Sports Injuries
Homberg Chiropractic uses a multitude of therapies including laser, e-stim, ultrasound, manual muscle release, vibration plates, adjustments of the spine (and any non-spinal joints that may be effected, as well) to treat sports injuries and help athletes recover quickly.
Treatments for Sports Injuries in Knoxville
Living an active lifestyle and engaging in your favorite sports is a great way to stay healthy and strong well into your later years. On the flip side, however, athletes of all kinds run the risk of injury from overuse, accidents, and mishaps. This is true for kids on their local soccer teams to elite Olympic athletes, weekend warriors, and folks just trying to get into better shape by hitting the gym a few times a week.
Athletes “in the know” rely on chiropractic care to help them quickly recover from sports injuries, perform at their peak abilities, and even prevent injuries from happening in the first place. In fact, big names such as Emmitt Smith, Tiger Woods, Jerry Rice, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Sydney Crosby, Carl Lewis, and so many others have publicly extolled the virtues of the sports injury chiropractor in their lives for years.
Types of Sports Injuries in Chiropractic Clinics
Our very own Knoxville sports injury chiropractor Dr. Hennie has been honored to work with elite Olympic athletes, professional football and hockey players (current and retired), college athletes, high school athletes, and athletes in a wide variety of sports from soccer, tennis, and cheerleading, to dance, golf, and track, and everything in between. He regularly treats and helps athletes resolve sports injuries to the knees, shoulders, neck, arms, back, ankles, wrists, elbows, and more. Some of the most common sports injuries chiropractic care can help with include (but are not limited to):
Sprains and Strains
Although some people use these terms interchangeably, they are different, yet very common sports injuries:
A sprain involves over-stretching or tearing of ligaments, which commonly occur in joints like knees, ankles, elbows, and wrists. Sprains cause pain, bruising, and swelling in the affected area, and can significantly limit mobility in the affected joint.
A strain involves torn or overextended muscles or tendons. Tendons link bones and muscles, so athletes commonly experience strains in larger areas like the back, legs, or arms. Again, pain and inflammation limit mobility and often cause swelling and muscle spasms too.
Knee Injuries
Sports injury chiropractors like Dr. Hennie note that almost 50 percent of sports injuries happen to the knee, which is one of the hardest-working joints in the body. Because the knee is a complex joint, it is susceptible to several types of injuries, including (but not limited to) the following:
ACL injuries are incredibly common. ACL stands for “anterior cruciate ligament” and it’s key to keeping your knee bones stable and connected properly. ACL injuries can occur when sudden twists, turns, stretches, or jumps damage or even tear the ligament. Basketball, soccer, football, tennis, and track athletes, not to mention dancers in all disciplines, from ballet to modern dance often run into ACL problems.
Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) Injuries are another common sports injury that often occurs when the knee is bent and some sort of hard contact occurs.
Meniscus tears are yet another common knee injury that often occurs during pivoting, turning, and twisting activities in many sports.
Shoulder Injuries
Swimmers, tennis players, golfers, football players, and so many others experience shoulder sports injuries too. Just a few of the most common our sports injury chiropractor treats include:
Rotator cuff injuries are very common in athletes and can damage their range of motion and cause significant pain and stiffness for athletes who use their shoulders a lot (tennis players, dancers, baseball players, basketball players, etc.)
SLAP tears (short for “superior labral tear from anterior to posterior”) usually involve repetitive overhead motions like those in swimming, baseball, basketball, etc., but can afflict many other athletes as well.
Shoulder dislocations are also common for athletes, especially when they suffer sudden trauma to the shoulder. A shoulder dislocation (subluxation) is painful and comes with difficult movement, swelling, and bruising.
Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis) involve different sides of the elbow joint and can cause a lot of pain and difficulty moving. These injuries are both related to overuse and overloading of the elbow joint tissues and can spread down the arm into the wrist as well.
Shin Splints
The bane of runners everywhere, shin splints are painful overuse sports injuries that can come with too much activity on hard surfaces or when shoes are wearing out and unsupportive.
Of course, this is just a brief list of some of the most common sports injuries our Knoxville chiropractor treats. Ankle, wrist, neck, and back injuries in athletes are also very common, and Dr. Hennie has successfully treated them all so his patients could get back to activity as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Ankle and Foot Sprains
Ankle and feet injuries are some of the most common types of sports injuries - particularly ankle sprains. Typically a patient will go to their primary care physician and an x-ray will be done to determine if there is evidence of any breaks or fractures. The physician will usually have the patient wait two to four weeks for pain and swelling to subside. An ankle sprain that is not treated well can result in biometrical issues, limiting mobility in the foot and ankle, and can cause chronic pain that will come and go.
Chiropractic care can be a great avenue for treatment as with sprains foot bones generally come out of alignment. Chiropractic adjustments are extremely effective at treating and preventing ankle pain.
How Chiropractic Clinics Can Help Sports Injuries
Statistics show that, on average, 8.6 million sports injuries are reported every year in the United States. With so many injured athletes every year, it’s critically important for them to pursue effective, drug-free treatment for sports injuries. Forbes reported that adolescent athletes are particularly susceptible to getting hooked on opioid painkillers after a sports injury. Fortunately, chiropractic care for sports injuries gives all athletes a safe, effective, drug-free pain relief alternative that will help them get back into activity and even help prevent future injuries naturally.
Here at Homberg Chiropractic and Wellness, in particular, Dr. Hennie uses a wide range of science-based sports injury treatment options that help athletes heal, recover, and get back on the field or in the gym as soon as possible. These sports injury treatment modalities include skillful chiropractic spinal adjustments, joint adjustments, laser therapy for accelerating soft tissue healing, manual muscle release therapy, vibration plates, ultrasound, e-stim, and other holistic therapies that stimulate and accelerate the body’s natural healing mechanisms.
What’s more, Dr. Hennie helps athletes incorporate therapeutic exercise into their recovery program, which helps improve their overall workout form and accelerates healing. For many athletes recovering from injury, low-impact exercises in the water can help them maintain muscle mass and cardiovascular strength while allowing sore joints the rest they need to fully heal.
Sports Injury Prevention
One of the most important aspects of chiropractic care for sports injuries includes coming up with techniques and posture improvements that can help athletes avoid injury in the first place. Dr. Hennie includes ergonomics and posture training for athletes that can significantly reduce the incidence of common overuse injuries, while also helping athletes avoid common traumatic injuries as well. Regular chiropractic spinal adjustments can help athletes naturally maintain correct form and core stability, all of which help them improve their performance while protecting themselves from injury.
Visit the Sports Injury Chiropractor Knoxville Athletes Trust
If you or any member of your family is struggling with a sports injury, schedule an appointment with Knoxville’s premier sports injury chiropractor at Homberg Chiropractic and Wellness today! Dr. Hennie will take the time to get to know you, understand your needs, your athletic goals, and your injury, and then design a personalized, drug-free pain relief and recovery plan that will help you get back to your favorite sport as soon as possible. We offer same day appointments so you can get back to feeling well in the shortest amount of time possible. We look forward to hearing from you! And if you have any questions, just call us at 865.679.2225.