How To Prevent Sports Injuries In Teenagers & Adults

As your Illinois chiropractic professionals at Major Chiropractic, we believe it takes an athlete to treat an athlete

We are exactly that at Major Chiropractic. Led by Dr. Steven Major, we offer chiropractic services, rehab and sports medicine services, athletic injury prevention, and much more. In today’s blog, we’ll be honing on the latter of those three services — how can you prevent sports injuries? 

Too often, folks turn to a sports medicine clinic like ours only after an injury has occurred. And, as most athletes who have experienced the thralls of rehabilitation can attest, for every week of training an athlete misses, it typically takes twice as many to catch up!

Hence, the importance of preventative sports medicine and athletic injury prevention in teenagers and young athletes make themselves clear. The key is, don’t miss training! 

In the following article, we’ll go beyond surface-level tips you might be expecting, like “make sure you stretch!” or “eat and sleep well!” While such basic measures are, of course, necessary, we want to take a deeper dive. So let’s go!

Athletic Injury Prevention Tips

  • Warming Up – Warming up (and cooling down) is so much more than mere stretching. Simply put, the body has to be prepared for performance before it can perform safely. “Cold muscles are hurt muscles,” it’s been said, which is why we’d always recommend beginning physical activity with at least a 15-minute warm-up that includes both stretching and dynamic movements. 
  • Functional Training – Too often people think about training in static ways. It’s easy to get too invested in just one thing, whether it’s free weight training or running long distances. And while such ventures are not problematic in and of themselves, it’s important to establish a balance between strength, biomechanics (how our bones interact while performing a movement), and flexibility if you want to be fit and firing in your sport of choice. Functional training is about ensuring you perform dynamic exercises tailored to the movements of the sports in which you compete, leading to improved stability, strength, endurance, and performance. 
  • Consistent Conditioning – As mentioned above, one week without training takes two weeks to get back to your previous level. Serious athletes should never let their fitness levels drop too far, even in the offseason for their particular sport. Keeping your conditioning levels up helps prevent injury in addition to ensuring performance levels remain high. That said, rest and recovery are vital for everyone. 

How Major Chiropractic Fits In

Dr. Major understands that athletics are becoming more and more complex and competitive. From the top down in competitive sports, data analysis, tactics, and training have changed the needs of the modern athlete. 

Whether they are children, teenagers, or adults, Dr. Major and the rest of our staff at Major Chiropractic have treated and trained a significant number of high school, collegiate, elite amateur, and professional athletes. 

No matter your age, sport, or medical history, injury prevention is vital for everyone. It’s no secret that suffering an injury would dramatically impact the quality of life of someone who is active, whether they are just wanting to stay fit or train for the Boston Marathon. We’ll work with you on an individualized basis to provide you with everything you’ll need to remain in great shape and physical health. 

Reach out to us today to schedule a free consultation at Major Chiropractic in Wheaton!