Few athletes can train and compete completely unscathed by an occasional sports injury. In the world of sports, it is quite common to hear of athletes being sidelined for weeks, and even whole seasons, due to injuries sustained in a game or practice. Although sports injuries can affect any area of the body, certain conditions are more common in athletes than others.

Obviously, the type of injury an athlete may be prone to depends on the type of activity he or she participates in. For example, baseball pitchers commonly experience shoulder injuries, such as torn rotator cuffs or over-extended elbows. On the other hand, a soccer or runner may suffer from shin splints or sprained ankles. Other examples of common sports injuries include neck injuries, dislocated joints, knee problem, foot injuries and injuries that affect the arms and legs.

It is very important that athletes who are experiencing pain or symptoms of an injury discontinue further activity until a medical professional has evaluated the source of the problem. While icing an injury can prevent swelling and pain medications can regulate pain, neither can help the body heal the way chiropractic treatment can.

How Our Staten Island Chiropractor Can Help

At our Staten Island clinic, we treat a lot of sports injuries. Our chiropractor believes that the body has the ability to heal itself, so long as it is equipped with the means to do so. In other words, sitting aside and waiting for injuries to heal could just lead to further complications, scar tissue and an inability to continue to participate in sports in the future. It is important that injured athletes visit our clinic as soon as possible following an accident to accelerate the healing process.

Not only do we use chiropractic treatments to manipulate the joints and spine into their proper alignment, but we also utilize physical therapy to help stiff or sore muscles gain better motion range and to help patients better manage pain. Physical therapy also includes a number of at-home exercises customized for the patient between visits. When performed correctly and as instructed, the home exercises help patients make faster progress than they would with chiropractic treatment alone.

Have you ever been injured playing a sport? How did the injury affect your ability to be active?