Chiropractic can improve a person’s flexibility, balance and coordination. It can also improve joint proprioception and body symmetry, which are important for peak performance in sports.
Physiotherapy is the physical treatment of injuries and illnesses that promotes recovery through exercise and manual therapy. It can help reduce the need for surgery and medication.
Whether you’re tackling an opposing team’s linebacker in football, hitting a home run in baseball or racing to cross the finish line first in a marathon, it’s essential that your body is well-conditioned to perform optimally. That’s why many athletes rely on chiropractor in Balwyn North to keep their bodies in peak condition and to recover from sports injuries.
Chiropractic is a non-invasive, hands-on healthcare discipline that focuses on the neuromusculoskeletal system. Its practitioners use a wide range of techniques, including manual manipulation of the spine and joints, to alleviate pain and improve health without the need for medications or surgeries.
Physiotherapy, on the other hand, treats the entire body through a variety of techniques, including massage, manual therapy and exercises. It also aims to prevent future injuries and pain by addressing imbalances in the musculoskeletal support system. Physiotherapy can also help relieve pain and stiffness from existing sports injuries, such as pulled muscles or sprained ankles. A combination of physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathy Balwyn North practices has some exceptional benefits for athletes. This article will take a closer look at how these two disciplines work together to promote recovery from sports injury.
1. Spinal Alignment
Spinal alignment is one of the most important aspects of your health and well-being. If your spine is misaligned, it can cause many problems with the rest of your body. You may have trouble sleeping, find it harder to get up in the morning, or notice that your posture is off. Fortunately, chiropractors use methods like spinal adjustments and decompression therapy to ensure your spine is properly aligned.
If you have a good spine alignment, it will allow your nervous and muscular system to function correctly without interference. This will reduce your pain, improve your posture, and prevent many issues that can arise from poor posture or spinal imbalances.
Physiotherapy and chiropractic are similar in some ways, but they focus on different areas of the body. Physiotherapy uses exercises and other techniques to treat neuromusculoskeletal conditions, while chiropractors use manual manipulation of the musculoskeletal system. This can include the spine, pelvis, muscles, and joints. They also have different treatment approaches and methodologies, including the use of acupuncture, massages, and ice packs. However, both professionals aim to improve a patient’s quality of life by treating chronic pain and stiffness.
2. Muscle Strengthening
While chiropractic focuses on manipulating and adjusting the spine and other joints in order to improve movement, physiotherapy aims to improve your overall flexibility and quality of life. This is accomplished through a wide variety of techniques and exercises. These include stretches, massages, electrical therapies and exercise.
Muscle-strengthening activities build muscle strength by forcing the muscles to work against an applied force, such as resistance training and lifting weights, or against their own body weight (climbing stairs, doing pushups). These activities can also be bone-strengthening, since your bones are strengthened when they are pushed against by your muscles.
Ideally, muscle-strengthening activities should be performed on 2 or more days per week. When performing these exercises, they should be done to the point that it becomes difficult to complete another repetition without pauses for breath.
Physiotherapy has a greater body of research supporting its practices and aims to improve your quality of life through a range of physical treatments. GP and consultant referrals account for a large proportion of referrals to physiotherapy Balwyn North. Chiropractors, on the other hand, have a lesser body of evidence behind their manipulation and adjustments.
3. Reducing Inflammation
Both physiotherapy and chiropractic may reduce inflammation in your body after an accident. Physiotherapy can teach you exercises that improve movement and flexibility while strengthening weak muscles and improving range of motion to prevent further injury. A physiotherapist can also give you tips about getting enough sleep to help keep your immune system strong and lower stress levels to reduce your body’s inflammatory response.
Inflammation is your body’s natural defense mechanism that can help you fight off infections and heal from injuries. But chronic inflammation can cause pain, loss of mobility and even a swollen appearance. A chiropractor can help relieve the symptoms of inflammation by manually adjusting your spine and restoring alignment. This may release natural anti-inflammatory cytokines. They can also use tools like a TENS unit or ultrasound to stimulate nerves and muscles with a low electrical current to reduce the swelling caused by soft tissue injury.
Chiropractors have more than 150 techniques at their disposal that they can use to adjust your joints and muscles. They can also reduce inflammation with spinal manipulation and flexion distraction to correct poor posture, which is linked to many health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and depression.
4. Prevention
When you are an athlete, getting injured can ruin your entire season and make it difficult to return to the sport you love. Fortunately, chiropractic care can help prevent future injuries and illnesses by addressing biomechanical imbalances that may cause injury. For example, if you have more strength on one side of your body, manual adjustments can improve the balance and get rid of any built-up tension.
In addition, chiropractic treatments reduce inflammation by increasing blood flow to the affected area. This provides white blood cells, oxygen and nutrients that are essential for healing. Inflammation also causes pain and stiffness, which can be relieved with massage, electrical stimulation and ultrasound therapy.
Ultimately, both physiotherapy and chiropractic can provide effective pain relief. However, if you are looking to heal quickly and improve your overall health, chiropractic is the better option for you. Whether you are an avid runner or a competitive sportsperson, regular visits to the chiropractor can boost your performance and help you recover from injuries faster. For this reason, many professional and college sports teams have chiropractors on staff to help their athletes get back on the field quicker.