Distance Runners and Endurance Athletes Need to Keep a Standing Chiropractic Appointment

In the same way endurance athletes and runners should regularly visit an athletic trainer or a physical therapist to maintain good athletic performance, chiropractors should also urge their athletic clients to make routine visits for chiropractic adjustments and care.

Chiropractic has a lot to offer endurance athletes, from potential improved mobility to possibly relieving aches and pains due to consistent bodily stress. At Ideal Spine, we encourage chiropractors training in Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) methods to actively engage athletic patients and teach them how much chiropractic may be able to do for their performance and health.

Sustained periods of activity take a major toll on the body. Without a well-functioning nervous system and a properly aligned spine, the muscles, joints, and ligaments are less likely to perform their proper roles. This increases the risk of injury and may reduce overall performance.

Although the body is able to make up for tension or weakness by compensating during short periods of activity, long-term compensation of this kind may lead to more severe injury. It is much safer to resolve these problems and allow the body to function optimally prior to engaging in long periods of exercise as endurance runners, cyclists, and swimmers do.

Chiropractic benefits for endurance athletes

When discussing chiropractic care with patients who regularly engage in endurance activities, emphasize the potential benefits of routine visits.

• Improve range of motion: A misaligned spine has the potential to significantly limit an athlete’s mobility and range of motion, whether in the shoulders, hips, or back. Pelvic misalignments are particularly common in runners and cyclists and can drastically alter the way they move. Routine chiropractic adjustments may resolve these misalignments, allowing the body to move more freely.
• Reduce injury risk: By properly aligning the spine, chiropractic has the potential to ease mechanical loads on the body. In turn, this may reduce the risk of injury by alleviating the need for other body parts to compensate for tightness or weakness.
• Relieve pain: If the athlete is experiencing pain in a particular area of the body that is the result of a misalignment or compensation, chiropractic may help alleviate pain and pave the way for healthier and pain-free movement as the patient continues to train.
• Improve performance: Chiropractic adjustments may improve blood flow and lymphatic flow throughout the body, providing ample nutrients and oxygen to the muscles working hard during exercise. Combined with increased range of motion and reduced compensation, this improved flow may help improve the athlete’s overall performance.

Ways to help your athletic patients

Chiropractors have a range of tools in their arsenal to help endurance athletes feel better while training.

The most important method of care may be the chiropractic adjustment to correct misalignments and subluxations and restore optimal bodily positioning. This may require repeat treatment, due to the natural shifting of the spine after athletic activity.

Targeted massage may also be beneficial or even necessary to loosen tight muscles and allow the body to resume a natural position. Finally, chiropractors can use education, teaching their patients warmups and stretches they can do to ensure proper bodily alignment and preparedness before exercise.

Of course, a single chiropractic appointment is likely not enough to correct routine stress caused by endurance sports. To learn more about how to treat athletic patients in your practice, contact Ideal Spine.

Chiropractic BioPhysics® corrective care trained Chiropractors are located throughout the United States and in several international locations. CBP providers have helped thousands of people throughout the world realign their spine back to health, and eliminate a source of chronic back pain, chronic neck pain, chronic headaches and migraines, fibromyalgia, and a wide range of other health conditions. If you are serious about your health and the health of your loved ones, contact a CBP trained provider today to see if you qualify for care. The exam and consultation are often FREE. See www.CBPpatient.com for providers in your area.