CHIROPRACTIC BENEFITS FOR ATHLETES

At DC Chiropractic, one of the most frequently asked questions is… “Can Chiropractic care improve my athletic performance?” and in simple terms; definitely.

A Chiropractor’s specialty is their adjustments. Adjustments involve moving specific joints quickly and momentarily to allow for gas release – resulting in more range of motion (kind of like joint flexibility).

There is a stigma that Physiotherapists treat muscles and Chiropractors treat bones. Lately there has been a new shift of ideologies where both forms of health care tackle almost all the same issues; usually with the same approach, too.

The Chiropractor at DC Chiropractic assess a vast array of musculoskeletal issues that you could have. These include; any type of muscle/ligament strains; skeletal deformities; nerve related problems; arm or leg injuries; headaches; arthritic conditions; and many, many more.

The treatment that comes with our Chiropractic care is very biomechanical orientated and ‘evidenced based’. They test and assess the body to determine what exactly is going wrong.

As said, Chiropractic adjustments allow for more range of motion. It is not hard to imagine where this would prove advantageous for certain athletes… for example an Olympic lifter – where they need to squat as deep as possible and bring their arms far back behind their neck. This could be said for most exercise and even social sports, such as frisbee or volleyball.

Dr Dylan Chow also pays significant attention on building healthy motor functions and progressing specific rehabilitation exercises. This brings on another point: Injury prevention. The best way to deal with injuries is to prevent them. Most injuries are from work or sport and a good health care provider will identify any weaknesses and turn them into your strengths. Dylan has done gym talks on ‘Bulletproofing shoulders’ as well as other topics such as “Control your low back pain”.

Most athletes know that recovery time is crucial for training consistently and topping your competition. Building strength and motor patterns tend to be the prime focus and recovery can be often overlooked. Chiropractic care – like most manual therapies – increases blood flow to sore muscles, reduces pain, resets your body and speeds up recovery periods. Which brings us to: Pain relief.

Not only is chiropractic care drug-free, it is non-invasive and improves long term pain. Simple analgesics have their place, but when dealing with incorrect biomechanics and tissue damage, a simple pill may only cover up the pain. To prevent pain, we must deal with injuries properly and the majority of these injuries require rehabilitation. Rehabilitation can be painful – as usually it involves aggravating and retesting the physical capacities. This is why pain relief is so useful; it tells your body to relax and reminds you that you are on the right track.

If you’re an athlete that wants to get on top of your game, contact DC Chiropractic and progress your training to another level!