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Busting Chiropractic Myths & Misconceptions

The chiropractic profession is an interesting one to be a part of. For some, they more than accept the role chiropractic can play in not only getting them out of pain, but also elevating their overall sense of health and well-being. For others, they remain skeptical and dismissive for reasons that simply come down to myths and misconceptions that have been perpetuated for years. We can thank growing amounts of scientific evidence that has proven many common myths and misconceptions about chiropractic to be false.

In this article, we want to address some common myths and misconceptions regarding chiropractic,  addressing them from an educational viewpoint. But before we get into those, it would benefical to define what chiropractic is for those of our readers who may not be familiar with the scope of the profession.

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is the most commonly utilized form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the United States, focusing on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Doctors of Chiropractic perform examinations, diagnose conditions, and determine appropriate and safe treatment plans utilizing an effective, hands-on approach without the use of drugs or surgery. Other than traditional chiropractic adjustments or manipulative therapy, chiropractors can receive additional training in rehabilitation, sports injuries, myofasical release techniques, taping, bracing, passive modalities (i.e. electrical stimulation, ultrasound, laser therapy), as well as nutrition and implement these into patient treatment plans.

Now that we've had a brief overview of what chiropractic is, let's discuss some common myths and misconceptions.

#1 - There is no scientific evidence to support chiropractic

This is probably the number one myth or misconception that I encounter on a regular basis. The reality is, there is a massive amount of scientific research that supports the effectiveness of chiropractic and chiropractic manipulative therapy (CMT) for a number of musculoskeletal conditions.

CMT has demonstrated effectiveness in the treatment of:
  • Low back pain (1)
  • Sciatica (2)
  • Neck pain (3)
  • Headaches (Tension and Migraine) (4)
  • Shoulder pain (5)
  • Hypertension (aka high blood pressure) (6)
  • Certain neurological conditions (7)

#2 - Chiropractors only treat necks and backs

On the heels of our first myth/misconception, the effectiveness of chiropractic goes far beyond simply treating neck and back pain. Yes, randomized controlled trials support the efficacy of chiropractic treatment for common acute and chronic conditions such as headaches, neck pain and low back pain. However, with specialized training, chiropractors are also capable of treating disc injuries, sciatic pain, strain and sprain injuries, nerve pain, vertigo, TMJ, ear infections, plantar fasciitis, asthma, ADHD, whiplash, scoliosis, IT band syndrome, injuries from auto accidents, and symptoms associated with pregnancy.   Common overuse conditions such rotator cuff injuries, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other forms of tendonitis also respond well to chiropractic treatment.

Not all chiropractors are the same in their competency and abilities. It's important that you perform your due diligence to find a chiropractor that will be able to treat your condition effectively.

#3 - Once you start going to a chiropractor, you have to go for life

Many of heard that once you go to a chiropractor, you have to go for life.  The same thing can be said of a many healthcare providers, such as regular check-ups with your MD or your dentist. Many people choose to continue getting periodic adjustments and chiropractic therapy to help them feel better.  Others may decide to see us from time to time for episodes of pain or relapses in their condition.

It’s your choice.

Now while some chiropractors and their approach to patient management have given all chiropractors a bad name, the majority of chiropractors aren't looking to make you come back regularly for the rest of your life. But what they hope for is that they have a patient for life and that when someone needs to be seen, they know were they can go for trusted treatment and advice.

#4 - All you do is "crack backs", that's easy

This one is probably the most humorous to me as many will imply that what a chiropractor does is "easy". That all we do is simply "crack backs" and that is easy to do. I've had people tell me, "I can do what you do." The reality is that while yes, making a joint "crack" or "pop" is relatively easy to learn to do, the complication is finding where and how to adjust/manipulate. Palpation is the true art and skill - and it takes years to develop and fine-tune.

The chiropractic adjustment or manipulative therapy is what chiropractors are best known for, but thanks to advancements in the management of musculoskeletal conditions, chiropractors also incorporate many facets into their evaluation and treatment of patients.

Not all chiropractors will just place you in a room with heat and stim, adjust you in less than 5 minutes and send you on your way.

I can't speak for all chiropractors and why they practice the way they do. For me, I choose to incorporate a number of treatment options for the betterment of my patients and their goal-specific outcomes.

In addition to chiropractic manipulative therapy, Gallagher Performance offers:
  1. MYOFASCIAL RELEASE. Myofascial release targets adhesions that develop either within a single muscle or between adjacent muscles and other forms of connective tissue such as fascia, tendons and ligaments. Many athletes and patients experience accumulative or overuse trauma (ex: plantar fasciitis due to running or carpal tunnel syndrome due to prolonged computer/desk work). The goal becomes to work a muscle to remove adhesions and restore neuromuscular function to decrease pain while increasing range of motion, strength, and coordination of movement.
  2. FUNCTIONAL REHABILITATION. In addition to providing relief through chiropractic manipulative therapy and treating muscular adhesions, it can prove to be incredibly valuable to identify the source of a patient’s symptoms. The functional approach to rehabilitation includes identifying joint dysfunction, muscular imbalances, trigger points, and faulty movement patterns. These are often the hidden causes of injury. Observing how a patient moves and functions allows us to identify improper movement patterns that become contributors to pain and poor sport performance. By placing an emphasis on strategies to improve movement and function, functional rehabilitation is effective in improving qualities of endurance, strength, stability, balance, agility, coordination, and body awareness.
  3. DYNAMIC NEUROMUSCULAR STABILIZATION (DNS) & VOJTA THERAPY. DNS and Vojta Therapy are advanced approaches used to not only treat a variety of neuromuscular conditions but  also used by athletes worldwide to elevate performance. By applying principles and techniques rooted in the study of child development, DNS and Vojta Therapy aim to improve and restore the activation ideal movement patterns. These techniques are used to promote the ideal postures, movements, and degree of body awareness that is essential not only to athleticism, but to also treating the underlying causes of several pain syndromes that are commonly treated by chiropractors and rehabilitation specialists. There are dozens of studies to support the effectiveness of DNS.
  4. NERVE FLOSSING (NEURODYNAMIC MOBILIZATIONS). Nerve flossing is a specialized diagnostic and treatment technique commonly used to diagnose and treat neural tension, which usually expresses symptoms such as muscular tightness, pain, weakness, numbness and/or tingling. Nerve flossing is proposed to help nerves and its branches slide against adjacent structures (muscles, bone, etc.), increase blood flow, oxygen and nutrient delivery, and improve the immune response. (8)
  5. THERAPEUTIC & CORRECTIVE EXERCISE. Exercise progressions and protocols are used to develop strength, range of motion, re-educate the neuromuscular system in order to address the underlying causes of dysfunction and pain.

Final Thoughts

Chiropractic care can prove to be more beneficial than many may realize or want to acknowledge. When combined with manual therapy, functional approaches to rehabilitation, and sound scientific principles of exercise prescription, chiropractors have an ability to conservatively effective treat a wide array of conditions. The evidence shared in this article only scratches the surface. There is more research than I can fit into this blog post. I encourage you to research and read if you are inclined. Become educated and informed so you can make the best decisions for you and your health.

 
More related reading:

https://gallagherperformance.com/before-you-go-to-a-chiropractor-read-this-first/

https://gallagherperformance.com/the-benefits-of-performance-therapy/

https://gallagherperformance.com/best-way-recover-tendon-pain/

https://gallagherperformance.com/chiropractic-rehab-dns-treatment/

https://gallagherperformance.com/powerful-innovative-approach-improving-body-functions/

Before You Go To A Chiropractor, Read This First

Imagine a world where patients get the advise, education, and treatment they need. Imagine doctors who:

  • Make sense of what a patients says
  • Know exactly what a patient needs
  • Confidently provide gold standard advice and treatment interventions
This world is obtainable, but it must first begin with better quality, order and structure to our thinking patterns. One of the fundamental challenges with healthcare is that the human body is amazingly complex and adaptive. In response to the complex nature of dealing with the human body, doctors and therapists may have the tendency to routinely provide services that serve their own skill set better than appropriately addressing the patient's needs. Often times this leaves both the patient frustrated with lack of response to care.

Improving the Quality of Physical Medicine Care
The last 15 years have been great for musculoskeletal healthcare. There are several new treatment procedures and we have developed a deeper understanding of how the body works and how it breaks down. This has had tremendous impact on the world of physical medicine care, and chiropractic profession is no exception. The advancement of musculoskeletal care education has fueled a growing speciality within the chiropractic profession, sports injury & rehabilitation.

While physical therapy is often the first choice for medical doctor referrals in rehabbing an exercise or sports-related injury, there is a growing trend among athletes and individuals who enjoy an active lifestyle to turn to sports injury & rehabilitation chiropractors.

You may be thinking, “I thought chiropractors were only good for treating low back and neck pain and headaches.”
Just like the medical profession, there are many areas of specialty in chiropractic. Those who specialize as a sports injury & rehabilitation chiropractor have undergone the traditional education on joint manipulation or adjustments. However, in addition to their core curriculum, sports injury & rehabilitation complete hundreds of hours in continuing education learning about exercise and sport-related injuries, manual therapy, and functional rehabilitation methods.

What's so special about a sports injury & rehabilitation chiropractor?
Chiropractors who utilize a sports injury & rehabilitation approach incorporate joint mobilization/manipulation, soft-tissue treatments, various manual therapies, and functional rehabilitation techniques to provide a gold standard of care in treatment for individuals with exercise and sport-related injuries.

If you choose to visit a sports injury & rehabilitation chiropractor, you can expect a comprehensive examination before treatment begins. These examinations generally include:
  • A detailed history, orthopedic and neurologic examination, and functional based examination to create a working diagnosis.
  • Functional based examination to focus on the spine, shoulders, hips and feet, as these joints and their respective functions serve as the "key joints" of the human body.
  • Joint and muscle palpation to assess the quality of your joint movement, trigger points, and muscular imbalances.
Once the examination is completed, we want to discuss your specific goals in order to create a customized treatment plan for your road to recovery. The more accurately we assess, the more accurately we can apply treatment. Four types of treatment used at Gallagher Performance for exercise and sports-related injuries are:
  1. CHIROPRACTIC MANIPULATIVE THERAPYGallagher Performance provides the latest techniques, including joint manipulation (adjusting), designed to treat musculoskeletal complaints. The purpose of joint manipulation is to release restricted joints of the body, primarily in the spine and extremities. Joint commonly become restricted as a response to poor posture, imbalanced muscle activity, and/or trauma. By releasing a restricted joint through manipulation, improvements in the quality of motion of the joint are gained that may not be possible with exercise or other interventions. Manipulation also serves to reduce pain and relax tight muscles.
  2. FUNCTIONAL REHABILITATIONIn addition to providing relief through manipulative therapy and treating muscular adhesions, it can prove to be incredibly valuable to identify the source of a patient’s symptoms. The functional approach to rehabilitation includes identifying joint dysfunction, muscular imbalances, trigger points, and faulty movement patterns. These are often the hidden causes of injury. Observing how a patient moves and functions allows us to identify improper movement patterns that become contributors to pain and poor sport performance. By placing an emphasis on strategies to improve movement and function, functional rehabilitation is effective in improving qualities of endurance, strength, stability, balance, agility, coordination, and body awareness.
  3. DYNAMIC NEUROMUSCULAR STABILIZATION (DNS)By applying principles and techniques rooted in the study of child development, DNS aims to improve activation and neural control of muscles and ideal movement patterns. DNS promotes the ideal postures, movements, and degree of body awareness that is essential not only to athleticism, but to also treating the underlying causes of several pain syndromes.
  4. MYOFASCIAL RELEASEGallagher Performance offers a number of soft tissue approaches to treat painful or tight muscles, tendons, and ligaments. We have extensive training in identifying and treating muscular adhesions that compromise quality of motion and contribute to pain symptoms or reduced sports performance. Many overuse or repetitive use conditions respond well to treatment of soft-tissue structures, including back pain, shoulder pain, shin splints, runner’s knee (IT band syndrome), and plantar fasciitis.
If you have any questions or have been struggling with pain related to your activities, exercise or sport, Gallagher Performance offers customized treatment plans to get you our of pain and performing better.

To schedule your appointment, call (724) 519.2833

More related reading:

https://gallagherperformance.com/options-dont-take-insurance/

https://gallagherperformance.com/powerful-innovative-approach-improving-body-functions/

https://gallagherperformance.com/resetting-bodys-function-post-injury/

Low Back Pain: Causes and Treatment Recommendations

Low back pain is not an uncommon condition among the American population. Several studies have supported data that demonstrates up to 85% of the population will experience at least one episode of low back pain during their lifetime. Low back pain is responsible for millions of dollars in healthcare costs every year.

In most cases, low back pain is relatively self-limiting condition, meaning it reduces naturally over a period of a few days. That said, it is not uncommon for many to experience severe pain. For this reason, it is important to begin treating low back pain conservatively with interventions such as chiropractic, manual therapy, therapeutic massage, and/or proper exercise prescription. All these conservative interventions have demonstrated their ability to successfully treat low back pain and its causes.

Some common back pain causes that respond well to a combination of chiropractic, manual therapy, massage, and/or exercise include:

Sprain/Strains: Injury to muscle and/or connective tissue, such as tendons or ligaments, suffered during activity, accidents, or lifting with poor form. Sprain/strains are extremely common and most range from mild to moderate (little to no tearing of tissue) and respond well to conservative treatment such as chiropractic, manual therapy, and progressive rehabilitation. Severe sprain/strains are characterized complete tears of ligaments or tendon ruptures. These may require surgical intervention.

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction: These pelvic joints usually produce pain as a result of alter joint mechanics from lifting or straightening up from a stooped position. The pain is usually relieved with sitting or lying down. Muscular tightness in the low back and hips is common.

Facet Syndrome: Pain in the low back that is localized, sharp and provoked with either extension (arching of the low back) or a combination of extension and rotation of the spine.

Sciatica: Radiating pain into the lower extremity on the posterior thigh/calf/foot. Sciatica can be caused by central issues (disc herniations) or peripheral issues (piriformis syndrome, nerve entrapment).

Disc Herniations: Low back pain which may also radiate pain into the hips or legs. Typically worse in the morning; worse with bending forward; usually better standing than sitting. Because of the disc injury, muscle spasms are not uncommon. These muscle spasms serve to limit movement in order to protect the disc from further injury.

Piriformis Syndrome/Nerve entrapment: Radiating pain on the posterior thigh and leg caused by tightness in the piriformis muscle. This muscle is deep within the hip lays underneath the glutes. Tightness in the piriformis can create irritation by entrapping the sciatic nerve, thus creating the radiation of pain.  The sciatic nerve can be entrapped within the hamstring and calf musculature as well. Low back pain may also accompany hip pain.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome: This is a chronic form of muscle pain caused by trigger points. These trigger points are often present within muscles of the low back and hips due to any combination of joint dysfunction, postural imbalances, and/or poor stabilization/support function of the core musculature.

Spondylolishthesis: A fracture of the vertebrae resulting in pain with extension. Similar to sprain/strains, spondylolishthesis is graded in severity. Mild forms for spondylos can respond well to chiropractic manipulative therapy (CMT) and rehabilitation programs. This condition is frequent in athletic populations who perform repeated extension movements, such as gymnasts, football players, wrestlers, and weightlifters.

In many cases, several studies support that low back pain responds exceptionally well to the combination of chiropractic care, manual therapy, massage, and proper exercise instruction.  If you are suffering from low back pain, whatever the cause, consider Gallagher Performance for your evaluation and treatment. Our goal is to relieve your pain while teaching you what you can do to keep the pain from returning. Please contact us as we have every expectation that our chiropractic and rehabilitation programs will help you Experience the Difference.
 
This blog post was written by Dr. Sean Gallagher.

Gallagher Performance offers customized treatment plans. Visit our website for complete contact information. 
To schedule your appointment, call (724) 519-2833.
 
More related reading:

https://gallagherperformance.com/why-stretching-wont-solve-your-tight-muscles/

Stress Overload and Injury

In the world of athletics and pursuit of elite level performance, injuries are a given. However, the prevention of sports injuries is never as simple as identifying movements or exercises that should be avoided. It would be nice if it was that simple and if we could solve all the injury problems for athletes across the globe by eliminating one particular movement. Unfortunately, the human body is too complex to be solved by one solution that can be applied to everyone.

Rather than debate the role of specific exercises in a training or rehabilitation program, loading parameters and progressions, or whether certain exercises pose greater risk than reward, the purpose of this article is to discuss a much deeper concept that is at the heart of injury prevention and management, the balance between stress and adaptation.

Hello, My Name is Stress
Stress is something each and every one of us is all too familiar with. Whether it’s related to financial struggles, work-related problems, academic pressures, athletic expectations, family or relationship issues, stress is a common theme of the human existence. Now while these forms of mental stress are responsible for many reactions within the human body, for the purposes of this article this is not the kind of stress I am talking about. Rather, we will be discussing what is known as biological stress and how it relates to injury.

What is Biological Stress?

Biological stress accounts for all the physical demands (stress) placed on our bodies, both mechanical stress and metabolic stress.

Mechanical stress is a measure of the force produced and absorbed by the entire neuromusculoskeletal (NMS) system, including components such as nerves, muscle fibers, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and bone.

Metabolic stress is a measure of the demand placed on all the systems responsible for energy production/recovery and involves every major organ system in the body, such as the cardiovascular, nervous, muscular, endocrine, and immune systems.

As you can tell, both mechanical and metabolic stress are highly interrelated. The greater the degree of mechanical stress, the greater the degree of metabolic stress.

Balancing Stress & Adaptation
Training is best defined as, the targeted application of stress designed to disrupt homeostasis and put the body’s defense mechanisms at work; remodeling, strengthening and improving the efficiency of many different systems throughout the body.”
Factors that Influence Biological Stress:

  • Training Volume
  • Training Intensity
  • Training Frequency
  • Exercise Selection
These simple variables are what define individual training sessions and the training block/phase. They will dictate the amount of biological (mechanical and metabolic) stress, its application to the human body, and how much stress is applied. The training goal becomes to apply the correct type of stress in the appropriate dose/amount while targeted to the appropriate areas necessary to improve performance.

Training and biological stress is one side of the coin. The other side takes into consideration factors that influence adaptation. What makes the training process enormously more complex than it appears is what happens in between sessions as our body responds to the stress of the training session or adapts. The complexity stems from how many variables are involved in how we adapt to the stress imposed by training.

Factors that Influence Adaptation:
  • Genetics
  • Training History
  • Nutritional Habits
  • Sleep Quality
  • Mental Stress
Our genetics, nutritional habits, level of mental stress, training history, and sleep play a critical role in how quickly our body’s systems and tissues are able to rebuild and adapt from the stress of the training process. Get enough sleep, eat well, have better genetics and a long history of training, you will adapt much faster and respond quicker to the same level of training/stress than someone who is experiencing higher levels of mental stress, has poor sleeping habits, a poor diet, and lesser genetics. Even minor differences in any one of these factors can have a major impact on the ability to adapt to your current training.

Out of Balance, Out with Injury
By now, it should be clear that looking at sports injuries solely from the standpoint of the use or misuse of particular exercises or protocols doesn’t paint a very complete picture of why they happen. Even when discussions of injuries extend into the realm of assessing various movement patterns and joint function while trying to predict or minimize risk of injuries purely through improving quality of movement, often times these discussions fail to consider the fundamental concepts of the stress-adaptation balance.

The truth that is rarely discussed is that every athlete and individual is truly different and no two people will ever respond to a given training program or level of stress in the same manner. Recently, the days of individualized training have been replaced with current fitness trends of bootcamps, CrossFit, P90x and other such programs that irrationally encourage anyone and everyone to do the same thing.

Not only do such approaches always fail to consider a person’s individual ability to adapt to stress, they often preach that results are a direct result of nothing more than lots of effort with lots of intensity. The classic American attitude of “more is always better” approach has spilled over into training, training with high intensities at increasingly higher volumes. Now combine that with no individualized considerations and what you have is a recipe for injury. Current fitness trends seem to place a greater importance on the business model rather than having an appreciation and understanding of the complex function of the human body as it relates to developing a quality training program for the individual.

When you consider the stress-adaptation balance, it's not surprising why the injury rates are continually rising in youth sports. Young athletes today are under incredible pressures to specialize in one sport, be it from coaches or parents, and this is why it’s become sadly common to see athletes as young as 12-14 suffering from chronic stress injuries like tendinitis, or the more correct diagnosis of tendinosis. The ‘multi-sport’ athlete has been replaced with the ‘single-sport, all year long’ athlete. A year round competitive schedule, lack of properly constructed sport practice, and lack of time dedicated to physical preparation and athletic development is largely to blame for the huge increase in youth sports injuries in recent years.

I just happened to catch a recent interview with Tommy John on Dan Patrick’s radio show. For those of you who may be familiar with his name, Tommy John is a former MLB pitcher and the “Tommy John” surgery is named after him since he was the first individual to have the medical procedure of ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction. When asked about his thoughts as to why the surgery is so common now, Tommy John has this to say,
“I really believe….that sports, high school sports, little league sports, have become year round. And they force these kids at a very young age to pick a sport and that’s the only sport that they play, they train at. And you have these….pitching academies and your kid comes in and pays $2000-$3000 and you go in every Saturday and work on pitching. And I tell parents this, “If the best pitchers in the world don’t pitch year round, then why should your kid pitch year round?”….You have to get all these great surgeons that do Tommy John surgery, or did Tommy John surgery, they cringe when you say ‘year round pitching’ because you must let the arm rest.”
Without knowing exactly why, Tommy John nailed the central issue when it comes to several sports injuries, the lack of appropriate rest to allow the body the chance to recover and adapt to the stress placed upon it. Despite his example of baseball and pitching, the truth is each sport has it own unique injury rates. It truly all comes back to stress and the inability of most coaches and trainers to respect the stress and adaptation process. While some athletes are capable of adapting to stress far more efficiently than others, no one is immune from the effects of a poorly designed training or sport preparation program. Such programs are run by coaches or trainers that chronically stress athletes with little understanding of how to facilitate recovery and adaption, ultimately leading to injury.

Final Words
Regardless of whether you are a doctor, therapist, coach, athlete or simply just train to be healthy and stay in shape, this article was to present you with a more complete view of the role stress and adaptation play in the injury process. There is certainly value in assessing the degree of stress specific exercises may place on particular joints/tissues and whether or not they are appropriate for an individual given their needs or limitations. Failure to consider the role of stress tends to lead to an approach to injury prevention based purely on exercise selection/avoidance rather than one than also places consideration on biological stress and adaptation management.

More related reading:

https://gallagherperformance.com/ultimate-runners-guide-to-injury-prevention/

https://gallagherperformance.com/3-simple-steps-to-reduce-your-risk-of-sports-injuries/

https://gallagherperformance.com/prevent-re-injury-integrated-training-rehabilitation/

https://gallagherperformance.com/magnesium-for-better-health-athletic-performance/

3 Simple Steps to Reduce Your Risk of Sports Injuries

The Problem
Youth, high school, college, and professional sports continue to rack up thousands of injuries each year. Despite advances in areas of sport such as equipment, coaching, and player safety guidelines, injury rates are not decreasing. In fact, many sport-related injuries have increased dramatically over the last decade, with a sharp rise in youth sport injuries as evident by some alarming statistics:

  • High school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries and 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations each year.
  • Overuse injuries are responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries to middle and high school students.
  • Since 2000, there has been a fivefold increase in the number of serious shoulder and elbow injuries among youth baseball and softball players.
  • According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), more than half of all sports injuries in children are preventable.
With those numbers in mind, let's look at football injuries since they alone account for over 500,000 injuries per year, twice as much as any other sport. More than half of all football injuries are to the lower extremity and roughly 67% of all football injuries are sprains/strains. Several injuries occur at the joints, especially the shoulders and knees. Many of these often require surgery and potentially have career-ending and/or lifelong implications.

The Solution
While injury is an inherited risk of participation in sport, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of serious injury and to give athletes the best chance of a rapid and complete recovery when injuries do occur. Again, consider that more than half of sport-related injuries are deemed preventable. As with any health issue, prevention should be of primary importance. With that in mind, let's look at a few simple steps to reduced your risk of injury.

#1 - Movement Screening/Assessment
Many injuries are preventable with movement pre-screening that is designed to identify musculoskeletal asymmetries and weaknesses that are known to increase the risk of injury. Ideally, movement screening is performed before the season begins. These movement assessments are utilized by several professional and collegiate sports teams and are proving to be an asset in their ability to keep athletes healthy.

How?

They provide a starting point for implementing specific exercises and routines to bring structural balance back to the body. Don't make the assumption you or your young athlete is 'ready' for the season without any objective evidence that there is work they need to do. This is exactly why you will hear the advocates of movement screening say, "Assess, don't assume."

#2 - Intelligent Strength and Conditioning Program
Once your weaknesses and imbalances have been identified, it’s important that you find someone in your area who is capable of addressing them through intelligent programming.  If you’re injured, it’s more than likely that you have developed compensation in your movement that contributed to your injury. These compensation patterns are typically best handled with an appropriate combination of strength training and corrective exercise. The combination is key. Corrective exercise is not the only means of approaching imbalances in the body. Many people fail to appreciate that appropriately applied strength training has the ability to be corrective on its own.

Furthermore, if you are injured, finding someone who has a firm understanding of functional anatomy, how it relates to your injury, and how to train around your injury while still addressing your weaknesses can prove to be the difference in making a speedy recovery. After all, you don't just want to return to your sport, you should want to return better than you were before.

#3 - Appropriate In-Season Program
This point can't be stressed enough, as too many athletes tend to slack off during the season and don't place a priority on maintaining adequate strength, mobility, and neuromuscular control of their body. Basically, they don't pay as close attention to the little things as they did during the off-season. There can be any number of reasons for this, but if staying healthy is important, you must find the time. This becomes evident when you consider that 85% of non-contact ACL injuries occur mid-late season. Other sport-related injuries also have greater frequency of injury as the season progresses.

Appropriate in-season training is intended to provide lower volume and frequency of strength training while continuing to address injury prevention and recovery methods. To complement in-season training, services such as chiropractic and massage therapy can be implemented to restore structural balance and function to the body. This provides a solid template for keeping sport performance as high as possible throughout the season. Plus, athletes are able to enter the next off-season close to peak performance, rather than spending weeks or months returning to their previous form.

That's All Folks
Injuries are part of the nature of sport and, unfortunately, completely preventing injury is an unrealistic expectation. Despite that, the risk of injury should not be taken lightly by parents or athletes when the risk of serious injury can be greatly reduced by taking appropriate steps as outlined above.

For those of you in the Greater Pittsburgh area, this approach to keeping athletes healthy and performing at their best is available at Gallagher Performance. These services are not exclusive to athletes, but are available to all individuals who enjoy being active and wish to take a proactive approach to staying healthy.