Sports and Chiropractic

Today I had a great meeting with the coaches from one of our area high schools. As I was getting the stuff together, I realized that I haven’t spoken too much on Sports and Chiropractic.  I wanted to take this opportunity to share why it is so important for athletes (and us weekend warriors) to see a chiropractor.

Why is Chiropractic so important to athletes?  In sports, Chiropractors enhance performance, prevent and manage injury. They have been able to help in pre-competition preparation, competition endurance, and all aspects of injury prevention and treatment. A research study conducted by Drs. Anthony Lauro and Brian Mouch, published in the journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigation, 1991, indicated chiropractic care might improve athletic performance by as much as 16.7% over a two week period. The report also concluded that subluxation-free athletes react faster, coordinate better, execute fine movements with improved accuracy and precision, amounting to an overall better athlete.

I tell my story of personal discovery of Chiropractic often, but just to refresh your memory…

I played sports throughout my life until one morning, while in college, I went to get up but couldn’t move – pain was shooting down my leg.  I can’t even explain the pain and fear I had. I went to numerous doctors and had a couple MRIs performed. What did they say? Nothing is wrong with me, my spine is in better shape than it should be for someone my height and activity level (well, prior activity level) – they gave me some muscle relaxers and said to “live with it”… REALLY? I mean, REALLY? I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t use stairs. I couldn’t get in or out of my car... AND they said they couldn’t find anything wrong!!! They pumped me with chemicals that didn’t work and sent me on my way. Needless to say, the remaining 3 years of college were not fun. I would go through spurts of no pain and I would happily play intramural basketball or football. But there were also those times that I couldn’t move.  Unfortunately, due to my Sciatica, other areas of my back started hurting because of my body compensating for the original problem.



OUCH!

Finally after years of nagging meJ, Lynn convinced me to go see a chiropractor (she has been an advocate since she was in 6^th grade). I loved her logic: “your back hurts, go to a back doctor!”  They took their x-rays and noticed that my spine was “twisted” slightly causing inflammation and spasm, which put pressure on a nerve. After a couple of weeks (even though it had hurt for years), I could sleep through the night!!! AWESOME!

So, how is it that a 19 year old (my age when sciatica hit) is down for the count – so to speak? It was because all the things I did throughout childhood had finally caught up to me... for me 19, for others it could be our 30’s or 40’s. I didn’t think about how the body functions or how things need to align so inflammation and spasm don’t happen. I just shook off the pains and soreness from pushing my body (but how much was my body saying “hold up, I am not working right!”).

Here is a quote from an interview Emmitt Smith did a few years back about his Chiropractic care:

“I found a specialist that's really good in balancing out my body to make sure my hips are rotated right, and my body is functioning properly…I remember somebody telling me that what I put myself in during the games is like having a car wreck every Sunday. It's against the norm. You can find yourself in awkward positions. That stuff takes its toll. But if you take advantage of the health care, balance your body back out, put it back where it's supposed to be, you function better, and you recover faster.” – Emmitt Smith

We don’t all play professional sports, but I know that we still put our body through a lot, so why wouldn’t it be the same for us weekend warriors?  Chiropractic care is becoming a treatment of choice by professional and amateur athletes. Chiropractic care is not limited to the more advanced athlete, but young athletes are able to benefit from chiropractic treatment as well.

Ten years ago, we didn’t understand what Chiropractic was, but Lynn and I both knew it worked. Now I know the science behind the anatomy and physiology of the body and how adjustments work to improve the function. I am amazed every day by what the body can do and am proud to be part of a profession that is proven to assist the body to heal itself and function at an optimal capacity.

Are you an athlete (includes weekend warriors!)– why wouldn’t you want to improve your game or run? Get your spine checked!