One of the main causes of injuries is of course sports. Most sports involve body contact, fast stops and starts, quick turning, excessive loading on the legs or positioning that places an unusual amount of strain on the body. Many amateur and professional athletes are unable to continue playing because of injuries which may or may not respond to ordinary treatment. Some injuries can be prevented others are accidental. Some athletes continue playing but not at peak efficiency simply because their musculoskeletal system is not in balance.

Spinal and joint problems can restrict your range of movement, reduce strength, slow reflexes, shorten endurance and decrease your overall performance. Chiropractic has become increasing popular amongst professional sports teams, competitive athletes and Olympic teams and now many are employing chiropractic doctors to provide care, improve performance and reduce injury.

English rugby clubs, American sports teams, Australian Wallabies, The New Zealand All Blacks, England Rugby Union, AC Milan, The Players Association of the NFL, Patrick Rafter, Lennox Lewis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lance Armstrong, Michael Jorden, Joe Montana, Muhammad Ali, Carl Lewis, Tiger Woods (to name but a few!) all utilise (or have utilised) Chiropractic care.

Injuries can be caused by:

• Insufficient warming up
• Insufficient preparation
• Poor balance
• Poor co-ordination
• Contact (trauma) during sport
• Excessive loading
• Repetitive jumping or jarring
• Insufficient muscle strength
• Imbalance between opposing muscle groups
• Tight muscles

Once an athlete is injured it is vital that they have a rapid recovery. Muscles, ligaments and tendons depend on proper joint motion for peak performance. Injuries to these tissues can decrease your range of movement, irritate the nerves, and decrease blood supply making the body more vulnerable to injury.

Sports injuries can be minimised by stretching after exercise, warming up, cooling down and maintaining adequate fitness and core stability. Prevention is better than cure so screening for weakness that may lead to injury is the key to maintaining fitness.

There are hundreds of different types of sports injuries but certain body parts are more prone to damage than others, for example:

• Ankle
• Achilles tendonitis
• Back pain
• Hamstring strain
• Knee joint
• Shoulder
• Elbow: Tennis/Golfers elbow

Chiropractic treatment helps restore the proper function to the spinal joints and extremity joints keeping the body free of restrictions. Chiropractic care can also help reduce inflammation as well as pain. Your muscles, tendons and ligaments all depend on proper joint motion for top performance.

Whether you are a professional athlete or just want to remain fit chiropractic can help you reach the sporting goals you aspire to and keep you at the top of your performance.