7 Treatment Options When You Suffer a Sports Injury
Every year, millions of people suffer injuries as a result of sports or recreational activities, suffering neck pain, back pain, and other symptoms that can take a toll on mobility and quality of life. Fortunately, research shows that chiropractic treatment can help — the key is working with a provider who’s experienced in a range of effective treatment options.
At Easy Reach Chiropractic, Barbara Adonis, DC, and Heather Previll, PT, DPT, help patients in Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, recover from sports injuries with treatments focused on managing pain and helping them get back to the activities they love. If you’re suffering from a sports injury, here are seven treatment options that could help.
1. Activity modification
In many sports injuries, activity modification is one of the first recommendations our team makes. Activity modification may mean taking it easy for a period to give your body time to heal, or it may involve changes to specific activities, like taking frequent breaks during practice.
If your job puts a lot of physical demands on you, activity modification might mean using a brace or asking about temporarily changing your duties while you heal. In each case, our team works with you to make meaningful changes that can improve your recovery experience.
2. Physical therapy
Physical therapy focuses on special exercises and stretches that help support natural healing. Often used in conjunction with other treatments on this list, like massage, physical therapy uses on-site treatments as well as exercises you can do at home to maintain your progress. Bonus: By optimizing strength and flexibility following an injury, physical therapy may help prevent future injuries and even improve your performance.
3. Massage therapy
Most people think of massage as a good way to de-stress, but that’s just part of what it does. Massage therapy supports natural healing by relieving tense muscles, working out tough muscle “knots” and adhesions, and improving circulation.
Massage also helps reduce inflammation and improve range of motion in stiff muscles and joints. Like physical therapy, massage is often prescribed alongside other treatments or as a follow-up to other treatments, including surgery.
4. Spinal manipulation
Spinal manipulation uses hands-on techniques along with special devices designed to apply a gentle thrusting movement to your spine. By readjusting your spine, spinal manipulation relieves painful nerve compression and optimizes nerve pathways for better healing. Treatment can also help make physical therapy and day-to-day movements more comfortable.
5. Spinal decompression
Nerve irritation and compression are common causes of both acute and chronic pain following many types of sports injuries. Spinal decompression is a noninvasive therapy that uses special techniques to gently decompress areas of your spine where nerves are being impinged.
In addition to relieving pressure on those nerves, decompression increases blood flow to the area, promoting natural healing and removing toxins that contribute to inflammation and tissue damage.
6. Acoustic shockwave therapy
Sometimes called extracorporeal shockwave therapy (or ESWT), acoustic shockwave therapy uses a special device to administer soundwaves to the site of injury. These waves penetrate your skin painlessly, focusing energy on damaged tissues to improve circulation and promote tissue repair and regeneration.
Shockwave therapy also helps regulate nerve responses, reducing painful symptoms. This type of therapy is especially effective in treating issues involving the joints, tendons, and ligaments.
7. Class 4 laser therapy
Class 4 laser therapy uses laser energy to target damaged tissues. The light energy is absorbed by those tissues, promoting natural healing and tissue regeneration. Like other therapies on this list, class 4 laser therapy is noninvasive, promoting circulation and reducing inflammation without incisions or anesthesia.
Find a treatment plan that’s just right for you
Experience in multiple therapies means you can trust our team to design a treatment plan that’s focused squarely on your needs for faster relief and more rapid recovery. If you’re suffering from a painful sports-related injury, book an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Easy Reach Chiropractic today.