Q: I understand that athletes use chiropractic to perform better. How is that the case? Wouldn’t they use those treatments for recovery of an injury?
From bull riders to golfers and Olympians, top-caliber athletes know the benefit of chiropractic treatment. For some, it would be true that chiropractic treatment is part of what’s needed to put bodies back together again. Emmitt Smith, former star running back of the Dallas Cowboys was one of the high-profile NFL players who were early advocates of the benefits of chiropractic.
For others, in less physically punishing pursuits, chiropractic is more of a maintenance practice, a way to keep their finely trained bodies in perfect tune. In the pursuit of a tenth of a second off a bicycle race, for instance, every edge counts. Lance Armstrong, multiple Tour de France winner, is a regular chiropractic recipient, as is golf great Tiger Woods. The benefit here is, rather than focusing to speed recovery of an injury, the adjustment is a means to bring optimal function to all of the joints of the body. This in turn allows muscles and tendons to operate at their best. All of this results in optimal biomechanics and nervous system function. It is the nervous system that chiropractic is most focused on, allowing the brain and body to better work together to create homeostasis, or balance, by efficient communication between the two through the nerves.
For some athletes, the prime time for chiropractic treatment is the day before a competition and then again shortly before the event to make sure all soft tissue, joints and nerves are in optimum condition. Talk with a chiropractor about how treatment might help your athletic performance and your life in general.
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