School sports are gearing up for the start of the fall season – parents will be excited to see their kids on the playing field, spectators will once again cheer for the favorite team – and young athletes will once again run the risk of injury.
An injured football player on crutches watching his team.
It’s not the cheeriest part of school sports, but it is a reality. Athletics are fun but also problematic for participants, especially school children, whose bones and muscles are still developing, and face over-exertion from the demands placed on the body. Football, especially, causes a range of problems from the actions of tackling and hitting. The stress on the body caused by the harsh moves in football can put the body through a lot of stress, resulting in tears and strains.
If you’re wondering why your child is hurting, look no further than the following reasons:
- hard impacts
- repetitive motions
- over-training
- correct warm-up exercises or failure to warm up
Young Male Wrestling Match
If your child is experiencing sore muscles, tears and strains from participating in his or her favorite sport, seek help from your Ft. Lauderdale chiropractor. Chiropractors can undo the stress on the body through a manual spinal adjustment that brings bones and muscles into alignment, allowing for better functioning of everything, from bones and muscles to nerves, and makes the child stronger and his/her body less susceptible to injury. Chiropractors employ techniques to boost joint function, eliminate inflammation and end pain, and regular visits will ensure that athletes are better prepared for games and can gain back function quickly after injury.
Here is what a chiropractor will do to improve function and enhance performance:
- Ask questions about general health
- Perform an exam of posture, spine and balance.
- An examine of the back, spine, tendons, ligaments and joints
Garnering all this information, the chiropractor can personalize a treatment plan that will combine the highly effective programs involving spinal manipulation and spinal mobilization.
As part of spinal manipulation, a chiropractor will place the patient in different positions and carry out a manual thrust to the affected joint, which releases pressure and provides better alignment. Mobilization is a gentler technique and involves stretches that release joint pressure.
So, the young athlete has chiropractic help for injuries, but what about preventing injuries? A Ft. Lauderdale chiropractor can help with that, too.
Young Athlete Patient With Chiropractor
As with any exercise or sports program, knowing the pitfalls of potential injury before participating is something every person – and athlete – should know. The most important thing for your child to do before the sports program begins is to have an evaluation by a chiropractor. A chiropractor has special knowledge when it comes to evaluating muscles and spine to see if there is a problem that needs tending before the child begins the activity – and ends up with a possible injury. A skilled chiropractor can help the young athlete attain an optimum level of performance and help keep the child injury free, allowing natural movements rather than movements that are stiff from pain and tension.
Knowing the variables of a sports injury and how these can impact the young athlete in the short term as well as the long term, a chiropractor will be able to detail a plan for pain and sports injuries that can specifically address the particular injury and make available special techniques that work to heal the athlete and get him/her back in the game.
It’s no fun to be in pain – and it can hurt even more to not participate in the game. If a student-athlete is experiencing pain from a sports injury, consider seeking out the healing hands of a chiropractor. It may prove to be the best investment during the high school sports career.