Sports And Exercise Related Injuries
The Problem
Growing numbers of persons are becoming more athletic and exercise-minded. With the increased awareness of the preventative effect of regular exercise and the participation in sports against a wide variety of health problems such as heart disease, this increased participation will continue. An age-old side effect of sports and exercise, however, are exercise-related injuries. Most doctors see more exercise-related injuries than ever before.
Good And Bad
The increase in injuries associated with sport and exercise, however, should be kept in perspective. Most injuries are treatable, many are preventable, and the benefits of exercise almost always outweigh the negative side of injury. While the preventative effects of regular exercise on the cardiovascular system are well-known, similar positive effects on the joints and muscles have been documented. In a study at Stanford University School of Medicine, runners were found to have significantly less disability associated with joint disorders than did non-runners.
Optimal Performance
The nature of treatment of sport-and exercise-related injury is changing. One of the most significant changes in recent years is the emergence of chiropractors as important providers of care to the injured athletes and exercisers. A recent issue of the medical journal Clinics in Sports Medicine attributes the increased interest in chiropractic treatment for athletes to the high incidence of spinal injuries in sports and exercise and the success reported by many athletes with this type of treatment. Almost all professional and college athletic teams utilize team chiropractors to keep them healthy. The U.S. Olympic Teams all have chiropractors who travel with them to enhance there ability to optimally perform.
We Have The Best Both Medical And Chiropractic Can Offer
In our office we utilize the best both medical care and chiropractic care have to offer to get even faster and more complete results with many sports and exercise related injuries. Not only do we offer manipulation, we also offer physiotherapy, rehabilative exercises, myofascial therapy, trigger point and joint injections, plus many other options.
The goal should be for all persons to participate in sports or exercise on a regular basis. However, a side effect of this goal will be injuries, and commonly, they will be to the spine or other major joints. An integrated approach using chiropractic and medical treatment is often very effective to the injured athlete, returning many to their previous participation level.
