Chronic pain can challenge a person’s physical comfort and well-being. For athletes, a sports injury can pull them off of the field for a season or longer. To avoid sustaining an athletic injury, it is pivotal that active persons take the necessary preventative precautions.

3 Ways to Avoid a Sports Injury

1. Warm Up & Cool Down

With 8.6 million recreational and sports injuries reported every year, it is crucial that athletes slowly warm up their muscles before exercising. For optimal mobility, an athlete should stretch for 5-10 minutes before engaging in strenuous physical activity. With blood flowing throughout the body and muscle fibers sufficiently stretched, a person can avert pulling or straining a muscle.

It is equally important to give the body ample time to cool down after working out. By simply walking or stretching, athletes can slow down their heart rate, replenish their muscles with nutrients, and restore oxygen to their lungs. Cooling down can also promote muscle recovery and reduce muscle stiffness.

2. Perform Like a Pro

Wearing protective clothing, using quality equipment, and practicing proper techniques are pivotal to preventing a sports injury. Shin pads, gloves, and helmets are necessary for safeguarding your body from impact. Properly fitting footwear support your feet, ankles, and spine. Practicing proper techniques can decrease chances of sports injuries such as bone breakage, tennis elbow, hamstring strain, and ALC tear.

3. Visit the Chiropractor

Although many athletes do not visit the chiropractor until they experience back, neck, or some other kind of localized pain, chiropractic care is essential to preventing sprains, joint inflammation, fractures, and hypertension. When the spine becomes misaligned through strained movement, vertebral subluxations can irritate the nervous system and result in agonizing pain. Routine adjustments can decrease the chances of a sports injury by improving blood circulation and range of motion.

Quality chiropractic care can not only help you avoid a sports injury, but it can also equip you with the strength and flexibility you need to excel on and off the field. From their state-of-the-art office in Columbia, Illinois, Nobbe Chiropractic Clinic is committed to enhancing the lives of their patients through compassionate chiropractic adjustments, microcurrent therapy, spinal decompression, and cryotherapy. Call (618) 281-4000 and visit them online to learn how Dr. Todd and Dr. James Nobbe can prevent and treat any sports injury with efficiency and expertise.