Keeping Young Athletes Healthy and Strong

In today’s age of health and fitness, more and more

kids are involved in sporting activities. Although being

part of a football, soccer or Little League team is an

important rite of passage for many children, parents

and their children could be overlooking the importance

of proper nutrition and body-conditioning needed for

preventing injuries on and off the playing field.

“The majority, if not all, sports are good, provided that

the child prepares appropriately,” says Dr. Timothy

Ray, a member of the American Chiropractic

Association’s Council on Sports Injuries and Physical

Fitness. “Without proper preparation, playing any sport

can turn into a bad experience. There are structural

and physical developmental issues that need to be

taken into consideration before children undertake certain

sports.”

Highly competitive sports such as football, gymnastics

and wrestling follow rigorous training schedules that

can be potentially dangerous to an adolescent or

teenager. The best advice for parents who have young

athletes in the family is to help them prepare their bodies

and to learn to protect themselves from sports

related injuries before they happen.

“Proper warm up, stretching and weight-lifting exercies

are essential for kids involved in sports, but many kids

learn improper stretching or weight-lifting techniques,

making them more susceptible to injury,” says Dr.

Steve Horwitz, an ACA member from Silver Spring,

Maryland, and former member of the U.S. Summer

Olympic medical team. “Parents need to work with

their kids and make sure they receive the proper sports

training.”

“Young athletes should begin with a slow jog as a general

warm-up, followed by a sport-specific warm-up.

“They should then stretch all the major muscle

groups,” says Dr. Horwitz. “Kids need to be instructed

in appropriate exercises for each sport to prevent

injuries.”

Proper nutrition and hydration are also extremely vital.

“While an ordinary person may need to drink eight to

10 8-ounce glasses of water each day, athletes need

to drink even more than that for proper absorption.

Breakfast should be the most important meal of the

day. Also, eating a healthy meal two to four hours

before a practice or a game and another within one to

two hours after a game or practice allows for proper

replenishment and refuels the body,” adds Dr. Horwitz.

 

Chiropractic Care Can Help!!

Doctors of chiropractic are trained and licensed to

treat the entire neuromusculoskeletal system and can

provide advice on sports training, nutrition and injury

prevention to young athletes

Getting Healthy and Pain Free with Chiropractic Care!!!

Get Healthy and Pain Free with Chiropractic

Adjustment (or manipulation) of a joint may result in the release of a

gas bubble between the joints, which makes a popping sound. The same

thing occurs when you “crack” your knuckles. The noise is caused by the

change of pressure within the joint, which results in gas bubbles being

released. There is usually minimal, if any, discomfort involved.

Why is there a

popping sound when
a joint is adjusted?

Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal

system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Doctors

of chiropractic—often referred to as DCs, chiropractors or chiropractic physicians—practice

a drug-free, hands-on approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis

and treatment. In addition to their expertise in spinal manipulation/adjustment, doctors of

chiropractic have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and

rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling.

What conditions do

chiropractors treat?

Doctors of chiropractic care for patients

of all ages, with a variety of health

conditions. DCs are especially well

known for their expertise in caring

for patients with back pain, neck

pain and headaches with their highly

skilled manipulations, or chiropractic

adjustments. They also care for patients

with a wide range of

injuries and disorders of the

musculoskeletal system,

involving the muscles,

ligaments and joints.

These painful conditions

often involve or impact

the nervous system, which

can cause referred pain

and dysfunction distant to the region

of injury. The benefits of chiropractic

care extend to general health issues, as

well, since our body structure affects

our overall function. DCs also counsel

patients on diet, nutrition,

exercise, healthy habits, and

occupational and lifestyle

modification.
 

How is a chiropractic

adjustment performed?

Chiropractic adjustment

or manipulation is a manual procedure

that utilizes the highly refined skills

developed during the

doctor of chiropractic’s

intensive years of

chiropractic education.

The chiropractic physician

typically uses his or her

hands—or an instrument—

to manipulate the joints

of the body, particularly

the spine, in order to restore or enhance

joint function. This often helps resolve

joint inflammation and reduces the

patient’s pain. Chiropractic manipulation

is a highly controlled procedure that

rarely causes discomfort.

The chiropractor adapts

the procedure to meet

the specific needs of each

patient. Patients often note

positive changes in their

symptoms immediately

following treatment.

 

Are the services provided by

doctors of chiropractic safe?

Chiropractic is widely

recognized as one of

the safest drug-free,

non-invasive therapies

available for the treatment

of neuromusculoskeletal

complaints. Although

chiropractic has an excellent

safety record, no health

treatment is completely free of potential

adverse effects. The risks associated with

chiropractic, however, are very small.

Many patients feel immediate relief

following chiropractic treatment, but

some may experience mild soreness or

aching.

 

 

  

Pain: Chiropractic Can Help

GET READY FOR THE WINTER BY AVOIDING INJURY!!!

WINTER ACTIVITIES: TIPS TO AVOID INJURY

When snow, ice and frigid weather blast into town,

watch out, says the American Chiropractic Association

(ACA). Winter recreational activities and chores can

pose problems for the outdoor enthusiast whose body

is not in condition. Winter sports like skating, skiing

and sledding can cause painful muscle spasms, strains

or tears if you’re not in shape. Even shoveling snow

the wrong way, clambering awkwardly over snow

banks, slipping on sidewalks and wearing the wrong

kinds of clothing can all pose the potential for spasms,

strains and sprains.

Simply walking outside in the freezing weather without

layers of warm clothing can intensify older joint problems

and cause a great deal of pain. As muscles and

blood vessels contract to conserve the body’s heat,

the blood supply to extremities is reduced. This lowers

the functional capacity of many muscles, particularly

among the physically unfit. Preparation for an outdoor

winter activity, including conditioning the areas of the

body that are most vulnerable, can help avoid injury

and costly health care bills.

“Simply put, warming up is essential,” says Olympic

speed skating gold and silver medalist Derek Parra. “In

fact, when pressed for time, it’s better to shorten the

length of your workout and keep a good warm-up than

to skip the warm-up and dive right into the workout.

Skipping your warm-up is the best way to get hurt.”

Parra, who took both the gold and silver medals during

the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, adds

that, “You can complete a good warm-up in 15-20

minutes. And believe me, it will make your workout

more pleasant and safe.”

Derek Parra and the ACA suggest that you start with

some light aerobic activity (jogging, biking, fast walking)

for about 7-10 minutes.

Then follow these tips to help you fight back the winter

weather:

 

Skiing — do 10 to 15 squats. Stand with your legs

shoulder width apart, knees aligned over your feet.

Slowly lower your buttocks as you bend your knees

over your feet. Stand up straight again.

 

Skating — do lunges. Take a moderately advanced

step with one foot. Let your back knee come down to

weather forecasts so you can rise early and

have time to shovel before work.

• Layer clothing to keep your muscles warm and

flexible.

• Shoveling can strain “de-conditioned” muscles

between your shoulders, in your upper back,

lower back, buttocks and legs. So, do some

warm-up stretching before you grab that shovel.

• When you do shovel, push the snow straight

ahead. Don’t try to throw it. Walk it to the snow

bank. Avoid sudden twisting and turning

motions.

• Bend your knees to lift when shoveling. Let the

muscles of your legs and arms do the work,

not your back.

• Take frequent rest breaks to take the strain off

your muscles. A fatigued body asks for injury.

• Stop if you feel chest pain, or get really tired or

have shortness of breath. You may need immediate

professional help.

After any of these activities, if you are sore, apply an ice bag to affected area for 20 minutes.

Then remove and repeat 2-3 times for the next day or two.
 This information has been reprinted with permission from

acatoday.com

A typical Day at Rangeline Chiropractic

Recently a high school student asked me what a typical day entailed as a chiropractor at Rangeline Chiropractic. This prompted me to write about my typical day as a chiropractor, leaving out the business aspect as an owner. Most patients are spinal injuries and chronic pain patients. I see about 40 patients per day ranging from 0-80 years old. A spinal adjustment re-aligns the spine and relieves pressure off the nerve or nerves involved. These nerves can cause pain, muscle tightness and organ problems. The adjustment takes only minutes once I've accessed the problem areas. After an adjustment the patient often sees my rehab specialist for electric muscle stimulation or exercises to strengthen the area. The whole time spent in the office is about 20 minutes. Most of my patients are seen one to three times per week depending on their severity. During the day I have new patients I see which require more time and a complete evaluation and necessary x-rays. Later that day I review the x-rays and determine causes of symptoms. The new patient will then make an appointment for the following day where we will go over the x-ray and exam findings and then begin care. During my two hour lunch break I run errands for supplies, meet with doctors, and enter patient information into our electronic health records. Being a chiropractor is hard work but with tremendous reward-pain free patients!