THE WINNING EDGE: Athletic Performance and Chiropractic

Athletes have been benefiting from Chiropractic care for many years; however, it has only recently been receiving attention from the media. Athletes of all types, from the weekend warrior to the world-class athlete, utilize Chiropractic because it is a drug-free way to better health and performance.

Chiropractic adjustments help ensure that the body functions as efficiently as possible, which can maximize healing and recovery from all types of injuries.

41 percent of NFL teams use chiropractors in an official capacity as part of their staffs and a full 77 percent of the trainers have referred to a chiropractor for evaluation or treatment. A survey of certified NFL trainers revealed that 100 percent of them agree that players will use chiropractic care without referral from the team medical staff.

Anyone who engages in athletics can benefit from regular Chiropractic checkups to ensure that their spine is balanced and free from structural stress. When the spinal column is brought into balance and alignment, the body's nervous system and body biomechanics (posture) are maximized.

"Postural strength and coordination are essential for injury prevention and sports performance" said Thomas Harris, MD The Sports Medicine Guide.

In an average year, 25 million people visit a doctor for injuries that they suffer as a result of athletics. In professional sports, injury is the number one reason for early retirement. Overall, 67 billion dollars is spent each year for the treatment of athletic injuries reports the News and World Report.

As a society, we have been conditioned to believe that symptoms are bad and that the key to health and recovery is their removal. However, symptoms are actually art of the body's healing and repair process.
Symptoms represent the body’s best efforts to heal itself. By treating symptoms, you are suppressing the body’s natural response and inhibiting the healing process. Instead of treating symptoms, doctors should stimulate the body’s defenses to allow for completion of the healing process", stated Dr. Stephen Cummings.

If you had a fire in your house, you would not cut off the alarm and then relax, thinking that the fire is gone. The same thing happens to your body when you continue to ignore or mask symptoms. This is why athletes often develop chronic injuries.

"Many treatments, compounds and medications claim to speed the rate of healing. I have not read a single scientific article that demonstrates that healing time can be increased artificially. You cannot beat nature. All doctors can do is to be very careful that they do not slow down the natural healing process," William Southmayd, MD.

Chiropractic's focus on the nervous system and postural biomechanics allow the body to function properly and to heal itself. The healing process always occurs from within the body, but research has shown that Chiropractic has an amazing potential to assist the body in the recovery process.

Because Doctors of Chiropractic are experts in the field of human biomechanics, they are very aware of proper posture and movement. By observing an athlete in action, a Chiropractor can often detect and prevent a structural problem that can lead to injury or poor performance. Athletic injures are often caused by improper biomechanics or muscle imbalances within the spine.

Chiropractic has helped thousands of athletes, professional and amateur, overcome an injury without resorting to surgery. Contact your team at Central Florida Wellness & Injury for more information on sports injury and enhanced performance.