Athletic Injuries and Chiropractic Care
To stay active, you need to take great care of your body. For athletes, this is especially true to maintain the required level of performance.
Chiropractic care can help heal and provide relief from sustained injuries. Their main goal is to focus on restoring joint function by making adjustments to alleviate joint inflammation and reduce pain.
After your initial exam, a treatment plan will be devised to address your injuries. Most treatment plans generally take the shape of a combination of different techniques, from adjustments to laser light therapy, or massage.
Today we will take a look at two of the more common methods used for those looking to address sports-related injuries: the Origin Insertion Technique and Hammer and Chisel Therapy.
1. The Origin Insertion Technique
This chiropractic technique focuses on the treatment and rehabilitation of Golgi Tendon Organs (GTO). GTO are found at the musculoskeletal junction. Simply put, they help attach your muscles to bones.
When they become strained, damaged, or torn through athletic or other activities they, in a sense, ‘turn off’ muscle tension much like a circuit breaker does with electricity by pulling away from the bone ever so slightly. The problem is getting them to turn back on. An easy way to tell if a GTO has torn is to feel for small BB-sized nodules near the tendon attachment sites for a weak muscle.
These little lumps are micro-avulsions or small areas when the tendon has separated from the periosteum. Firm directional stimulation is needed to help the muscle and tendon naturally reattach to the bone. Addressing the slight tear of the tendon is what the Origin Insertion technique focuses on.
During treatment, it will seem like a very heavy massage. The movements are directed solely on pushing and rubbing the area where those nodules are. Once reattachment can be confirmed, general physiotherapy will need to occur to rehabilitate the muscle to prior strength fully.
2. Hammer and Chisel Therapy
Hammer chisel therapy looks as you would expect given the name, though perhaps a little more gentle than the name implies. During a therapy session, a patient is tapped repeatedly by a hammer-like instrument through an independent chisel that the chiropractor can use to guide the impacts. The impacts provide rapid, controlled pressure to bones and joints.
Just like other existing chiropractic adjustments, Hammer and Chisel Therapy is all about minor adjustments made quickly with as little manipulation to the rest of the body as possible, in this case, often at the very end of a joint range of motion. This method is generally part of a larger treatment plan to correct imbalances.
While popularized by athletes and used by many boxers and wrestlers, Hammer and Chisel Therapy can benefit many different types of patients. Results are often good for those with shoulder and arm pain from shoulder impingement, frozen shoulder, or a rotator cuff injury.
3. Injury Prevention
One often understated part of chiropractic care is its preventative qualities. When your body and muscles are in top alignment, your body is better able to work naturally when put under the additional stress of competing in sports.
For athletes, whether it is size or strength, it is crucial to be balanced. Chiropractic alignment helps prepare your body to handle your body’s differences by massaging, reducing tension, and soft tissue work. Correction asymmetries can fully equip your body to function balance as one adjusted unit and are less likely to suffer from an overexertion injury.
Stretching and increasing flexibility help prepare and protect athletes from the effects of tight muscles. Chiropractic care can correct misalignment in the spine and tension in the back and neck. Good alignment and flexibility are beneficial to receiving comfort and the ability to move without pain or resistance.
More natural movement means a lower chance of injury. It is recommended for all athletes to see a chiropractor at least when beginning a sport or new exercise.
Athletic Chiropractic Care, Asheville
Whether you want to enhance your athletic performance or suffer from a sports injury, Monitto Chiropractic can help you find the correct solution. When you visit our clinic in Asheville, NC, we are equipped to create a specialized plan to improve your mobility and performance by observing and analyzing the way you move.
Discuss these options with your healthcare provider, coach, or personal trainer. If they are not yet familiar with chiropractic care for athletes, ask them to find out more about its many benefits. Most importantly, seek options that support your body’s natural abilities to function at peak levels.
Monitto Chiropractic has served the Asheville area for over 40 years. We have same day appointments available seven days a week and can provide emergency care when needed.
Give us a call at (828) 252-7400 or message us online to schedule your visit today. We are dedicated to helping you have a speedy recovery that will have you back to your sports activities in no time.