Chiropractic Therapy for Sports Injuries

Chiropractic care is a unique brand of therapy due to the methods that are used to administer it, the health benefits it delivers, and the results it yields. It is easy to see how important chiropractic rehabilitation in sports can be. The musculoskeletal injuries that can be sustained during sports are numerous, and all of them require prompt treatment to give the athlete a chance at making a full recovery.

Athletes have unique needs when it comes to injury treatment and rehabilitation, needs that in many instances, can sufficiently be met by a sports chiropractor. It is a niche that only a few can fill since sports chiropractors need extra training and practice to be able to adequately provide the therapy injured athletes need to get back to top form.

Why Athletes Need Special Chiropractic Care

Professional athletes spend an enormous amount of time training and conditioning their bodies. Every type of athlete, from swimmers to distance runners, puts in work every day to ensure that they are at the top of their game. Considering that the motions we make using our limbs make us more susceptible to musculoskeletal injuries, athletes understandably stand a higher chance of getting injured even when they’re not performing. The smallest of injuries can affect an athlete’s prowess dramatically since it impinges their ability to train every day.

Athletes need special chiropractic care for a number of reasons. For one, it is rare to find general physicians that are well equipped to handle the intricacies of sports injury rehabilitation. Even the best physicians equipped with knowledge about sports injuries are bound to make mistakes that ordinarily wouldn’t be made by a sports chiropractic physician, and this could lead to either an improper diagnosis or a mistake in treatment.

Furthermore, not even your typical chiropractor deals with the type of patients dealt with by an on-site sports chiropractor. While the former generally meets ailing patients, a sports chiropractor deals with patients that are typically fit and healthy and is more concerned about their patients achieving their peak physical shape.

Granted that regular chiropractic education is a necessary requirement for any sports chiropractic, it is just the tip of the iceberg. Chiropractic rehabilitation for sports injuries centers around increasing the physical condition of highly motivated athletes, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t come with its share of injuries. Sprains, fractures, contusions, dislocations, soft tissue trauma, and subluxations of the cranium and spinal column are all injuries that a sports chiropractor is expected to deal with at some point.

Even with an emphasis on spinal care, a chiropractor is not fully equipped to take on sports rehabilitation until they are capable of addressing the injuries that are sustained away from the spine. In only 3 percent of all athletic injuries is the spine affected, so there is a fair chance that spinal injuries sustained during sports may be few and far between. Aside from physical injuries, a sports chiropractor is tasked with monitoring the amount of stress the athlete puts on their body since small stresses gradually build up and can have the same severe effects as sudden intense stress.

Understanding The Role of a Sports Chiropractor

One thing that sports chiropractors have to understand is that an athlete’s primary focus is winning. Their self-preservation instincts come second, so the conditioning they do before performances serve the main purpose of increasing their chances of achieving their goals, not avoiding injuries.

As a result, the evaluation of a sports injury depends on the chiropractor’s understanding of the athlete’s primary goals. As important as the team physician’s and family doctor’s input is in the event of an injury; proper communication is essential between them and the sports chiropractor to achieve successful rehabilitation of the athlete. Understanding this not only helps the rehabilitation physician to determine which course of action is best to take, but it also helps in the formation of a rapport between the athlete and the chiropractor.

The Five A’s of Sports Chiropractic – A Guide for The Sports Chiropractor

Chiropractic treatment for recovering athletes is generally based on the following five concepts. These invaluable tips are usually known as “the Five A’s.”

1. Act Quickly

When treating sports injuries, prompt action is required. It has been established that delayed action is the root cause of treatment failure, and could very well be the reason why an athlete does not make a full recovery after an injury. The decision on the type of treatment to be administered following a sports injury is one that should be made as early as possible to improve the chances of its success.

2. Adopt The Best Treatment Method

As important as it is to consult with other physicians during the treatment of a sports injury, an objective decision on the best course of action to be taken should be made based on the evaluation of the chiropractic practitioner as well as the nature of the injury. However, should the sports chiropractor feel that another treatment may yield better results, they are at liberty to recommend it provided it offers the best chance of recuperation for the athlete.

3. Avoid External Input

Welcoming outside input does not mean that a chiropractor should allow it to overrule their decision on the best course of action to take following an athlete’s injury. Despite the numerous factors that can influence the chiropractor’s final decision, it is important to stick only to the best course of treatment no matter what the athlete’s family, manager, physician, team, and even the athlete themselves, have to say about it. Avoiding outside influence is necessary if the proper Chiropractic treatment methods are to be decided upon quickly.

4. Achieve Perfection

The chiropractic goal of the treatment should mirror the athlete’s main desire after sustaining an injury, which is to make a full recovery. Luckily for sports chiropractors, athletes are usually ready to do whatever it takes if it means recovering from their injuries fully. Their high tolerance level for pain and strain should be utilized positively by the chiropractor to achieve results that are near-perfect, if not perfect.

5. Accept Athletics

Last but certainly not least, the chiropractor should recognize what competitive athletics mean to the injured athlete. They must understand that it is absolutely vital for them to be restored back to full health. A good chiropractor is one that not only understands the player’s ambition but also encourages it. This ensures that the chiropractor has the athlete’s best interests at heart.

The Development of Chiropractic Rehabilitation for Sports Injuries

Slowly but surely, chiropractic care is gaining mainstream recognition in the world of sports. The increasing demand for physical fitness in athletic sports coupled with very public injuries captured by the media has thrown it into the limelight only recently despite having existed for years.

Keeping up with the modern trends in chiropractic care is also essential in guaranteeing timely and full recoveries. That is why Dr. Tran at T98 Rehab uses the latest technologies in chiropractic treatment. Call us today to hear about our new client specials.