AFL is back and what a weekend it was. There were draws, upsets and of course, though we hate to see them, injuries.
If you scroll through each club’s injury list many of them seem to have someone recovering from a hamstring or soft tissue strain. Sadly, even those of us that do not quite fall under the banner of ‘elite athlete’ find ourselves susceptible to these sorts of injuries.
So how can chiropractic help?
Both professionals and everyday athletes use chiropractic care to help enhance their performance and manage and prevent sports related injuries.
Structural imbalances and poor co-ordination often lead to injury.
Chiropractic care aims to facilitate proper function and balance of our neuromusculoskeletal system. Chiropractors use adjustments with the intention of promoting proper motion, which leads to better sensory-motor integration, which can therefor help in improving the overall performance of the body. By promoting improved balance and coordination chiropractic care looks to minimize the risk for injuries that could occur because of poor function.
A study in 2011 from the Bio Med Central journal on Musculoskeletal Disorders examined 2 groups of semi-elite AFL players, it demonstrated a trend towards lower limb injury prevention with a significant reduction in primary lower limb muscle strains and weeks missed due to non-contact knee injuries through the addition of a sports chiropractic intervention to the current best practice management (1).
While we would love to be able to do all the heavy lifting for you, chiropractic care is not the only asset when it come to injury management and prevention. We are however well placed to advise you on home-based exercises and management to further promote optimal function and balance.
Whether you have your own sporting endeavors or are just a ferocious supporter of those doing it on the big stage we wish you a successful, injury-free season.
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