Sports Injury and Chiropractic

by Dr. Kevin Brusky

Whether someone is a professional athlete, recreational athlete, weekend warrior or just lives an active life, daily activities take a toll on the body. Professional athletes are constantly setting new goals and reaching new heights in their careers. With each passing year, new records are shattered and the human body is pushed to its limits. Competitors train rigorously and take their fitness to a new level every day. Despite the conscientious care given and precautions followed, most athletes experience musculoskeletal injuries at one time or another. In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Statistics Report, an average annual estimate of 8.6 million sports and recreation-related injury episodes were reported, with nearly 50 percent resulting in treatment at a doctor’s office. The hardship of coping with time missed from sports, school or work due to an injury is only exacerbated when there is also a financial strain due to the need for medical treatment.

Chiropractors have extensive training in evaluating the spine and musculoskeletal system, which includes muscles, bones, joints, ligaments and tendons; and they take the time to evaluate the body as an integrated system in order to determine the root cause of an injury, rather than treat each injury individually. Chiropractic treatment offers a client-centered, holistic approach, using spinal adjustments, physical therapy and other modalities such as electric stimulation, laser, traction and dry needling in order to help the patient return to their normal function.

Depending on the sport being played, there are common injuries, such as shin splints with running, shoulder injuries with throwing and knee injuries with jumping, just to name a few. Athletes frequently encounter back and neck pain, joint sprains and muscle strains. Chiropractic care is a common choice by athletes to help with pain management after an injury has occurred because chiropractors can help decrease the pain using manual adjustments, soft tissue techniques and other modalities without relying solely on medication.

In the case of sports injuries, chiropractors can play a role in the rehabilitation process as well—they can provide targeted therapies, exercises and guidance to support the healing process, restore function and promote faster recovery. Implementing a rehabilitation intervention requires consideration of many factors such as age, injury history and training experience, and includes communication with parents, coaches and other staff, in order to ensure that the athlete recovers as fully as possible. Knowing the exercises and modalities required at each stage of the healing process is important in order to decrease the chance of setbacks or reinjury. According to research published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy , a well-rounded rehabilitation program was shown to be more effective at decreasing the amount of time it took to return to sport participation than a program focused solely on the site of injury.

Once the activity is resumed, it is vital to continue chiropractic care in order to maintain health and longevity. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Sports Health found that nearly 20 percent of athletes under the age of 20 reinjured their knee after undergoing ACL surgery. The goal of chiropractic treatment is to be proactive and maintain a healthy body in order to prevent injuries rather than be reactive and address injuries after they have occurred. When chiropractors assess patients—whether they are new or continuing care—they identify areas of restriction, weakness or imbalance throughout the body. The likelihood of injury decreases when biomechanics are improved and vulnerable areas are strengthened. Injuries can also be decreased—and performance improved—when athletes are educated on proper equipment and exercise technique, frequency and intensity.

Chiropractors can also give advice on nutrition, hydration and supplementation to help athletes achieve their best performance.

Kevin Brusky, Doctor of Chiropractic, works at Brookfield Chiropractic, in Brookfield. For more

information, call 262-754-5500 or visit BrookfieldChiropractic.net

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