Research Shows Chiropractic Care Effective at Preventing Sports Injuries

Chiropractic Adjustments Beneficial at Preventing Sports Injuries in Fairfax

We see a good deal of sports injuries in our Fairfax office, and Dr. Zapf is generally able to help these athletes. Stanford Childrens Hospital reports that over 3.5 million children of the ages 14 and younger are hurt each year while playing sports. Add that to the nearly 2 million adults hurt each year while participating in sports-related activities, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and you can start to see the importance of preventing these sorts of common injuries. One approach to possible achieve that goal, according to a study released in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, is to engage in regular chiropractic treatments.

In Australian Rules football, hamstring and other leg injuries are common, often sidelining the players and impacting their team's chance at securing a win. One particular study was administered using 59 semi-elite Australian Rules footballers to see whether chiropractic care could diminish these injuries and help keep them playing.

Research Supports Chiropractic Treatment Helps in Treating Sports Injuries

For this study specifically, all of the players was given medical treatment. Additionally, half of them also were given chiropractic sessions at the rate of one treatment per week for the first 6 weeks, biweekly treatments for the next three months, and one treatment per month for the remaining 3 months of the study. The other group were given no chiropractic intervention at all and acted as the control group to assess the benefits of chiropractic.

Following 24 matches, specialists reported a diminished number of lower limb muscle strains in the group that had received chiropractic care. Furthermore, that same group also missed fewer matches related to non-contact knee injuries. This lead the researchers to come to the conclusion that chiropractic should be added to sports training programs to dramatically lessen the number of leg injuries.

Dr. Zapf Can Help People Find Comfort From Sports Injuries & Help You Heal Faster

If you or your child plays sports and you want to ensure greater time is spent on the field versus on the sidelines, call our Fairfax office at (703) 455-9555 and make an appointment today. We will do our best to keep you in the game!

References

• Hoskins, W, & Pollard, H. (2010, April 8). The effect of a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention on the prevention of back pain, hamstring and lower limb injuries in semi-elite Australian Rules footballers: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 11(64), doi:10.1186/1471-2474-11-64
• Misra, A. (2014, March 17). Common sports injuries: Incidence and average charges. Department of Health & Human Services.
• Stanford Children’s Hospital. (n.d.). Sports injury statistics.