Staff Writer
With summer activities getting started, sports-related injuries are sure to follow. You should know that the chiropractic profession is a great choice when musculoskeletal injuries or painful conditions happen. Sports-related injuries can often be managed without drugs or surgery by your local Doctor of Chiropractic.
Sports-focused chiropractors are well-positioned to safely and ethically manage sports-related injuries according to current practice guidelines. They have elite diagnostic skills as well as up-to-date, evidence-based treatment and management protocols.
Sports-related injury care is always personalized according to exam results and one’s medical history. Chiropractic care includes a multitude of evidence-based methods and practices, including:
With the school term ending, there’s a big uptick in summer sports activities for kids. Ask your Doctor of Chiropractic, and he or she will tell you there’s been a significant increase in sports-related injuries in adolescent populations. More than 775,000 children aged 14 and younger are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries each year.
1. Physical Vulnerability Due to Growth
Children and teens have developing bones and joints, making them more susceptible to injuries, especially when subjected to intense training schedules.
2. Early Sports Specialization and Year-Round Play
Children who focus on a single sport from a young age are at higher risk of overuse injuries due to repetitive strain on the same muscles and joints. Medical societies recommend that young athletes not train in a single sport for more than eight months out of the year, or more hours per week than their age.
3. Intense Training Schedules
Many youth sports programs require multiple days of commitment per week, even for children as young as age 6 or 7, leading to an increased risk of acute and chronic injuries.
4. Lack of Rest and Recovery
The shift from seasonal to year-round sports participation reduces opportunities for rest, increasing the likelihood of overuse injuries. Overuse injuries now account for up to 54% of all youth sports injuries.
5. Cultural Pressures and Adult Expectations
An overemphasis on elite performance and winning can lead to children playing through pain or returning to play before fully recovering from injuries.
6. Insufficient Injury Prevention Measures
Youth sports programs sometimes lack proper injury prevention protocols, such as neuromuscular training exercises, which have been shown to reduce the risk of injuries like ACL tears.
In summary, chiropractic care offers a safe, effective, and whole-person approach to managing and preventing sports injuries in children. Because of a chiropractor’s knowledge and the profession’s focus on the body’s alignment and function, chiropractic care can help young athletes recover from injuries, enhance their performance, and maintain overall health.
If you’re interested in a comprehensive overview of the profession, download this free report: Chiropractic: A Safe and Cost-Effective Approach to Health.
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC), founded in 1922, is a private, nonprofit chiropractic and health sciences university in Overland Park, Kansas. The CUKC on-campus Chiropractic Health Center is open to the public and treats patients from Kansas City’s 15-county metro area. Our goal is to provide chiropractic care and solutions for a better, more productive life for our patients.
