More than 35 million Americans are treated by chiropractors each year.

While most of us have suffered an injury at some point or another, not everyone decides to see a chiropractor about it. Chiropractors are great at dealing with various injuries, be they from sports or something else. There are also various other reasons that it can be a good idea to see a chiropractor.

In this guide, we’ll cover the key benefits of why you should go to a chiropractor for sports injuries. Keep reading for more.

Help Prevent Injuries

No matter how much you train and how resilient you are, no one is immune to injuries. After playing a sport for some amount of time, you’ll likely hurt yourself, even if it’s just something minor.

It’s worth noting that it’s not just contact sports that can result in injuries. Things like full-contact football and rugby can definitely take more of a toll on your body, but even things like tennis and running can lead to injuries.

No one wants to get injured, so you should do what you can to prevent it. Proper training and warming up are always recommended, but chiropractors can also help, and many people don’t realize it.

Athletes should take a full-body approach to their health. Experienced chiropractors know what body parts are most commonly hurt when playing different sports. This allows them to treat certain areas to keep the risk of injury down.

When visiting a sports chiropractor, they’ll be able to assess your body and may be able to highlight certain weakened areas that you haven’t noticed. From this, they’ll be able to suggest what you can do to strengthen these areas and reduce the risk of injury.

An experienced chiropractor might also find some imbalances in areas like the back, shoulders, knees, or any other joints. They can then help fix these before they cause you any major issues.

Reduce Pain Naturally

Whatever sport you take part in, you’ll need more than physical ability. You need to be able to keep a clear mind so that you can focus and achieve your goal.

If you’re in pain, you might be able to play through it to some degree. The worse the pain is, however, the more it will affect your focus. Not being able to concentrate on what you’re doing can have a huge impact on your performance.

In many cases, a physician will suggest painkillers for an injury. It has become apparent in recent years, however, that these can sometimes cause more problems than the injury itself, so you might want to avoid them if you can.

A chiropractor can help you using pain reduction techniques that are effective and completely natural. It’s also worth noting that chiropractors will target the source of the pain rather than the pain itself. This will help you recover faster and is generally better for you in the long term.

Safe and Natural Full-Body Treatments

Chiropractors specialize in the nervous system and the musculoskeletal system. This gives them a good understanding of the entire human body. As such, they can often see things that many other doctors wouldn’t notice.

One of the main benefits of this is that they can look at an injury and determine how it might affect other parts of the body. Some people find seeing a chiropractor a bit daunting, but adverse events are incredibly rare, so it’s considered a very safe approach.

The most common adverse effect that people get is simply feeling strange after receiving an adjustment. This isn’t anything to worry about, and it usually fades within a day or two.

Improve Range of Motion

Having a good range of motion is helpful in most sports. Ironically, playing a certain sport often limits people’s range of motion. Sometimes this can cause pain, but it might not present a noticeable issue at all.

A chiropractor can help improve your range of motion, potentially leading to better performance. An example that some chiropractors implement is instrument-assisted mobilization techniques which have been shown to help baseball players with the range of motion in their shoulders.

Reduced Recovery Time

Sometimes people who are fully committed to their sports don’t consider the pain to be the worst part of an injury. For some, the injury recovery is more of a factor, as they may not be able to continue playing until they’ve healed. In some cases, an injury will stop someone from being active at all for a time.

Depending on the injury, a chiropractor may be able to help with athletic recovery. If this is an option, you might want to go this route. Surgery tends to have a high success rate, but there are still risks involved, so you need to consider your situation and your options to make the best choice.

You might start to feel relief after just a few sessions. This doesn’t mean you’ve fully healed, so you should still be cautious. Don’t continue to take part in your sport until you know you’ve fully recovered.

Benefits Both Mind and Body

A chiropractor deals with the body, so you probably wouldn’t expect them to help with things like your mood or outlook. Despite that, it’s common for people to feel relaxed and de-stressed during and after chiropractic care. The process releases hormones that can reduce stress while combating pain.

Spinal manipulation has also been shown to reduce muscle activity. When muscles are relaxed, they can recover more quickly. A chiropractor for athletes will also usually offer sports massages which can help in a similar way.

They Specialize in Common Overuse Injuries

Some of the worst injuries are from single events such as heavy impacts while playing sports or car accidents. There are also plenty, however, that develop slowly. This typically happens when you overuse a body part or joint, and is common in the elbow, knees, and shoulders.

Chiropractors are trained to prevent and deal with these kinds of injuries. In many cases, a chiropractor will work with a physician to help someone recover from such an injury. They’ll then see if they can do anything to help strengthen the affected area so that it’s less likely to happen again.

They Coordinate With Other Medical Professionals

Unless you have a very particular case, you’ll probably want to visit a local chiropractor. They’ll likely be in contact with other medical professionals in your area as some injuries require more than just a chiropractor for full treatment.

This can include physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and more. Even the best chiropractor can’t treat everything.

They have educational requirements, and after assessing an injury they’ll be able to tell you if you need to see another medical professional. It’s likely that your chiropractor will even be able to recommend someone specific to help you (and potentially work alongside them) so that you can fully recover from your injury.

May Improve Performance

While many people are confident chiropractors can help improve performance, this is difficult to quantify. There’s a huge range of factors that can improve your performance, so if you notice a change, you might not be able to say specifically what has caused it.

The many benefits that chiropractic care has been shown to offer, however, can generally be connected to improved performance. If someone is less likely to get injured, they can train more to improve their skill level. Being able to recover effectively is also beneficial as someone can return to their full capacity without too much issue.

Athletes that take care of their bodies (through things like chiropractic care) will be able to function optimally. More and more sports organizations are starting to employ chiropractors for their athletes. This is a clear indicator that the benefits they offer are well worth it.

Improves Sleep Quality

Sleep is incredibly important for athletes. It’s essential for recovery, and people will always perform better when they’re well-rested. A poorly functioning spine can have a sizable impact on someone’s ability to sleep well.

A chiropractor can alleviate spinal issues, helping people achieve better posture and reducing nerve interference. This leads to better sleep quality so athletes can perform well in games and stay more alert at all times.

Finding a Chiropractor for Sports Injuries

Seeing a chiropractor for sports injuries can be incredibly beneficial. They can help with recovery and make future injuries less likely. Even an athlete that isn’t injured can benefit from sessions with a chiropractor.

Healthwise Chiropractic is a chiropractic pain relief and wellness center based in Los Angeles. We can help with things like back pain, joint pain, herniated discs, hip injuries, and more. Take a look at our services page for more detailed information on the services we offer.