According to global statistics, 90% of professional athletes choose chiropractic treatment to heal injuries. Also, more than 77% of sports coaches recommend that an injured athlete be evaluated by a chiropractor. Chiropractic care clearly has a profoundly positive affect on sports-related injuries. Here are five ways that practices like Active Life Chiropractic, a chiropractor in Charlotte, NC can help your hockey injuries heal faster.
Non-invasive treatment
Surgical (invasive) procedures require a physician to “open up” the body in order to correct a problem. This can equate to significantly longer recovery times than chiropractic care, which is a non-invasive treatment. Four of the most common non-invasive treatments are the Graston Technique, active release, dry needling, and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS).
Asymmetrical Correction
When applied to the human body, the word “asymmetrical” means that one side of the body is not equal to the other. In the sports world, asymmetry is the most common cause of pain and injury, and typically results from improper training. A chiropractor is trained to realign the body correctly so that both sides are equally strong. When the body is symmetrical, both sides do their equal share so that one side isn’t compensating for the other. Soft tissue massage is also employed by the chiropractor to reduce muscle tension, which further lowers the risk of injury and helps the body recover faster.
Broad Applications
Many people associate chiropractic care with injuries incurred in sudden high-impact sports such as hockey, however, low-impact workouts can affect the body also. Repetitive training such as impacting the ground when running or high intensity interval training can slowly bring about injuries. In these cases, chiropractic care reduces strain on the body and improves flexibility, allowing the athlete to use the same muscles/body positioning repeatedly, with less risk of injury.
In addition to treating injuries and helping an athlete to heal faster through chiropractic care, routine adjustment (especially range of motion exercises) is very useful for athletes of all stripes looking to enhance their performance, increase blood flow, decrease injury frequency, and be able to bounce back faster from injury.
Decreasing Inner-Body Pain
A healthy spine benefits people of all activity levels, especially athletes. The spine contains abundant pain-sensitive components: joints, muscles, ligaments, nerve roots, and discs. Too much spinal stress can misalign portions of the spine, leading to sometimes unbearable pain that causes an athlete to discontinue training/participation. However, chiropractic care can restore the spine to optimum position and function. The short-term benefit is the removal of pain, with one of the key long-term benefits being the ability to bounce back faster from injuries in other parts of the body, since the spine is “mission control” for the nervous system.
Chiropractic Care = Quick, Effective Healing
When an athlete is injured and experiences a misalignment, the body typically “protects” itself in the form of spasms and inflammation. Unfortunately, these protective mechanisms prolong the heating process and at times make it more painful. Chiropractic care doesn’t subvert these mechanisms – rather, it facilitates the healing process so that these mechanisms are not required to be as long-standing or pain-inducing, restoring the athlete to full health and getting him back in the game faster.
For more information on how Active Life Chiropractic can help with sports injuries relief in Charlotte, contact us today.