As chiropractors, it was great to see that at the recent Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, a team of twenty chiropractors were a part of a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare professionals providing medical services to the athletes competing.
Increasingly, professional sports teams and sports people use chiropractic care to treat injuries, prevent recurrence of injuries and help with sporting performance. However, you don’t have to be a professional athlete to benefit form chiropractic care. Even if you are not a professional athlete but someone who participates in sport on a regular basis, your body is prone to the same kind of stresses and strains as a professional athlete.
It can be tempting to put off seeking help for a sports injury and try to “run it off”. However, this approach is most likely not the best and is likely to lead to further problems down the road.
Our chiropractors at City Chiropractic Clinic in Stoke treat a range of sports injuries mainly affecting the back, neck, shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle. If you are suffering a sports injury that is holding you back our chiropractors are here to help you.
Visiting Out Stoke Chiropractors For A Sports Injury
When you first visit our clinic your chiropractor will undertake a comprehensive consultation to understand about your injury and your overall health. This will include asking you about your sporting life, medical history and lifestyle. The consultation will be followed by a full chiropractic, orthopaedic and neurological examination.
Having gathered all the necessary information, your chiropractor will decide whether further investigations such as x-rays are required to provide a more accurate diagnosis.
A follow up appointment will then be scheduled where your chiropractor will explain to you their diagnosis and options for treatment. If chiropractic treatment is not appropriate for your injury, your chiropractor will be able to refer you to the appropriate medical professional.
Working with you, your chiropractor will plan your treatment which will be specific to your needs. Your treatment plan will usually fall into three phased:
- Relief Care Phase
- Rehabilitation or Corrective Phase
- Prevention or Maintenance Phase
Relief Care Phase: the main aim of this first phase is to reduce the symptoms you are suffering such as pain or stiffness. Your treatment is focused on improving the function of your joints, muscles and nervous system.
Rehabilitation or Corrective Phase: the aim of this phase is to reduce your symptoms considerably and complete the healing process by continuing to improve the function of your joints, muscles, and nervous system.
During this phase, your chiropractor may recommend exercises and ergonomic advice to aid and progress your rehabilitation and to help prevent recurrence of your symptoms.
Prevention or Maintenance Phase: the aim of this phase is to maintain the improved function achieved with treatment and may also help prevent recurrence of symptoms and further injuries.
Three Additional Benefits That Chiropractic Care Can Bring To Your Sporting Life
#1 – Improved Performance
You may find that you reach a point where it doesn’t matter how much more training or effort you put in you can’t seem to achieve any further performance improvement. This is not uncommon. However, many sports people find that chiropractic treatment helps them achieve better performance.
#2 – Faster Recovery
The speed of your recovery will depend on many factors, one being how long you have carried the injury for. However, patients suffering a sports injury are often surprised by the speed of their recovery following chiropractic treatment.
#3 – A Drug-free Treatment
Chiropractic offers a natural treatment approach without the use of painkillers and prescription drugs. Chiropractors use a range of manipulation techniques during their treatments. Other methods of treatment may include mobilisation, soft tissue therapies, electrotherapy and medical acupuncture techniques. Alongside, hands-on chiropractic treatment, providing self-help advice and rehabilitative care to a patient plays an important part in their overall treatment plan.
If you are suffering a sports injury our chiropractors at City Chiropractic Clinic in Stoke are here to help you. Call our clinic on 01782 848 184 or book an appointment online on our website here.