Sports Injuries and Chiropractic: Prevention and Recovery
Picture this: you’re enjoying a weekend footy match when an awkward twist leaves your ankle throbbing. Or perhaps, you had a run the previous day, but woke up with a stubborn ache in your knee that just won’t quit. Sports injuries can creep up on anyone, from junior athletes in school teams to adults doing occasional exercises.
While it is instinctive to brush off the pain and stiffness as “just a niggle”, it might be time to pay closer attention if the discomfort lingers. That’s when consulting a sports injury chiropractor can make a big difference, not only to help you heal but also to prevent injuries from worsening.
In this article, we’ll explore some common sports injuries, how they happen and how chiropractic care can play a vital role in prevention, recovery and long-term rehab care. No matter who you are, you shouldn’t have to live with pain!
Common Sports Injuries and How They Happen
Here are some common signs of a sport injury:
Swelling or bruising
Stiffness in a join
Reduced range of motion
Sharp pain beyond an angle
Some of the most common sports injuries include sprains, strains and joint issues. Ankle sprains occur when the foot twists inward on uneven ground, overstretching the ligaments. Knee injuries such as ACL sprains in football or general knee joint pain, are caused from running on hard surfaces.
Muscle strains often strike when you push a muscle too far or too fast, especially if you haven’t stretched well. Back pain, while often associated with age, can also be a sports injury! Sports like gold or cricket put a lot of twisting force on the lower back, causing strains or disc issues. Bruises and impact injuries are commonly formed in contact sports such as rugby.
How Do Sports Injuries Happen?
Sports injuries are usually caused by one of two things: a sudden incident like a fall or collision or repetitive strain over time. Some examples include a sprained ankle from an awkward landing, a pulled hamstring from sudden sprinting or an aching shoulder from too many serves at tennis. On the other hand, acute injuries happen in a flash! Think of a rolled ankle during basketball or a dislocated finger catching a netball. Finally, chronic injuries build up slowly over time, often due to overuse or poor technique over time!
If you feel sharp pain at the time of injury or can’t bear weight on a limb, it’s a clear signal to rest and seek help. Even milder aches that persist for more than a few days shouldn’t be ignored – it’s your body’s way of asking for attention.
The good news is that many sports injuries are not only treatable, but also preventable with a little extra help! Chiropractic care helps to keep you in top shape so you’re less likely to get hurt in the first place.
See also: Sciatica Treatment in Brisbane
How Chiropractic Care Helps Prevent Injuries
Chiropractic care is crucial in keeping athletes injury-free, focusing on the body’s alignment, movement and overall musculoskeletal balance. Many sports injuries occur when the body is out of alignment or when one muscle group overcompensates for another.
By conducting a thorough assessment, a sports injury chiropractor can spot areas of tension or restriction that your body may have subconsciously ignored due to habits.
Spinal and Joint Alignment: Spine misalignment could affect your posture and how forces travel through your body. By correctly aligning your spine, it reduces undue stress on ligaments and muscles, reducing the risk of injuries that come from compensating for a misaligned joint.
Improving Flexibility and Balance: Chiropractors also help improve your overall mobility. Gaining good mobility puts you at lower risk of pulling a muscle, as your body can move as it’s meant to. Better balance and muscle symmetry also mean fewer awkward moves that could potentially lead to injury.
Performance and Coordination: Beyond just repairing your muscles, chiropractic care can also enhance your athletic performance! An improved nervous system also improves your reaction time and coordination. It’s no coincidence that many elite sports teams include chiropractors in their healthcare staff to keep players in peak condition.
For all ages and levels: Crucially, sports chiropractic care is safe and beneficial for athletes of all ages. From kids in junior leagues to seniors playing masters tennis, getting the right and customised care can help develop good posture habits and prevent avoidable injuries for all.
Chiropractic Care for Injury Recovery
No matter how careful and meticulous one may be, injuries can still happen! Chiropractic care can be a vital part of your recovery toolkit. Here at Tan Chiro, our goal in treating a sports injury is to address the root cause of the pain, not just the symptoms.
By doing so, they help your body heal more efficiently and reduce the chance of the injury coming back. Here’s what you can expect from a consultation with us:
Personalised assessment: We’ll chat about your pains, when they started, what triggers the pain and so on. We’ll gently check your joint movements around your affected areas and identify any tight muscles that could be causing discomfort.
Pain Relief and Healing: Pain relief will be one of the most immediate benefits after a session with a chiropractor! We deploy techniques like spinal adjustments that can help reduce pressure on nerves in your affected area. Our adjustments and mobilisations also promote better blood flow to injured areas, which is crucial for speeding up your healing, so you can go back to doing what you love on the field.
Soft Tissue Support: If deemed appropriate, we will incorporate soft tissue therapies such as trigger point therapy, myofascial release or dry needling to release knots and tightness in muscles. By addressing both the joints and the surrounding muscles, chiropractic care provides a more complete recovery.
Regaining Movement and Confidence: Our chiropractic adjustments can help restore normal movement patterns, so your body remembers how to move properly without hesitation. By getting your joints moving correctly and reducing pain, you’re able to do your rehab exercises more effectively and speed up your healing.
Preventing re-injuries: We will check not just the injured area but related regions too! With this holistic approach in inspecting your potentially affected areas, you can be rest assured that any given advice will prevent similar injuries in the future
When to Seek Care (Don’t Ignore Lingering Pain)
It’s all too easy to dismiss that nagging pain in your knee or the tightness in your back as “nothing serious.” We know you athletes are a tough bunch and think you have probably been through worse! However, one of the kindest things you can do for your body and your love of sport is to listen to those early warning signs.
If you experience pain or stiffness that lasts more than a few days, consider getting it checked so you can bounce back stronger! Often, a minor issue caught early can be resolved with a few targeted treatments and some tweaks to your routine, preventing it from snowballing into a major problem that could turn chronic.
Our sports injury chiropractors at Tan Chiro are here to help you feel and move your best. Your body deserves the proper care it needs, no matter if you’re an athlete or not.
Our chiropractic care is here to be that helping (and adjusting) hand to get you back on track! Life’s too short to sit on the sidelines with an injury when effective, gentle care is available. With the right prevention and recovery plan, you can keep doing the activities you love, stronger and more confident than before. Book a consultation now!