Staff Writer
Hospital emergency departments treat about 1.1 million sports-related injuries per year. There will never be a cure-all for that, but proper preparations and advice from your chiropractor can make the spring and summer sports season much smoother.
Chiropractors and medical doctors consider the first level of sports injury care as R-I-C-E, the acronym for rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
Rest = Decrease your regular activities and rest the injured area.
Ice = Put an ice pack on the injury for 20 minutes, four to eight times per day. You can use a cold pack or a plastic bag filled with crushed ice and wrapped in a towel.
Compression = Put even pressure on the painful area to help reduce the swelling.
Elevation = Put the injured area on a pillow at a level above your heart.
Depending on the type and severity of a sports injury, other care options may include
To limit the movement of your injured area, your doctor may recommend using:
In some cases, surgery is needed to repair sports injuries. Surgery can fix torn tendons and ligaments or restore broken bones. However, many sports injuries don’t need surgery.
As an injury heals, scar tissue forms, and over time, the scar tissue shrinks. This shrinking brings the injured tissues back together. When this happens, the injured area becomes tight or stiff.
Your chiropractor, an expert in musculoskeletal diseases and conditions, knows this is when you are at greatest risk of injuring the area again. You should stretch the muscles daily, following your healthcare provider’s recommendations.
Finally, make sure you (or your children) don’t return to the sport they love until the injured area can stretch without pain, swelling, or stiffness. When it’s time to get back to the field or court, start slowly. A warm-up session before and after exercise or a sports activity is always a good idea.
The chiropractic profession is centered on preserving, restoring, and optimizing health by emphasizing the body’s ability to heal without drugs or surgery. Chiropractors are recognized as primary care providers, allowing direct patient contact – no referrals necessary. Chiropractic care encompasses comprehensive physical assessment followed by individualized care.
Chiropractic care can include:
If you have a severe injury, you need to be seen immediately in an emergency room. However, many less serious sports injuries can be effectively evaluated by your local Doctor of Chiropractic. Your chiropractor will refer you to other healthcare practitioners when conditions or symptoms indicate it’s necessary for the best health outcome.
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC), founded in 1922, is a private, nonprofit, university in Overland Park, Kansas. Our mission is to educate and develop leaders in health promotion through our chiropractic and health science degree programs.
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.
