HOW RUNNERS CAN BENEFIT FROM CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
The word “chiropractic” literally translates to “healing with the hands.” Chiropractors aim to fix musculoskeletal issues and improve nervous system function. Since chiropractic care is a non-invasive, drug-free alternative to traditional treatment, people visit a chiropractic clinic for many reasons.
Some common reasons include injury rehabilitation, neck or back pain, and simply ensuring proper bodily function. But did you know that chiropractic care can also be highly beneficial to runners? In fact, many professional runners credit chiropractic care for their outstanding performance. Read below to find out how runners can benefit from chiropractic care.
Source: American Chiropractic Clinic Vietnam
Improve body alignment
Running is the most basic form of intense physical exercise known to man. Running predates over all other forms of exercise. A runner uses his whole body when running, and virtually every joint of the body is part of the running motion. Some joints, such as the sacroiliac joints at the hips, often lose symmetry with continuous motions from side to side.
Chiropractic care increases motion in the joints that are used for running including all spinal joints, sacroiliac joints as well as joints of the knees and feet.
Prevent injuries
Chiropractic adjustments release restricted joint movements, therefore preventing injury to joints that are over-stressed.
A good example of injury prevention with chiropractic adjustment is at the knee and hamstring. Chiropractic adjustments restore normal motions in the foot and ankles so that a runner will put much less stress on the knee joints.
Runners who have regular full-body chiropractic evaluation and treatment have much fewer knee injuries in general. Chiropractic adjustments performed on the pelvic region take much stress off the hamstring, therefore preventing hamstring injury in general.
Runners who incorporate chiropractic adjustments into their regime have a statistical decrease in the number of neck and back problems, even shoulder and arm problems that can develop because of running.
Promote quicker healing
Chiropractic treatment leads to much faster healing in most lower-body injuries associated with running. This is due to:
- The source of many injuries is subluxation and locked joints in the ankles, pelvic and spine. Removal of these subluxations and restoring the balance movement eliminate the source of such original injuries in many cases.
- Chiropractic adjustments take pressure off of nerves and blood vessels, which allows the body to control its own healing process.
Sports chiropractic, as practiced in ACC, incorporates physiotherapy, exercise physiology, assistance in choosing the right shoe and the manufacture of running foot beds to improve the alignment of feet during running.
Visiting a chiropractor both before and after a race can be very beneficial to runners. Many professional runners and triathlon athletes in Vietnam find tremendous value in visiting a chiropractor regularly during the training process. Most would also visit a sports chiropractor after running for a tune-up and for a speedy recovery— especially after a long race.
Shared by: American Chiropractic Clinic (ACC).