Sports Chiropractic FAQs

Answers from Our Birmingham Chiropractor

Sports injuries can sideline you from your favorite activities -- but we can help. Here are some common questions we receive about sports injury treatment.

Which sports injuries am I at risk for?

Different sports pose different types of risk to the body. Contact sports such as football and hockey put you at risk for traumatic jarring of the spinal column that can dislodge vertebrae and cause herniated discs. Sports that place a lot of stress on weight-brearing joints, such as running and tennis, can cause injuries to the knees, ankles, hips, feet and spinal column. Sporta that rely heavily on throwing or swinging motions can injure shoulders, elbows and wrists.

What is a repetitive motion injury?

A repetitive motion injury is a kind of overuse injury in which one particular poart of the body is worked beyond its limits. For instance, countless baseball pitches, golf swings or tennis swings can cause carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrist and tendonitis in the elbow. Running can eventually overstress the connective tissues of the foot, leading to a painful condition called plantar fasciitis.

How does balance affect my vulnerability to sports injuries?

If your body is out of balance due to a spinal misalignment and/or posture problem, the uneven weight distribution can put extra strain on the joints, bones and tissues of one side of the body, while allowing the other side to remain underdeveloped. This makes you prone to injuries. A flawed technique can also throw you quite literally off your stride, which in turn can jostle the spinal column and worsen your issues.

How do herniated discs affect athletic performance?

If you sustain a herniated disc, the disc may press against the major nerves that provide motor commands to various parts of the body. This form of impingement can interfere with your brain's ability to work your muscles properly, causing atrophy and loss of function. Pinched nerves also cause sharp pains, numbness, tingling and other distracting sensations.

How does chiropractic care help resolve sports injuries?

Chiropractic care keeps your spine, nerves and joints in proper balance so you can recover from sports injuries more effectively and maintain a higher level of performance. If your have a herniated disc or a misalignment, we can correct the problem through expertly-appiled adjustments, resolving your symptoms and allowing you to maintain a straight posture and correct technique.

What other natural treatments do you prescribe for sports injuries?

In addition to chiropractic adjustment, our team at Birmingham Wellness Center can administer a variety of complementary therapies to accelerate you return to action. These may include massage, heat and ice therapy to help heal soft tissues, as well as physical therapy exercises to build up weak muscles and restore your flexiblity.

What are the most common types of sports injuries?

The most common sports injuries are tennis elbow, runner’s knee, shin splints, tendonitis, torn and pulled muscles and ligaments and neck and lower back pain.

What sports injuries does chiropractic care treat?

Chiropractic adjustments and other chiropractic treatments can successfully treat tennis elbow, runner’s knee, tendonitis, neck and lower back pain and pulled muscles. It works by relieving pain, reducing inflammation and ensuring the spine and joints are properly aligned.

What is tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow is a strain of one or both ligaments in the elbow. This is a repetitive motion injury that is primarily experienced by tennis players, but it can also affect gardeners, plumbers, electricians and handymen. Tennis elbow specifically refers to strains of the tendon on the outside of the elbow. Most individuals experience the most pain while trying to perform actions that require fine motor skills. The reverse of tennis elbow is called golfer’s elbow, and it affects the inside tendon on the elbow. Pain, symptoms and treatment are the same for both golfer’s and tennis elbow.

What is runner’s knee?

Runner’s knee is a strain of the tendon that connects the thigh muscle to the knee. This ailment produces pain in the lower part of the thigh and around and under the kneecap. The pain is typically worse when running or performing tasks that require repetitive bending of the knee.

How does chiropractic care heal sports injuries?

Chiropractic care refers to multiple holistic treatment options, including chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy and vibration therapy. Chiropractic adjustments are our first line of defense when it comes to reducing and preventing pain and sports injuries. When the vertebrae and joints are misaligned, the muscles and ligaments do not move properly and nerves and soft tissues become agitated and inflamed. By ensuring that your body is properly aligned, we are taking the stress off the surround muscles and ligaments and ensuring proper movement of the skeletal system.

Vibration therapy can help increase muscle and bone mass. When mass is increased, the bones and muscles can better support the body, which reduces the chance for future injuries and helps heal current injuries.

Physical therapy reduces pain and inflammation and strengthens weak muscles so that the spine and joints are better supported.

Can chiropractic care lessen by reliance on pain medications for my injuries?

Chiropractic care can absolutely reduce your pain and reliance on OTC and prescription medications. In fact, most of the individuals that schedule appointments with us are looking to avoid expensive and time-consuming surgeries and invasive procedures as well as their reliance on pain medications. This is why our first goal with your treatment is to reduce your pain and facilitate healing from the inside out. Your body has the ability to heal itself without the need for invasive procedures. We simply facilitate the process so that you can heal faster and get back to leading an active life.

Get Back in the Game with Birmingham Wellness Center

Contact our clinic today with any other questions about sports injures you may have. We can evaluate your problem and provide natural answers to get you playing again!


Sports Chiropractic

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Monday
9:00 am - 1:00 pm 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Tuesday
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Wednesday
9:00 am - 1:00 pm 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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