Participating in a sport helps teach your young athlete discipline, respect, and the importance of time management. They may also develop leadership skills, problem-solving techniques, and a misaligned spine. In some cases, spinal issues may even outweigh the positive perks of sports as your child stumbles around in pain. Luckily, your student athlete may benefit from chiropractor care at Align and Thrive Chiropractic.
In this blog you will learn how chiropractic care may help your student athlete, whether you're raising a flip-turning gymnast or a body-slamming wrestler. Even low-impact sports, such as bowling or tennis, can leave your child with aches and pains.
As a parent, you may feel uncomfortable at the thought of administering prescription pain medication to a young athlete. This is an understandable concern, and it's one reason why some parents seek chiropractic care for their kids. Chiropractic care helps young athletes manage pain by addressing the direct cause without medication. For example, an athlete with neck pain may need laser therapy on the upper body and gentle spinal manipulation. A child with sharp pain from the lower back all the way to the feet may have sciatica, a hard-to-treat condition that can improve with chiropractic adjustments. We find the source of your child's pain and then treat it directly, providing medication-free pain relief as the body heals.
Sports often require constant movement, but it's difficult to score the winning goal or intercept a pass if your body has a limited range of motion. With regular chiropractic care, your athlete may notice increased flexibility and reduced muscle stiffness. This helps your child's body meet the demands of youth sports, and it also helps decrease the risk of injuries from pulled muscles. Your child can stretch their muscles more easily when their body isn't tight or sore, which may help them run faster or catch balls easier.
Approximately 8 million students play high school sports, and millions of younger kids participate in sports before they turn 13. When you're sharing the spotlight with so many other young players, it's important for your child to stay game-ready. This can help if your athlete is hoping to get a college scholarship or land a place on a competitive team with minimal spots available. Chiropractic care helps keep your child ready to compete by reducing or eliminating pain. It also helps align your athlete's spine, making it easier for them to perform their best. When your child's body is in top-notch shape, it helps them focus on leading their team to victory because they're not distracted by sore muscles or back spasms.
Sometimes spinal issues don't result in immediate symptoms, however you may notice your child has some, or all, of these issues:
Neck or shoulder pain
Back pain
Knee or leg pain
Tingling in upper or lower extremities
Headaches or tension in the scalp
Trouble bending or stretching
Muscle aches
Dizziness
Nausea
These are all symptoms that may benefit from chiropractic care. Don't wait until an injury keeps your child from playing their favorite sport to seek chiropractic care. Book a complimentary consultation today.