Do You Play Football?
Bruising tackles and bone-crushing hits are all too familiar among football players at all levels. Too frequently, the physical nature of football results in injuries, ranging from head and spine trauma, to bone fractures, and muscle and ligament damage.
“While athletes can never predict how and when injury will occur, doctors of chiropractic can assist in treating acute and chronic injuries, as well as introducing preventive measures designed to optimize performance and reduce injury risk,” says Dr. Sol Cogan, Detroit Lions team chiropractor and president of the Pro Football Chiropractic Society. “Prior to game time, and especially after the game, receiving chiropractic adjustments can enhance flexibility, range of motion, structural alignment and bio-mechanics, ensuring that the athlete’s body will recover quickly and function at its highest possible level.”
Every NFL team provides the care of a doctor of chiropractic for its players.
Repeated hits to the body commonly lead to injuries including strains, sprains, and stingers, which may result in severe aches and pains and loss of proper function. Football is one of the few sports where the injuries that occur are traumatic in nature. And they are much more acute. The hits that occur during football cause changes to the position of the spine. Most sports do not do this, and if they do it is over a longer period of time. The impact from hits put more stress on the spine than just about any other activity we could be involved in. It is so important to get regular check-ups and adjustments for anyone but is even more important for anyone especially youths involved in football to make sure they are getting properly re-aligned following football. I almost always recommend that athletes get adjusted after every game to prevent not only injuries but to restore proper function to the body. Many youth are involved in football and are at an age where their bodies are growing and maturing skeletally which makes it even more important to have their spines checked to ensure proper development.
As preventive care specialists, chiropractors suggest football players of all ages take the following steps to properly prepare for games:
Dynamic warm up and stretching before practice and games
Wear appropriate equipment while making sure all gear fits properly
Maintain good nutrition to achieve necessary energy levels
Hydrate to prevent overheating and cramping
Rest the body before and after activity, using ice for any inflammation
Discuss all of your symptoms with coaches, trainers, and doctors
Taking a preventive approach with a training routine that includes chiropractic care helps athletes recover from injury (or collision induced trauma) by restoring optimal function and reducing the risk of reinjury, and ultimately achieving peak performance on the field.
Read more at The American Chiropractic Association