Time to Throw in the Towel?

By Dr. Dave Edenfield

English: Tennis Elbow (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Americans like to lead an active life.  Many are into golf, tennis, soccer, softball, running, martial arts and other sporting activities.  While these avocations are great for the cardiovascular system, each and every one of them has the potential to result in injury of one kind or another.  Whether it is something as simple as a pulled muscle, or as complicated as tennis elbow or torn ligaments, such injuries can occur to people of all ages. 

The Garrick and Requa study of injuries in highschool sports for two academic years revealed 1197 injuries for 3049 participants in 19 different sports.³These two authors also reported on the number of high school injuries (per 100 participants) for the various specific sports as follows:

Male	Injuries	Female	Injuries
Cross-country	29	Cross-country	35
Volleyball	10	Volleyball	6
Gymnastics	28	Gymnastics	40
Basketball	31	Basketball	25
Swimming	1	Swimming	9
Tennis	3	Tennis	7
Track & Field	33	Track & Field	35
Baseball	18	Softball	44
Wrestling	75
Soccer	30
Football	81

Whether a teenager or a retiree, the cumulative effects of athletic stresses on the human body can and sometimes does result in musculoskeletal injuries. The good news is that with prompt treatment and education these injuries do not mean that you have to throw in the towel.  The bad news is that like it or not, sports injuries cannot be completely avoided.  Even professional athletes who are coached and trained by some of the best and brightest in sports medicine are forced to confront injury from time to time.  The reason that pro athletes and weekend warriors alike become injured is generally due to one of three causes:

      1.      They play too hard

      2.      They play too long

      3.      They play when they hurt.

Protective sports equipment such as helmets can protect athletes from head injury. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The mantra “No pain, no gain” is often used to spur athletes to play even when their bodies tell them to stay 

on the bench.  Unfortunately this can cause the underlying injury to become magnified.  Or, it can create a situation that precipitates a more serious and possibly career ending injury.  While the pros must strike a balance between playing injured or risk getting cut from the team, weekend warriors need to think twice about playing if they are not 100% healthy.  They also need to think twice about exacerbating an existing injury by overdoing it around the home or office.  So if your back is feeling the strain after playing 18 holes, you might want to avoid toting heavy boxes up to the attic.  If your ankle is tender from Wednesday evening’s soccer match, you should give a second thought to water skiing over the coming weekend.

Another thing you should consider before you turn a strain into something that requires more serious medical intervention: consult your chiropractor.  Chiropractic offers a holistic, drug-free method of healing sports injuries.  By adjusting the spine and providing ongoing physical therapy, chiropractic care can correct many imbalances that can put undo strain on overworked muscles, tendons and ligaments.  Chiropractors can also assess the long term effects of your chosen avocation in order to provide you with exercise and nutritional advice that can mean being able to keep playing without sacrificing your overall health.  Just as many professional athletes have come to realize, the benefits of chiropractic care far outweigh the prospect of having to throw in the towel.

Dr. Dave Edenfield  and Dr. Steven Warfield are part of the team of doctors and therapists at http://www.lakewoodchiropracticjax.com/ who are dedicated to helping you and your family lead  healthier, happier and pain-free lives.