If your teenager is involved with athletics, they’re going to experience some pain associated with their performance. Some sports are harder on the body. Many professional athletes rely upon chiropractic care and other holistic treatments to help them recover from injury and optimize their performance. So even if your teenager isn’t planning to make this sport their career, the same treatments used by the pros can benefit them.
Did you know that 30% of all golfers experience back pain? 50% of tennis players and 58% of soccer players experience it, too. 69% of wrestlers, 80% of weight lifters and a whopping 85% of gymnasts will deal with back pain! While 60% of those injuries are caused by muscle strain, at least 7% are actually caused by disc injuries. Disc injuries can sideline a young athlete’s career. It’s important to address these concerns at early stages.
The body is designed to heal itself, with a little help from medicine and science. Natural healing takes place when the central nervous system and musculoskeletal system (spine, hips, muscles, tendons) are able to coordinate together to facilitate recovery.
Before you reach for that over-the-counter analgesic, we thought you should know about the benefits of chiropractic care for managing pain in athletes.
The benefit of chiropractic adjustments is that they allow the body to naturally heal itself, alleviating pain or discomfort. Many professional sports teams know the value of chiropractic care – in fact, many actually provide it to their athletes.
Along with back pain and muscle strains, these athletes may also experience neck pain or whiplash, hernias, MCL or hamstring sprains, shin splints, tendonitis and concussions. Having a chiropractor on staff helps these athletes immediately address their aches and pains, find relief, and help them to recover faster – they can actually return to the game much quicker and more productively.
Between the speed of receiving treatment and the athlete’s own optimum fitness level, that means that these athletes don’t report lingering pain management issues including back troubles. They actually heal faster than those of us in the general population! Many of these athletes also report improved balance, flexibility and even speed, as a result of regular chiropractic care. So why wouldn’t you want your teen athlete to reap all these same benefits?
In the Black Hills, our teens participate in many sports. From weight-lifting and softball, volleyball and football – sports gives teenagers a range of skills to navigate competition in healthy ways but while also putting pressure on growing bodies. Whether your teenager is just dribbling the ball for fun, or plans a career as a professional athlete, you are encouraged to treat their aches and injuries as seriously as the pros do. That means that you should work with a chiropractor to help your teen recover more quickly, and resolve their discomfort or pain.
Many local coaches will refer patients to us, and if those patients are teens, we’ll also want to confer with their parents for the best treatment plan.
