Sports Injuries
Dr. Drew-Montez Clark is an avid runner and triathlete so he knows your pain well. Let him take the time to examine and address your specific complaint and to help get the relief you deserve to be the best athlete you can be! Let Dr. Drew-Montez Clark be your personal sports specialist in Bonita Springs FL and Fort Myers FL!
How Can Chiropractic Help Athletes?
Athletes routinely and continually put their bodies through an extremely high level of physical stress. These stressors are different than what we experience as a result of too much schoolwork or demands from the boss at work. Sports participation often involves quick starts and stops, explosive jumping or running collisions, and atypical body postures that put added demands on the body's physical structure. Therefore, whether you are a football player, wrestler, golfer, or runner, chiropractic can provide the assistance your body needs to be able to adapt to these added stresses. Often, these unusual stresses cause the bones in our back to come out of place. The effects of these changes create a cascade that often leads to loss of motion, flexibility, and speed while increasing the chances of developing headaches or predisposing the body to future athletic-related injuries. For example, many long-distance runners have been shown to develop chronic cases of tendonitis and pain throughout the joints in their legs. Typically, they are prescribed a pain killer to mask the symptoms of pain, providing short-term relief. If pain killers were the real solution to the problem, why would they have to be continually taken?
The truth is that many sports-related injuries begin due to nerve interference caused by misalignments in our joints, primarily the spine. Our chiropractors at Breakthrough Health Center in Bonita Springs FL and Fort Myers FL are specially trained at removing this type of interference. When this nerve interference is removed, the body experiences an increase in blood flow, higher immune system function, proper motor pattern firing, and overall better health. As a result, athletes receiving care at our clinic have noticed increased flexibility, speed, agility, and power during sports participation. These types of results have been seen at chiropractic clinics all across the country. In fact, a recent study published in the Journal of Chiropractic Research and Investigation showed that as much as 32% of athletes receiving chiropractic care experienced these results and an even higher percentage showed a decrease in the number of injuries sustained during sports participation.
When Should an Athlete See a Chiropractor?
Just as people get a flu shot at the beginning of the year to try to prevent getting sick, athletes of all ranks shouldn't wait to see a chiropractor until after an injury has occurred. While chiropractic has been proven to be an excellent source for injury rehabilitation and healing, it is an even better resource for preventing the damage from happening. Chiropractors view the body as a whole, taking into account all aspects of health. Our team at Breakthrough Health Center has the resources to provide adjustive procedures, physical therapy, and soft tissue massage to address the nervous, skeletal, muscular, and ligamentous systems. Through this approach, the body is allowed to function at its optimal level, keeping you off the bench sidelined with injuries throughout the season. If you are an athlete in the Bonita Springs FL or Fort Myers FL area, contact Breakthrough Health Center today to schedule your individualized consultation.
As Jerry Rice said, "Chiropractic care helped me stay healthy and succeed in the league for as long as I did."
Common Sports Injuries
Golfter's Elbow (Medical Epicondylitis)
The cause is excess or repetitive stress, often by forceful wrist and finger motions.
- Symptoms :The elbow may feel stiff. Hands and wrists may feel weak. People may experience pain in the elbow or wrist and may also feel a sensation of pins and needles, tenderness, or tingling fingers
- Treatment: Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE), medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, and analgesics are commonly prescribed as well as therapies such as stretching, physical therapy, and massage. Therapeutic ultrasound, elbow bandaging/bracing, and Kinesio tape are also common modalities.
Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
Tennis elbow can be caused by repetitive wrist and arm motions.
- Symptoms: Pain is the primary symptom. It usually occurs on the outside of the elbow and sometimes in the forearm and wrist.
- Treatment: Treatment includes rest, pain relievers, and physical therapy.
Call our team at Breakthrough Health Center today to see how chiropractic care can help your sports injury in Bonita Springs FL and Fort Myers FL. Get your life back today!
