Summer Sports Injuries That a Chiropractor Can Help

Now that the weather has warmed up, it is time to get outside and active! But exercising and playing sports can lead to various injuries, including injuries to the neck and back, elbows, shoulders, wrists, knees, ankles and shins. Most sports injuries occur due to repetitive motion, sudden injuries and muscle and ligament sprains, strains and tears.

Common summer activities include hiking, jogging, bicycling, golf, tennis, and any number of other competitive sports! All of these are fun activities that many people enjoy, but they also inevitably produce injuries. Chiropractic care is the perfect, pain-free solution for those nagging injuries that include back pain, neck pain, lower back pain and even leg pain caused by your normal summer activities.

Golfer’s and tennis elbow are among the most common conditions treated through chiropractic care. These conditions can be nagging, persistent and really put a damper on both training and everyday life. In most cases, golfer’s and tennis elbow is not a result of playing either sport, rather it is associated with overuse of those particular muscles. Adults are particularly susceptible to these conditions due to a lack of muscle strength that would normally stabilize the area. Our experienced team works with patients to alleviate their pain and get back to being healthy and active.

Overuse injuries develop slowly over time due to repetitive stress on tendons, muscles, bones or joints. Golfer’s elbow is considered a cousin of tennis elbow, both cause elbow tendinitis. However, tennis elbow is sustained from damage to the tendons on the outside of the elbow while golfer’s elbow is caused by tendons on the inside. Common symptoms of golfer’s elbow include stiffness in the elbow, pain while making a fist, weak wrists, numbness or tingling in the extremities and pain when using repetitive hand, wrist or forearm motions. Tennis elbow is more of a late-occurring pain that slowly increases around the outside of the elbow. The pain becomes worse when squeezing objects or moving the wrist with force such as lifting, using tools or opening jars.

Treatment can be done through elbow adjustments and manipulations, soft-tissue work, exercises and if the condition persists, patients will be given support devices such as a brace or splint to help limit arm movement. Patients who play either golf or tennis might need their swing professionally evaluated and changed in order to continue playing.

For patients with any other sports-related injuries sustained this summer, we offer various treatment options to help get you healthy. Treatment starts with a physical evaluation and complete medical history, including how long you have had the pain and what you were doing at the time the pain first occurred. Additional questions may include the activities that cause more and less pain.

In many instances realigning the joints and vertebrae can provide nearly immediate pain relief and subsequent adjustments can keep the joints and spine in their proper positions. Massage therapy can help relax the muscles and relieve physical and mental stress while improving circulation and ridding the body of lactic acid. Chiropractic rehabilitation may also be utilized to further improve range of motion, strengthen weak muscles and reduce pain.

Set an appointment today to optimize your summer health!