How Chiropractic Care Can Boost Athletic Performance
Athletes understand they have to keep their bodies in peak physical shape, but they often don’t know the proper treatment technique to make this happen effectively. Though weight training and rest and recuperation are obvious ways for athletes to improve their performance, many athletes might not be aware of the supplemental opportunities for treatment that can improve performance, such as chiropractic care.
Chiropractic care uses spinal adjustments to ensure the nervous system functions properly. Through a comprehensive diagnosis, chiropractors can evaluate your spine and initiate a program specifically designed to respond to your needs.
As an athlete you may have a lot of people in your life that help you achieve your peak performances. However, there may be someone missing from your corner. Of course, you may discount it and think that a chiropractor is only beneficial if you are injured or experiencing a pain that’s preventing you from being your optimal self. That could be a mistake that is costing you performance gains. Many benefits come from seeing a chiropractor regularly to help maintain your overall health and well-being and possibly see improvements in your athletic prowess.
Many of us believe that athletes are always in excellent physical shape and have good health. But is it really so?
The level of competition is constantly growing. As a result, the requirements needed for an athlete’s performance are increasing, so training becomes more and more intense.
In this article, we’ll look at the most common health issues athletes face. After that, we will outline the potential health benefits of chiropractic care.
Typical Health Issues Athletes Face
Many athletes subject their bodies to increased loads to achieve their peak performance. Excessive physical activities may result in issues with spinal alignment and movement. Needless to say, these obstacles are likely to hurt competition quality and affect athletic performance.
Let’s look at the potential health issues that athletes may face.
Chronic Inflammation and Pain
When it comes to training, it is essential to maintain the optimal volume and intensity. That can increase your risk of facing chronic inflammation and pain.
Because this type of inflammation is often asymptomatic, it is pretty challenging to identify it on time and can significantly reduce the quality of your workouts and contribute to muscle loss. As a result, you may require muscular rehabilitation.
Consumption of anti-inflammatory foods may help reduce chronic inflammation in athletes.
Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases
The state of the athlete’s overall health and immunity depends on the intensity of training directly. If the load exceeds the athletic ability, overwork and overtraining may occur. As a result, the body’s immune system function weakens, and the person may begin to get sick more often. According to studies, the body’s defensive forces can decrease by 15-70% after hard training. Weakening of the immune system often occurs closer to the end of the training cycle, precisely at the time right before reaching the maximum athletic performance. In addition to increased load, the following factors can contribute to a decrease in the athlete’s immunity:
- Nutrient deficiency
- Not getting enough sleep
- Physically intense activities
- Psycho-emotional overload and competition stress
Oxidative Stress
When exercising too much, the risk of free radicals spreading grows. When their amount exceeds the normative values, oxidative stress might occur. What makes this state undesirable? First of all, it can contribute to disease and premature aging. As a rule, athletes are most vulnerable to oxidative stress during or after exercising, reducing athletic performance and increasing muscle fatigue. An appropriate supply of antioxidants may help you compensate for the experienced oxidative stress.
What Athletes Do to Maintain Peak Athletic Performance
Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep helps athletes recover well and feel comfortable the next day, aiding in achieving the desired physical performance level. Consistent lack of sleep, on the contrary, slows down athletic performance growth. In addition, good sleep is the key to successful muscle, bone, and ligament recovery and repair.
Eat a Diet With Essential Nutrients
A balanced diet helps improve athletic performance. It is important to eat only healthy foods. For example, plant based foods and lean meats contain optimal amounts of protein, healthy fats, and the right carbohydrates. Consequently, such a diet helps keep your athletic performance at peak levels. Avoid processed foods.
Managing Stress
Trying to achieve the desired physical performance levels, athletes stress their bodies often. Breathing exercises and meditation can help improve the mental state of an athlete. Yoga classes can be quite helpful.
Reducing Exposure to Toxins
Although you cannot get rid of toxins in your everyday life, you can still reduce their potentially dangerous effect on your body. Here are few guidelines you can follow to minimize your exposure to toxins:
- Filter the water you drink
- Avoid toxic household cleaning agents
- Consider a professionally designed detox plan
Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Athletes
Athletes put their bodies through a lot of wear and tear. From the constant pounding of their feet on the ground to the stress of competition, they need all the help they can get to stay healthy and perform at their best.
One way to do this is by incorporating chiropractic care into your routine. Chiropractors are experts in the neuromusculoskeletal system. This means they can treat a variety of issues, including back pain, neck pain, and headaches. Chiropractic care is a patient-centered treatment option, and it can often help to improve your overall quality of life.
Here are some of the benefits of chiropractic treatment to athletes.
Increased Response Time, Agility and Balance
No matter what your sport is, increased response time, agility, and balance are crucial for athletic success. Chiropractic care can help improve all of these skills, allowing you to perform at your best. Chiropractors’ adjustments help athletes get rid of any interference in the communication between the brain and the rest of the body, allowing you to move and react more quickly.
Better Recovery
Recovering from a sports injury can be a long and arduous process. However, with the help of a chiropractor, you can significantly shorten the healing time and get back to your sport as soon as possible. Chiropractors can play a key role in helping athletes recover from injuries and optimize performance by providing the care athletes need to get back on their feet.
Improved Muscle Function
Athletes across all sports need strength, specifically that of the muscles. Chiropractic care can improve muscular function in athletes, which allows for increased strength. Athletes who receive chiropractic treatment show significant improvement in muscle function and strength which helps not only in the competitive arena, but also helps improve the overall quality of life.
Reduced Dependence on Medications
Millions of athletes around the world are in constant pursuit of better performance, pushing their bodies to the limits. However, this can result in injuries that require medication for pain relief. Many athletes are wary of becoming dependent on medications and seek chiropractic care as an alternative to manage their pain.
Improvement in General Health
One of the most compelling outcomes of chiropractic care is improved overall health.
Enhanced Optimal Performance
Athletes, especially professional athletes, place a great deal of importance on their physical well-being. Chiropractors specialize in manipulating and adjusting the spine and other joints, which can help relieve pain and improve mobility.
In addition, chiropractic care can also help reduce inflammation and prevent future injury.
Focus on Sports Related Positions
Whether you’re a weekend warrior, or a professional athlete, you know the importance of taking care of your body. Part of staying healthy includes ensuring that your body is properly aligned and has a full range of motion. Chiropractors can help you with everything from injury prevention to post injury rehabilitation.
Why Athletes Should See a Chiropractor
Chiropractors are often sought out by athletes for the care and prevention of sport-related injuries. While some people may view chiropractic care as only for neck and back pain, it is actually beneficial for a wide range of health issues.
Chiropractors help to restore proper alignment and motion in the body, which inturn helps to reduce inflammation and pain. Athletes who regularly see a chiropractor are less likely to suffer from sports injuries and can perform at their best during competition.
If you are an athlete or have an active lifestyle, consider seeing the chiropractic team at Cadence Chiropractic to reach optimal performance. You may be surprised at how much of a difference it makes!