex, with an overall decrease in energy levels, are managed by chiropractors through various adjustments and manipulative exercises. With adjustments in the spinal curvature and proper maintenance, many of the signs and symptoms of pain can be prevented or avoided by athletic people. 

Increasing the range of motion of the musculoskeletal complex

The athletic personnel finds it challenging to bend, flex, or stretch when the spine is not aligned correctly, or injuries occur due to a heavy physical workload. Sports personnel believe that spinal manipulations or adjustments help increase the range of motion and flexibility of the joints. The chiropractic exercises are focused, and the treatment plan is framed according to the area affected and the patient’s requirements.

Improve muscular function and develop core muscular strength

The core muscles, including those in the abdomen and lower back region, aid in building the power of the athletic complex and an increased range of motion and flexibility in the joints. When the muscle fibers in the lower leg are more excited, their strength and muscle mass increase. Chiropractors work towards this concept of muscle strengthening.

Improved Reaction Time

In athletic sports, a reaction time will help the sports personnel gain more points and defend their opponent. Many published studies since the 1990s have claimed that athletes who had received chiropractic therapy could perform with quick reaction time and win their games.

Prevent sports injury

If your body is free of pain, discomfort, and stiffness of the joints and muscles, it will perform much better, especially in sports-related activities. Chiropractic therapies aid in the reduction of signs of inflammation with improved blood circulation, and hence less frequency of injuries during sports activities.

Chiropractic therapy also aids in reducing the recovery time for any injury in sports personnel. This is done through stretching exercises and chiropractic adjustments that help in improved performance of the athletes.

Conclusion

Back pain and injuries are commonly found in persons associated with sports and heavy physical activities. Chiropractic care and therapies help prevent and manage all such signs and symptoms in these sports personnel.

We hope the information in the blog was helpful for you all. Do let us know in the comment section below.