SAFETY & AGILITY IN YOUTH SPORTS: A CHIROPRACTIC APPROACH
Spring is here, and youth sports are well underway. Whether it’s a game of baseball or informal sports activities, young athletes gain many benefits from exercise, competition, and teamwork. It’s also important to keep our youth healthy and fit to prevent sports injury. In every sport, many coordinated movements are involved, potentially causing injuries. Chiropractors are the only doctors in the world that are specifically trained to locate, analyze, and correct vertebral and joint subluxations – joints that have misaligned and cause nerve interference.
Common sports injuries include separations & fractures, low back & neck pain, knee & groin strains, dislocated shoulder, pulled muscles, ligament tears, snapping hip, rolled ankles and more. Dr. Anderson shares ways to protect and prevent young people from sports injuries during the spring season and year round.
Sports Injury Prevention is Key
Our kids who are involved in highly competitive sports typically have intense practices and training schedules. Contact sports and frequent work outs increase the risk of a sports injury. To help prevent these injuries, they need to learn how to perform exercises correctly during their warm-up, stretching and exercise routines.
One of the most important aspects of preventing sports injuries is proper physical preparation. While training is important, pushing to the point of pain or exhaustion can damage joints and place too much pressure on developing bones, which increases the risk of injury. Some tips for sports injury prevention are:
- Stretch the Achilles tendon
- Strengthen key muscles
- Wear proper shoes
- Apply correct taping
- Proper balance
- Neuro training
- Agility drills
Other health habits are also critical such as food nutrition, drinking lots of water, and getting enough sleep. If an injury occurs, immediate treatment is crucial. It’s also important that children limit their activities once an injury occurs, and not push themselves to jump back in the game too soon. Our bodies need time to properly heal.
Chiropractic Care Benefits for Student Athletes
For our young athletes, there are many benefits of chiropractic care:
- Spinal treatment improves motion
- Shortens injury recovery time
- Reduces aching & discomfort
- Discovers source of injury
- Helps prevent injuries
- Provides pain relief
Chiropractic care is beneficial whether our children are participating in athletic activities, or simply living active lifestyles. All youth should have correct posture and body mechanics. For example, carrying a heavy backpack on one shoulder can lead to problems in the spine. Slouching at a desk or spending long hours on the computer may result in headaches, body aches or chronic pain. A chiropractor can analyze a child’s posture, correct spinal alignment problems and make recommendations for exercises to stretch and strengthen muscles. Chiropractors can also perform a motion analysis to help identify ways in which their movements such as pitching, throwing or running might be setting the stage for injury. If an injury does occur, chiropractic can help with the healing process.
If your young athlete is having problems or is interested in improving his or her performance, Cornerstone Chiropractic doctors are here to help. Call today and book your appointment: (214) 383-9170
MARCH To Health
March is a great month to welcome those warmer temperatures and start enjoying the great outdoors again! So ‘march’ yourself outside and walk to your health. Dr. Anderson shares ways that a daily 10-minute brisk walk can improve your health:
* Helps you maintain a healthy weight and lose body fat
* Prevents or manages various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and type 2 diabetes
* Improves cardiovascular fitness
* Strengthens your bones and muscles
* Improves muscle endurance
* Increases your energy levels
* Improves your mood, cognition, memory and sleep
* Improves your balance and coordination
* Strengthens your immune system
* Reduces stress and tension
Need an adjustment? March into our office and get immediate relief! Give us a call today at (214) 383-9171.
Cornerstone Chiropractic, serving you in 3 locations: Allen, Aubrey & Melissa, TX.
