Chiropractic Care for Athletes

Jerry Rice. Aaron Rodgers. Tom Brady. Tiger Woods. Usain Bolt. Michael Jordan. Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is a list of some of the many athletes who promoted and relied on chiropractic care to better their performance. Working at such a high intensity and with ongoing, repetitive training, athletes are susceptible to injuries if their bodies aren’t in the right shape. Chiropractic care has proven to be a beneficial way to not only help with injured athletes, but also to help prevent them from occurring. Better yet, chiropractic care has shown to be vital in naturally enhancing performance through improved balance, heightened body awareness, improved movement, and increased flexibility.

Heightened Body Awareness

Your brain communicates with your body through a pretty cool function called proprioception. Your body is filled with proprioceptive receptors, that tell your body where you are in relative space. Imagine what would happen if this function decreased and your brain wouldn’t be able to respond to spatial awareness. Imagine a runner who injures themselves by taking the wrong step or a soccer player who completely misses the ball when trying to kick it. Chiropractic has shown to improve the body’s proprioception, thus improving the brain’s ability to be aware of your body and how it functions. This can not only improve your swing, but can prevent a lot of nasty injuries as well. 

Improved Movement

Chiropractic adjustments not only allow improvements in ranges of motion, but can also affect the efficiency of how you move. Studies have shown that in an athletic population, movement and reaction time were increased through chiropractic adjustments, mainly by improving the brain’s communication with each movement. This shows how chiropractic adjustments can help improve an athlete’s ability to react to situations and improve on their movement in a game. 

Better Balance 

Your body uses several functions to make sure you are balanced in any position. Some of these functions are in your ears and even through proprioception, as we’ve discussed above. Balance is important, especially in sports that require constant changes in position. When the brain isn’t able to communicate with your body in regards to position sense and balance, it makes you more susceptible to injury while you’re active. Chiropractic adjustments have shown to be vital in improving that communication with the brain and body. 

Increased Flexibility

When your body isn’t in its proper alignment, muscles and ligaments start to conform to these changes. This can cause imbalances in the tone and function of our tissues. As a result, not only will these reduce the flexibility in your body, but also causes inequality when comparing both sides of your body. By fixing your alignment through chiropractic adjustments, this allows your tissues to settle in a more optimal environment, improving movement, but also improving on your flexibility. This will not only help reduce pain and discomfort from playing, but can be important in improving your performance in any sport. 

Schedule an Appointment with our Mississauga Chiropractors for Sports Injury Treatment or for General Health and Wellness

Whether you’re an experienced athlete or a weekend warrior, chiropractic has its place to make sure your body and nervous system are ready for the vigor of athletic performance. For more information on how your Mississauga Chiropractors can help you with your performance, do not hesitate to contact us at (905) 821-4951.