Chiropractic Care and Athletic Performance
Most people know that chiropractic care can help with back pain, immune function, and overall health and wellness, but did you also know that chiropractic care can help improve athletic performance? Whether you’re just starting an exercise regime, you’re a well-established gym junkie, or you are an aspiring professional athlete, chiropractic care will not only help recovery times from injury but also increase athletic performance! Read below for more.
Chiropractic Care in the NFL
It is estimated that 90% of the world’s top-tier athletes use chiropractic care on a regular basis. As of 2015, every NFL team has a chiropractor work with their team in some capacity, and 77% of NFL trainers have referred players to a chiropractor for some form of treatment or evaluation. Many well-known NFL players have spoken about the benefits of chiropractic and how vital chiropractic care is to their success. Some of these NFL players include Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Reggie Bush, Jerry Rice, Michael Strahan, and Marques Colston.
Chiropractic Is Beneficial for All Athletes at All Levels
Even if you’re not an aspiring professional athlete or a football player who experiences a lot of hard hits, chiropractic care is still incredibly beneficial for helping you heal from a sports-related injury or improving your overall athletic performance. Those receiving chiropractic care experience shorter recovery time from injuries and hard workouts, increase performance when it comes to speed, agility, and reaction time, and have improved balance and power in their workouts or sports performances.
A study published in 1991 tested fifty athletes, separating them into a control group and a group that received chiropractic care. After six weeks, the control group was tested with the same 11 tests they utilized at the start of the study, and they exhibited minor improvements in 8 of the 11 tests. The chiropractic group showed improvement in all 11 tests, and also showed an 18% improvement in a reaction test, compared to the control group’s less than 1% improvement. For those interested here is the study: http://icpa4kids.org/Chiropractic-Research/chiropractic-effects-on-athletic-ability.html.
Why Does It Work?
Chiropractors adjust the spine to ensure proper alignment and to reduce nerve interference between the brain and the rest of the body. Chiropractic care focuses on proper and optimal body function, so it helps to make everything work the way it should, including allowing the body to self-heal from an injury or hard workout. Additionally, with proper blood flow and nerve function throughout the entire body, an individual has an easier time improving his or her athletic performance, including speed, agility, balance, strength, and more.
