Sports injuries can be debilitating for athletes. Knowing how to identify a sports injury and how to get it treated can speed your recovery period and help you avoid problems in the future.
Q: How do sports injuries occur?
A: Different sports injuries have different causes. The types of injuries that are typical to each sport can vary. Poor technique, failure to warm up, falls, twists, heavy blows, failure to wear safety equipment and inappropriate use of equipment are all common causes for sports injuries. All parts of the body are vulnerable to sports injuries, including bones, muscles, joints and connecting tissues.
Q: How will I know if I have a sports injury?
A: Sports injuries can manifest themselves in different ways, depending on the type of injury. Redness, numbness, pain while walking, stiffness, swelling and bruising are all common symptoms of sports injuries. Some injuries manifest themselves over a long period of time, other injuries become obvious right away. The best way to tell if you have a sports injury is to pay attention to the signals coming from your body.
Q: How can I avoid getting a sports injury?
A: Performing proper warm up stretches and cool down exercises after any sport experience can reduce the impact that intense physical activity can have on the body. Staying hydrated helps, as does cross training. Cross training encourages balanced strengthening of the muscles and improves flexibility of the joints and muscles, improving the body’s resilience.
One of the best ways to avoid a sports injury is to go through a proper recovery period after an injury. Playing through the pain can lead to additional injuries and complications from injuries, which ultimately can lead bigger problems in the future.
Q: How can treatment from a chiropractor help my sports injury?
A: Chiropractors use a variety of different methods to treat sports related injuries. Chiropractors can show patients how to perform foundation training exercises to strengthen and rehabilitate muscles after an injury. Foundation training exercises help patients safely achieve athletic goals.
In addition, chiropractors can use a combination of chiropractic adjustments and therapies to help patients manage pain without use of medications.
Finally, chiropractors can teach patients how to avoid sports injuries in the future. Often with special exercises and techniques, patients can participate in their favorite sports without sustaining injury.
Q: What’s wrong with using medication to control pain?
A: Medications mask pain without treating the source of the pain. Over time, patients can become addicted to medications without ever recovering from their injuries. This can lead to a life-long battle with pain and can even cause disabling conditions in the future.
For more information about protecting your body from sports injuries and healing your body in natural, healthy ways, contact us at EULO Chiropractic Center at 856-269-4567, serving the Washington Township area and surrounding communities of Sewell, Turnersville, Williamstown, Blackwood, and Glassboro, NJ today. At your first consultation we'll discuss your injuries and talk about treatments that can get you back on the road to wellness.