Chiropractic in Sports

Athletes place a high physical demand on their bodies. They ask the body to work like a finely tuned, well-oiled machine. The rigorous training and competition schedules leave little time for injuries. Perhaps this is why almost every professional team in sports has a chiropractor looking after its athletes. As an example, 95% of NFL teams will employ chiropractors regularly to treat their players.
 
Chiropractic is a healing art that focuses its attention on the function of the spine, and the precious nerve tissue (the spinal cord) that is encased in it. When it is aligned properly, the spine’s hard bony shell protects the spinal cord from damage, while its 26 separate moving parts (the vertebrae) provide a perfect combination of stability and flexibility to allow for a myriad of functional movements. When even a single vertebra is out of place (a subluxation), the effects are not only painful, but can also result in diminished function of the nervous system, which is required to coordinate the rest of the musculoskeletal system. When the nervous system is even a little off target, the results can be quite dramatic.
 
If the subluxation is in an area that affects the function of the shoulder, the milliseconds difference in muscle-firing patterns can mean the difference, for a baseball pitcher, between a well-placed, high-speed strike and an off-target ball in the dirt.  If the subluxation involves the lower back, and this athlete is a professional golfer, the difference in core stability can mean a loss of several yards off the tee, leaving a much more difficult approach shot to the green.  And, if the subluxation affects the pelvis or legs of a world-class sprinter, this slight difference can be all it takes to turn a gold medal into a 5th-place finish.