subject: Chiropractor Chicago Il | The Most Effective Ways To Deal With Sports Injuries [print this page] Every year more and more people suffer from all kinds of injuries. While injuries can be the result of many causes, one of the most prevalent is related to sports. When playing sports as a hobby, many adults get injured. These injuries can range from something as simple as a bruise to something as serious as a head or back injury and absolutely everything in between.
Sports that Cause Injuries
The type of sport you prefer to play will help to determine the type of injury that you are most inclined to incur. For example, if you play football in a weekend league, you are more likely to suffer from head injuries such as concussions and back or spinal injuries. If however, you are a softball player, you may be more likely to suffer from bruises, instead of head injuries as well as spinal injuries and similar issues.
While other sports that are enjoyed as a hobby such as basketball, golf, water skiing, and bowling can all be responsible for injuries, they aren't often played to the extremes as football and softball and therefore tend not to have as many personal injuries attributed to them.
Ways to Avoid Sports Injuries
If you and your friends enjoy playing sports on the weekends, there are some things that you can do to attempt to safeguard yourself against the injuries that so often plague players. One of the first things that you should be doing as a protective procedure is to use safety equipment. There is a reason the pros must use helmets and pads; it is to protect them as much as possible from injuries.
Before you decide to participate in serious play, schedule a visit with your health care provider. This is to be sure you are healthy enough to play on a regular basis. When you have your doctors OK, it is also a good idea to stretch before each game that you play. The stretching will help to loosen your muscles, ligaments, and joints helping you to avoid injury.
How to Deal with an Injury
If, during a game, you are hurt badly, it is important to determine the extent of the injury. The best way to know for sure is to go to the doctor, even if you would rather not. If however, the injuries that you incur are not too serious, a bruise or a scrape for example, they can be treated at home simply enough. For these types of minor injuries, it is often enough to apply an appropriate ointment and take it easy for a couple of days until the injury site is healed.
If however, your doctor does determine that you suffer from something more serious, it is important to follow their instructions to ensure a full and complete recovery. The treatment plan will vary depending upon the specific type of injury you have. Oftentimes for a spinal injury such as back or neck pain, a health care provider will suggest you see a chiropractor to help you with your recovery.
How a Chiropractor can Help
A chiropractor is specially trained in matters of the spine. They are able to help with sports injuries by adjusting or realigning the spine. This process is unique to the issues that are being suffered from, whether it is a slipped or bulged disc or just a spine that is "out of whack". As with your doctor, it is important to follow and at home directions that a chiropractor may prescribe.
