Whether a professional athlete or a dedicated amateur, chances are you’re always striving to improve your performance. Coaches, fellow athletes, and fans help keep your motivation high but did you know that a sports chiropractor can help boost your health and performance? This can get you more cheers at events and help you enjoy them more fully.
While a general chiropractor can help you improve your health, a sports chiropractor is specifically qualified to enhance athletic performance. A recent research study revealed that athletes had “…a high level of trust and satisfaction with care received from sports chiropractors.” The following guide to sports chiropractic will give you five excellent reasons to add this in-demand specialist to your support team.
Comprehensive Health Status
Whether you’re tracking baseball or swimming, it’s no secret that most sports enthusiasts are into statistics. Whether the focus is jumping higher, running faster, or getting more baskets, quantification is the first step toward domination. After all, how can you improve your performance if you don’t have an objective way to measure how you’re doing?
Our team is no different. We love statistics. We love looking over scans with our patients and showing them objective proof of the knee that doesn’t creak anymore or the shoulder that now moves freely. One of the most exciting aspects of our job is seeing the improved physical condition that you can translate into better athletic performance.
Detailed Movement Analysis
One of the crucial ways we use data to improve your performance is by analyzing your movement. When you come to our practice, we watch while you walk, sit, and stand just as we scrutinize the moment of our patients.
However, when you’re visiting us for a specialty sports consultation, the data collection doesn’t stop there. We observe your every move as you run, catch, or do whatever you need to immerse yourself in your sport fully. If you ski, skate, or swim, we’re also glad to scrutinize video footage of your movement.
Once we’re armed with data, we ask about your performance goals. Since you’re the expert in your sport, we find out from you what constitutes peak performance. Whether you need to be able to reach higher, go longer, and lift stronger, we then develop a plan to help you maximize the body you’ve got so it can perform in ways you might not have thought possible.
Reduce Wear and Tear
We’ve all seen athletes with promising careers cut short by an injury or a senior sports star who has developed debilitating pain. While everyone has physical variations that help determine how their joints, tendons, and bones will age, sometimes usage patterns are at least partially to blame for increasing pain and dysfunction.
Incorporating a targeted stretching program into your daily routine can help prepare your muscles for the rigorous workout ahead. When you visit us, we can find stiff muscles and other areas that would benefit from extra stretching and create a customized program for you.
We can also give you an individualized list of warning signs to watch for potential wear and tear issues. You can rest and call us for expert guidance when you notice any of the following signs:
- Pain, especially while moving a particular part of your body
- Tenderness over tendons or joints
- Warmth or redness over a tendon or joint
- Difficulty sleeping due to sports-related discomfort
- Trouble with showering, walking, or other activities of daily living due to pain, stiffness, or other sports-related issues
Sometimes, an infection can develop at the site of a sports-related injury that requires professional treatment and monitoring. Please call for additional directions if you have a fever or suspect an infection. Individuals have suffered nerve damage or even had amputations due to such conditions.
Avoid Injuries
Another way we can help you avoid injury is to train you in proper ergonomics for your sport and your body. Ergonomics is a term we often see applied to office or healthcare workers, but it has just as much utility for helping athletes avoid premature wear on their joints. Repetitive strain issues are more than carpal tunnel syndrome, although CTS can occur in some sports. Whether you’re swinging a golf club or climbing a mountain, repetitive shoulder injuries are an injury we can help you avoid, lessen, or treat.
Enjoy Your Best Body
Your time on and off the athletic field is limited, and life was meant to be enjoyed. It’s hard to enjoy life when you can only sit in a particular chair, if at all or if you must carefully track everything you’ve done to ensure you don’t need to make another trip up the steps. Although these sound like images of older individuals or persons with chronic illnesses, we can assure you that such stiffness and pain can happen to athletes of any age.
When you visit our sports chiropractic practice, we get a detailed analysis of your health and give you concrete steps you can take to improve it. Following our recommendations can help you feel more energized and alert in addition to enhancing your stamina or boosting your strength.
Get a Sports-Specific Chiropractic Consult
If you’re intrigued by what we offer and wonder what sports chiropractic can do for you, we want to talk with you. Calling our office at (303) 455-2225 or dropping us a line through our online contact page are two fast and easy ways to schedule a sports chiropractic consultation today.