Chiropractic Could Prevent Sports Injuries
Chiropractic care has been proven to be effective at treating back pain, neck pain, and other musculoskeletal issues. But did you know that chiropractic treatments could potentially prevent these injuries from occurring?
A 2010 study tested the effects of chiropractic preventive treatments on sixty semi-elite Australian football players. The athletes were divided into two groups; both groups received medical and sports science management but one group also received chiropractic treatments. Chiropractic care could include manipulative therapy, mobilization, and soft-tissue therapies applied to the spine and extremity.
After 24 matches, the researchers evaluated the frequency of lower-limb injuries among both groups of football players. Although both groups had similar rates of non-contact knee injuries and hamstring injuries, the athletes in the chiropractic group did experience more benefits than athletes receiving normal care. Chiropractic patients were significantly less likely to experience lower-limb muscle strains and missed less playing time due to injury.
Researchers concluded that the addition of sports chiropractic intervention corresponded with " trend towards lower limb injury prevention with a significant reduction in primary lower limb muscle strains and weeks missed due to non-contact knee injuries."
Chiropractic care offers a number of potential benefits for athletes, including improved recovery, injury prevention, and enhanced athletic performance. Previous research has shown chiropractic care to be effective in treating sports hernias in soccer players. Spinal manipulation has also been found to be the most effective treatment for lower back pain in athletes. Research also suggests that chiropractic adjustments have the potential to improve the athletic performance of football players and judo athletes by restoring pain-free movement.
Athletes looking to avoid injuries and potentially improve performance could benefit from chiropractic sports care.
References
Hoskins W, Pollard H. The effect of a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention on the prevention of back pain, hamstring and lower limb injuries in semi-elite Australian Rules footballers: a randomized control trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2010;11:64.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20374662
