Whether you’re a professional athlete or an avid weekend warrior, sports injuries are a common concern. Sports chiropractic care offers effective treatments that speed up recovery and reduce the likelihood of future injuries, helping athletes return to the field and perform at their best.
Sports Injury Chiropractor Near You in Charlotte NC
At Proactive Chiropractic and Rehab Center in Charlotte, we specialize in non-invasive chiropractic care for sports injuries, ensuring you get back to your active lifestyle quickly and safely.
Common Injuries a Sports Chiropractor Can Help Treat
Sports injuries often involve muscles, joints, and ligaments, and can range from sprains and strains to more complex conditions like tendinitis or joint misalignments. Common sports injuries that chiropractic care effectively treats include:
- Hip Flexor Injury: Common in athletes who run or make sudden movements, such as basketball players.
- Concussions: Typically caused by blows to the head, often seen in football or other contact sports.
- ACL Injury: Common in sports like soccer that involve player-to-player contact and rapid directional changes.
- Shoulder Injuries: Including rotator cuff injuries, which are prevalent in sports like baseball and bowling.
- Meniscus Tears: Often occur in sports that require pivoting or cutting movements, such as basketball.
- Back Strains and Hamstring Injuries: Common in athletes participating in running or lifting activities.
Chiropractic care helps restore proper alignment and movement, addressing the root causes of pain. This non-invasive treatment speeds up recovery, reduces the risk of future injuries, and allows athletes to return to peak performance. With chiropractic care, you can avoid harmful invasive procedures while promoting long-term health and performance.
Effective Chiropractic Treatments for Sports Injuries
When you experience a sports injury, surgery, pain medication, and other invasive techniques aren’t always necessary. In fact, most musculoskeletal injuries can be treated effectively through chiropractic care.
We specialize in a wide range of non-invasive treatments that help speed up recovery, reduce pain, and improve mobility. These treatments include:
- Spinal Adjustments: Restore mobility to the spine, reduce stress on the body, and improve overall function.
- Dry Needling: Relieves tightness in muscles and tendons, promoting healing by targeting trigger points and reducing muscle tension.
- Gua Sha: An ancient technique that restores elasticity to overused tendons and ligaments, commonly used for sports injuries.
- Traction: Primarily used for back pain, this technique involves using a foam roller to decompress the spine and relieve pressure from the vertebrae.
- Active Release Technique: Targets pain caused by overuse injuries, such as tennis elbow, shin splints, and other conditions caused by repetitive strain.
- Electro-Muscle Stimulation: Uses electrical impulses to stimulate muscles, promoting healing, reducing pain, and improving muscle function.
- Spinal Decompression: Relieves pressure on the spine, alleviating pain and improving overall spinal health.
- Orthotics: Custom foot supports that help relieve pressure and pain, particularly for issues like fallen arches, which can affect posture and athletic performance.
Case Study: Baseball Pitcher Overcoming Elbow and Knee Pain
Patient Overview
A 17-year-old baseball pitcher sought chiropractic care after experiencing knee pain diagnosed as patellar tendonitis. After treating his knee, he returned with elbow pain diagnosed as golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis), likely caused by compensating for his knee injury. His elbow had tight forearm muscles and a limited range of motion due to pain.
Recommended Treatment Plan
- Spinal Adjustments to restore alignment and improve pitching mechanics.
- Dry Needling to reduce muscle tightness and promote healing in the forearm and elbow.
- Rehabilitation Exercises to strengthen the elbow joint and surrounding muscles, preventing future injuries.
Completed Procedures & Preventive Care Plan
After an initial evaluation, the treatment plan targeted muscle imbalances and biomechanics contributing to his injury. Follow-up visits were scheduled to monitor his progress and maintain spinal health. Preventive care included regular chiropractic adjustments and exercises to strengthen the elbow, shoulder, and core.
Reflections & Closing Thoughts
By addressing both the knee and elbow issues, along with improving overall movement patterns, this young athlete was able to recover quickly and safely return to pitching. Chiropractic care not only expedited recovery but also prevented further injuries by focusing on biomechanics and strengthening. This case highlights the role of chiropractic care in sports injury recovery and injury prevention.
Patient Success Story: Sports Chiropractic Care for Low Back Pain in a Former Athlete
Patient Overview
A 33-year-old former athlete visited our office complaining of chronic low back pain that flared up after physical activity. Although she played sports in her younger years, her current corporate desk job led to persistent back stiffness and soreness. When she engaged in exercise or played basketball, her pain would spike significantly afterward.
After performing orthopedic and neurological exams, we diagnosed her with lumbar facet arthralgia, a condition involving inflammation in the small joints of the lower spine, often aggravated by movement and compression.
Recommended Treatment Plan
We designed a treatment plan tailored to her athletic background and current limitations, which included:
- Chiropractic adjustments to improve joint function.
- Electrical muscle stimulation to reduce inflammation.
- Flexion-based rehab exercises to build spinal resilience.
- Massage gun therapy to relieve muscle tightness.
Completed Procedures & Preventive Care Plan
After three sessions, her pain level dropped from 7/10 to 2/10 on the VAS scale. She was able to return to basketball and gym workouts with much less discomfort.
Reflections & Closing Thoughts
This case highlights the value of sports chiropractic care in helping former athletes regain mobility, reduce pain, and stay active—no matter how long it’s been since they last played competitively.
Sports Injury? Visit a Sports Injury Chiropractor Near You
Have you experienced a sports injury that is causing you pain? We are experts in providing non-invasive pain relief through chiropractic care. Whether you’re dealing with a sprained ankle, shoulder injury, or back pain, our team can help you get back to peak performance quickly and safely.
Call us today at (704) 504-1770 or send us a message to schedule your appointment. Let us help you recover from your sports injury and get back to doing what you love.
