How Spinal Alignment Can Help You Improve Your Sports Performance
Are you an athlete? Are you even a weekend warrior? Do you enjoy running along the Riverfront in Harrisburg? No matter: if you exercise, this article is for you.
Do you have goals and dreams of a sub-6-minute mile? Or sub-4-hour marathon? Do you have your nutrition dialed in? Have you hired a coach to help you achieve these goals? Despite your best efforts, do you have trouble meeting your athletic goals despite hours of practice time?
Skill isn’t the only factor that affects your ability to run faster and longer, ride your bicycle faster, or throw a ball accurately or prevent the other team from scoring. I’m here to tell you that a misaligned spine may compromise your range of motion, recovery time and flexibility, causing performance difficulties. Yes – read that sentence again. A misaligned spine can hamper your body’s ability to perform at the highest level. Fortunately, spinal manipulations performed by your chiropractor can correct misalignments and help you excel at your favorite sport or activity. Here at this chiropractor in Harrisburg, we know a thing or two about athletic performance and spinal misalignments.
6 Spinal Alignment Advantages
Many professional athletes understand the importance of chiropractic and spinal alignment on sports performance. These athletes include Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Jerry Rice, Evander Holyfield and Michael Phelps. They, like many other exceptional athletes, visit chiropractors regularly for treatments that help them naturally Did you know that currently, 32 NFL teams have a full-time chiropractor on staff? In fact, chiropractic treatment offers a medication-free way to improve your athletic abilities without any concerns about side effects.
“My first experience with chiropractic care was right before the 49’ers were to play the Bengal’s in Superbowl 23. A couple of our players were injured & a chiropractor turned things around” stated Jerry Rice in an interview.
When your spine is properly aligned, you’ll enjoy these benefits:
- Fewer Injuries. Who does not like fewer injuries? Did you know that misalignments not only affect your spine but can also cause tightness in your muscles, ligaments, and tendons, increasing your risk of injury? But with regular visits to your chiropractor (most of our practice members come once a month or every four weeks), you will likely see a decrease in misalignments, known as subluxations. The decrease in misalignments can help you avoid aches, pains, and serious injuries.
- Better Balance. Did you know that with every single visit, Dr. Barisch checks your leg length? Out of alignment hips can cause a difference in your leg length – sometimes as much as a ½ inch! Correcting your misaligned hips also has a positive effect on your balance, improving your ability to make a save, avoid a fall if you stumble or perfect your balance beam routine. It can also improve your day-to-day walking or running. During spinal manipulation treatment, your chiropractor uses gentle, hands-on pressure to improve the alignment of the vertebrae in your back and neck.
- Improved Strength. Strength, an important factor in many sports, can decrease if you have a subluxation. The problem may affect your ability to grip or catch the ball, tackle opponents, run long distances or make key plays. Chiropractic provides a natural strength-boosting option. Brazilian researchers discovered that manipulating the vertebrae in the neck offered significant increases in strength. Judo athletes who received cervical (neck) spinal manipulation therapy improved their grip strength by 16 percent on the right side and 11 percent on the right side. Their results were published in the January 2012 issue of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.
- Quicker Healing Time. Correcting subluxations can also help you reduce healing time after an injury. Manipulations, electrical stimulation, ultrasound therapy, and other treatments decrease inflammation, ease spasms, enhance healing and improve the flow of blood and nutrients to the injured area.
- Faster Recovery Time. Sports take a toll on your body, no matter how diligently you stretch and warm-up before starting an activity. Without an adequate rest period following exertion, you may increase your risk of injury. When your spine is aligned properly, you may notice that it doesn’t take quite as long to return to top form.
- More Flexibility. Spinal manipulation, massage, and other treatments loosen tight joints and muscles, in addition to improving spinal alignment. These treatments increase your range of motion, prevent the formation of scar tissue, and decrease stiffness caused by tight muscles and joints. Thanks to your visits to the chiropractor, you may find that it’s easier to follow through when you swing a golf club or racquet or notice that you can stretch a little farther when making a diving catch.
- Enhanced Performance. You’ve probably noticed that your performance suffers if your back and neck hurt, your muscles are tight, or you have a throbbing headache. Fortunately, aches and pains due to subluxations won’t prevent you from excelling when you make chiropractic therapy part of your training regimen. Treatments may also improve nerve function, improve your reaction time, and even help you breathe more deeply.
Would you like to enhance your sports ability with chiropractic treatment? We’ll devise a comprehensive treatment plan that will help you improve your performance and strength and avoid injuries. Contact us to schedule your chiropractic appointment in Harrisburg, PA.
