Tips To Avoid Preventable Injuries For Athletes

Before COVID-19, it would probably come as no surprise to learn that more American children and teens are participating in athletics than ever before. At Major Chiropractic in Wheaton, we not only treat athletic injuries in children, teens, and adults, but also offer support to help avoid preventable injuries. 

For most people, rehabilitation comes to mind when one thinks of a sports medicine clinic, yet we believe that proactively avoiding injuries in the first place is a key element of sports medicine which often goes overlooked. 

In today’s blog, we’ll offer up a few sports injury prevention tips before highlighting our approach at Major Chiropractic. Let’s dive in!

Tips To Prevent Athletic Injury

  • Wear correct equipment – Depending on the sport you play, athletes of all ages should be sure to wear appropriate (and correctly fitted) gear for the sport at hand. This could include pads, face guards, eyewear, helmets, mouthpieces, and more. 
  • Increase flexibility – For adults in particular (but for athletes of all ages), stretching exercises before and after athletic activity can help prevent injury. 
  • Strengthen muscles – Strength conditioning exercises should be incorporated into practices to build fitness and muscular strength in the areas of focus. 
  • Avoid fatigue by resting – Everyone needs a day off, so take at least one day of rest each week. We’d also recommend consulting a sports medicine professional about taking more time off — up to a month each year.
  • Use the correct technique – This principle is often focused on during weight training, but it should be heeded no matter the athletic event. Experienced and knowledgeable coaches should always stress the use of proper technique while performing sports such as swimming, football, baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, and many others. 
  • Never play through pain – While we shouldn’t have to press this point, there is the perception that playing through pain is what elite athletes do. This can shorten careers and lead to significant issues, so pay attention to what your body is telling you. 
  • Play the game safely – At the end of the day, sports are just a game. It’s never appropriate to endanger yourself, teammates, or opponents. Know the rules, and abide by them. 
  • Be in physical shape – It takes time to get into the right physical condition before you can go 100%. Weekend warriors beware, work your way into shape, or you may put yourself at an increased risk of injury.  

What Sets Major Chiropractic Apart

Major Chiropractic And Wellness is your sports medicine clinic of choice in Wheaton, IL. We are the top-rated Chiropractic and Sports Medicine clinic in Wheaton for good reason — we offer functional rehabilitation, focusing on treating the area of dysfunction rather than the area of pain. Instead of focusing on what hurts, we diagnose and treat what is causing the hurt. 

“It takes an athlete to treat an athlete.” – Dr. Steven Major

When our treatment utilizes positions and activities which mimic the athletic activities we are aiming to perform, we are able to rehabilitate more effectively. Utilizing Dr. Major’s expert opinion that high-performance athletes are better equipped to address the needs of today’s athlete, we can both prevent and treat athletic injuries like few other sports medicine clinics. 

Dr. Major, along with our entire staff at Major Chiropractic, is committed to superior health and wellness for each patient who walks through our doors. If you are interested in discovering health in a whole new way, reach out to us at your convenience! We’d love to hear from you. Schedule a visit today.