Depending on the sport an athlete is playing, there will certain things their bodies will need to be able to do. Basketball players need the ability to run and jump. Baseball players have to throw and twist their backs to swing. Gymnasts need strength, flexibility, and agility in every single joint and muscle.

Do you play sports professionally? If not, are you a regular participant in any kind of amateur sports? Assuming you participate in some type of organized athletic endeavor or endeavors, it would be safe to assume you want to perform at the highest level possible.

One of the steps you can take to fine-tune your body and keep it that way would be to make regular visits to a professional chiropractor. It’s a good bet that most professional athletes have immediate access to chiropractors as individuals or through their team’s medical staff.

Instead of making such a blanket statement, we would instead like to offer some information related to why astute athletes should have access to a chiropractor whether they are injured or not. Here are some of the potential benefits of doing so.

Faster Healing of Minor Injuries and Muscle Soreness

It’s very common for athletes to be pressed to perform at the highest levels day after day. If they are not playing a game or a match, they are probably involved in some kind of training or practice. That puts a lot of constant stress on their bodies, which increases the likelihood they will incur an injury or muscle soreness.

Dealing with minor injuries and muscle soreness is a common problem for athletes. It creates downtime, which interferes with their ability to give maximum effort when called upon to do so. What athletes need is a way to promote the fast healing of minor injuries and or muscle soreness. This is an issue with which chiropractors love to deal.

What they can do to mitigate the duration of injuries and muscle soreness is to promote a faster healing process. They typically do that by employing massage techniques that move muscles and joints around, creating better blood to the area that is injured or sore. By the way, it’s not uncommon for muscle soreness to disappear in a day after the right massage therapy.

Avoid Medical Interventions

Downtime is the enemy of athletes, especially professional athletes. If an athlete has to undergo any kind of medical treatment, it can cost them time, money, and athletic prowess.

If an athlete incurs an injury that results in limited mobility and pain, they can’t perform until the issue or issues are resolved. With any kind of medical intervention option, there is a high likelihood the athlete will be sidelined for a significant amount of time. The term medical intervention for athletes refers to:

  • Long periods of immobilization
  • Epidural injections to reduce pain and swelling
  • Prescription anti-inflammatory medications
  • Invasive surgical procedures with long periods of recovery
  • Pain-staking physical therapy

Of course, there are sports injuries and conditions where invasive medical procedures will be necessary. However, there is also the possibility that chiropractic adjustments and massage therapy might be enough to resolve some physical issues faster than any kind of medical intervention. This would be preferable for any athlete that wants and needs to get back into action.

Prevention of Future Injuries

Beyond helping to resolve current injury issues, chiropractors also have the ability to prevent future injuries. They can do this in one of two ways.

First, they can employ a set of adjustments that will help keep an athlete’s body in proper alignment. There is plenty of evidence that suggests that a properly aligned spine exposes the body to far fewer injuries.

Second, there are adjustments and massage techniques that can be employed to strengthen the back and neck muscles, and soft tissues around joints. When stronger muscles are there to hold the skeletal system in its proper position, certain kinds of injuries are less likely to happen.

Improves Strength, Agility, and Coordination

Every athlete seems to have a baseline of performance. If they want to get better, there are things they have to do to improve. Yes, they need to improve the skill set they need to play the sport or sports they play. They also need to improve their athletic ability or prowess.

It’s not rocket science to understand what physical factors go into creating athletic prowess. Right off the bat, here are a few of them:

  • Strength
  • Power
  • Agility
  • Balance
  • Coordination
  • Speed
  • Endurance

From this list, the first five (5) factors can be improved by chiropractic care. While chiropractors can’t do much to improve an athlete’s endurance or speed, they can make contributions by helping to make sure the athlete’s body is fine-tuned for optimal performance.

Strengthens the Immune System

Other than injuries, there is something else that can send an athlete to the sidelines. That would be an illness brought on by exposure to a virus or harmful bacteria. If you think about it, an accountant could still do their job if they have the flu. The same cannot be said of an athlete who would only stand to aggravate their flu symptoms via stressful physical activity.

What athletes need to do so they can stay in action is avoid illnesses. Chiropractors can help them do that by employing adjustments and massage techniques that are specifically designed to improve healthy blood flow throughout the athlete’s body. Healthy blood carries the red and white blood cells that are needed to battle against the harmful effects of viruses and bacteria.

Promotes Relaxation and Rest

When an athlete does get downtime, it’s vitally important that they claim all of the relaxation and rest they can get. They need time to let their body recover from physical stress. That’s a hard thing for an athlete to do after performing and getting pumped up with adrenaline.

Remember, chiropractors have lots of “tricks” up their proverbial sleeves. They have access to lots of adjustment and massage techniques that are specifically designed to improve oxygen levels in the body. More oxygen in the body translates to faster recovery of most cells in the body.

Also, a good massage will help to slow a patient’s breathing and heart rate while also lowering their blood pressure. They are key components of relaxation and rest. It also helps to promote better sleep habits at night.

Improves Mental Capacity

We intentionally saved mental capacity for last. Why? We all tend to forget that athletes need the ability to concentrate when performing. You can’t hit a fastball if you aren’t focused on what you are doing.

When an athlete’s body is functioning at a high level, it allows the athlete to put their physical performance on auto-pilot. Instead, they can put most of their focus on the mental aspects of performing. What does that include? That would include:

  • Increased awareness
  • Better function of the central nervous system for faster response times to stimuli
  • Increased ability to concentrate
  • Added ability to multi-task (run and catch)

Improving mental capacity is where chiropractors can bring everything together. If an athlete is relaxed, healthy, rested, strong, agile, and balanced, improved mental capacity is the last piece of the puzzle for optimum athletic performance.

If you are an athlete who desires to be the best you can be, money concerns would be the only viable reason you would not want to stay close to a professional chiropractor.

By contacting us, you would open the door to us becoming the chiropractor that could help you take your athletic prowess to the next level.