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Sports Injuries in Dulwich Hill

Man with knee painMany people only know chiropractors to address the back and neck—what they don’t often know is that our 5-year university degree has equipped us to deal with every joint in the body, from shoulders to toes. Chiropractors can also address sports injuries. That’s why most sporting teams have a resident chiropractor on hand. At My Back Relief Clinic, we provide sports chiropractic care to athletes of all ages.

Initial Injury Management

Anytime you have an acute injury that happens during playing sport or doing physical activity, the safest strategy to use is R.I.C.E.:

  • Rest—Stop doing the activity that caused the injury
  • Ice—Ice reduces any swelling/inflammation that may be causing pain. Heat will increase inflammation.
  • Compress—You can use the ice pack to compress the area to reduce blood supply.
  • Elevate—Reduce the swelling and get the fluid from the swollen area back to the heart. For example, if you sprained your ankle, lie down and elevate the ankle above chest height.

How Do Extremity Injuries Affect the Spine?

One concept that is sometimes new to people is that the body works as one. For example, joints such as the hips and the shoulder joints attach almost directly to and share many muscles with the spine. Therefore, when managing sports injuries, it is important to look at the patient as a whole and assess not only the joint that is in pain but the structures surrounding it.

Commonly, a single joint injury can cause adaptive changes in the body, which put stress on the surrounding joints. For example, a patient that has sprained their ankle compensates for the pain by limping around, which in turn can put extra pressure on the knees, hips and low back. Thus it is sometimes important during recovery after a sporting injury to address the joints and muscles above and below the injury site.

How Chiropractic Addresses Sports Injuries

As chiropractors, we are trained to adjust almost every joint in the body, be it in the spine, knee, hip, ankle, shoulder, elbow, wrist and even jaw. We are trained to stretch muscles and mobilise or adjust joints that have spasmed and stiffened from the injury. We also assess which muscles may need strengthening to rehabilitate the joints back to their pre-injury state. We look at the body as a whole and make sure we address any other joints that may have been indirectly affected by the injury.

Schedule Today

We start with a thorough examination and, if necessary, will refer you out for X-rays before beginning any care. Contact us today to schedule.
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Sports Injury Treatment Dulwich Hill, Inner West NSW | (02) 9560-0184