Approximately 90 percent of professional athletes and Olympians receive some form of chiropractic care. Every single NFL team has a chiropractor on staff, and 28 out of 30 MLB teams have one as well. Likewise, the U.S. medical teams for every Olympic event since 1980 have all included at least one chiropractor.
Why do the world’s best athletes team up with chiropractors so often? Because chiropractic care offers a double benefit: In addition to enhancing athletic performance, it also reduces the chance of a painful injury!
You may not be an Olympic runner – you may be very far from it, in fact – but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t benefit tremendously from chiropractic care as well. If you love running as exercise because it is simple, can be done almost anywhere, and burns between 80 and 140 calories per mile, then you’ll also love how greatly chiropractic care can help you to enjoy your sport of choice!
Enhances a Runner’s Range of Motion
One of a chiropractor’s primary goals in adjusting their patient’s spine and surrounding joints is to increase their range of motion. For example, chiropractic care can demonstrably improve hip joint extension ability. Hip extension produces the actual power behind running, and the greater the hip extension the runner is able to achieve, the longer and faster they will be able to run.
The greater flexibility that comes with increased range of motion also helps a runner to complete their full running gait cycle more efficiently. This reduces strain on their body as they displace kinetic force without damaging soft tissues, and also helps to reduce the imbalance which could gradually lead to future musculoskeletal issues or even cause an immediate fall!
Shortens a Runner’s Recovery Time
Chiropractic care may facilitate in the strengthening of trunk muscles, as well as alter sensory signaling and reduce sensitivity to pain. If running leaves you feeling winded for an unreasonably long amount of time and you wish to enjoy your favorite form of exercise more often, then the greater endurance which comes through chiropractic care can help you to get you back on your feet faster.
Chiropractic care can even reduce the amount of time it takes for a runner to recover from an injury. In addition to easing aches and pains, chiropractic treatment may help you enjoy more restful sleep and boost your immune system. Having greater overall health can reduce the time required to heal from any number of injuries, including the sprains, strains, fractures, dislocations, and joint and soft tissue damage runners commonly sustain.
Reduces a Runner’s Risk of Injury
Potentially recovering from an injury faster is a nice prospect. But do you know what’s even nicer? Not getting injured in the first place – just one more thing chiropractic care can help a runner out with.
The body is negatively impacted in several ways when its spine is misaligned. In addition to the usual chronic pain and discomfort, spine misalignment can cause joint stiffness, slouched posture, worsened mobility and even broken vertebrae. Any of these ailments can weaken the body to a point where it becomes more susceptible to injury, or alternatively place added strain on one muscle or bone as it compensates for nearby underperforming areas of the body. They may even cause the runner to suddenly stumble midstride.
You may believe you should only seek chiropractic care when you sense pain, joint restriction or a muscle imbalance. But even when your body is apparently in perfect condition – just like a professional athlete’s or an Olympian’s – it is a good idea to seek chiropractic care that could reduce your chance of becoming injured!
We’re the chiropractor for runners! The Calhoun Spine & Wellness Center in Calhoun, GA offers fitness, meditation, nutrition and chiropractic services that can help any runner to become more capable at their preferred sport or recover faster from an injury sustained during it. If you would like to know more about how our passionate team can help runners (in addition to any other athletes), then we welcome you to schedule an appointment at our clinic today.
Related Posts
Why Willpower Doesn’t Work
For over 20 years, I’ve been coaching patients to make behavior changes that will create better habits, habits that will lead to happiness and success instead of shame and failure. I've come to...
Why don’t we set goals anymore?
Back in the old days, setting goals at the end of the year for the next year was a ritual. Now, I realize that most people didn’t follow through on those goals, however, some did manage to achieve what they...
