Athletes push their bodies in many ways. They are always working to attain better strength and better skill – never backing down on their quest to be the best in their sport. Small injuries here, slight pain there all get dismissed because downtime isn’t convenient. Unfortunately, untreated injuries can lead to more detrimental effects down the road.
Regular physical therapy appointments for athletes can not only help them overcome injuries, but it can also help them with their overall performance.
What is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy is designed to offer greater strength and mobility throughout the body. As part of their specialized training, chiropractors who specialize in physical therapy assess movement and function – as well as injury. They identify challenges and goals to develop a plan to strengthen and retrain muscles and their movements so that the patient becomes stronger and more flexible.
For athletes, that means targeting certain muscles and implementing the proper sports-specific exercises. Through various techniques athletes grow in all different ways, making them much more efficient in their sport with a reduced risk of injury.
Improved Performance
Performance is everything to an athlete. They want to be the best. They strive for it. Pushing their body beyond limits, however, can be tough – and can lead to injury. With the guidance and observation of a physical therapist, athletes can learn the ways to move – and the ways not to move – to be able to improve their overall performance.
Depending on the sport, physical therapy can offer sport-specific guidance in becoming more efficient. With regular therapy, athletes will grow stronger and become more flexible, excelling past all previous skill levels.
What’s more is that with all this therapy, they are also being proactive in preventing future injury.
Preventing Injuries
Even though they happen every day, injuries and sports don’t mix. Athletes can be kept from training and from playing while injured – and, depending on the severity of the injury, may have to sit out for a long recovery.
Working with a chiropractor who specializes in physical therapy can increase strength and endurance, correcting any weaknesses or insufficiency before any injury happens. This greatly reduces an athlete’s risk while increasing their level of performance.
Recovery – Without Surgery
Does it mean that when an injury occurs that it is too late for physical therapy? Not at all. In fact, physical therapy can help athletes get through recovery at a much faster rate thanks to the appropriate movement strategies and intense focus on all the right areas. Even previous injuries that occasionally act up can limit an athlete’s ability to always perform optimally. These, too, can be addressed and treated with effective physical therapy techniques and tools.
Chiropractors who specialize in physical therapy can reduce the need for surgery and offer pain management without the use of highly addictive pain medicine. This alone sparks the interest of many injured athletes from all types of sports with a wide array of injuries.
Physical Therapy for Athletes at Elite Performance Chicago
Whether you are an athlete that has been injured or one that is simply interested in reaping the benefits of having a highly trained sports chiropractor trained in advanced physical medicine as part of your routine healthcare, then Elite Performance Chiropractic is here for you.
We offer a variety of physical therapy and chiropractic treatments that can reduce your pain and increase your performance.
Ready to learn more? Call our office at (312) 573-1800. Or, request an appointment online.