Chiropractic is known for helping with ailments such as back pain or posture problems. But did you know it can greatly improve an athlete’s performance? We’ll tell you all about it.

1. Less pain and stiffness on joints

Every athlete needs to take special care of their joints, as many types of movements can result in inflammation. Runners, for example, can develop problems in their knees and even hips due to the repeated impact the feet take against the running track. Apart from getting the right equipment and training, practices such as receiving chiropractic treatment help prevent and heal injuries or chronic pain.

2. Improved strength, particularly grip strength

Martial artists will benefit form chiropractic in a way that most of us have probably never considered: better grip strength. When the body is in full alignment, the energy and strength needed for a certain task, movement or hit can be allocated exactly where it needs to.

3. Flexibility

Apart from the spine and other joints themselves, which are the areas chiropractors work on specifically, your body in general will be able to move more easily, without strain. This is because, again, energy is distributed the way it should, and there are no “obstructions” (misalignments) that would require an extra effort to function or prevent another part of the body from functioning correctly.

4. Stability through pelvic alignment

One of the areas chiropractors focus on is the pelvis. Most people have some sort of misalignment, as it happens with the spine. It’s not necessarily too much nor do we necessarily feel pain from it, but when adjusted, it makes a huge difference. When your pelvis is balanced, so are your movements and your standing posture, so you get extra stability and, of course, you become less tired.

5. Corrects postural imbalances

Similar to the above item, when a postural imbalance is corrected, the effort needed to do a certain movement or activity is reduced. This sort of imbalances can sometimes go unnoticed and cause pain in the long run, even in other parts of the body, as different kinds of efforts are done (unconsciously) in order to “compensate” for the imbalance. Chiropractic ensures that your posture is well balanced and so, that there is no strain anywhere in the body.

6. Reduced recovery times

Athletes need to be ready to perform at all times. But they need to recover too! Apart from aligning and balancing your body through spinal adjustments, experienced and specialised chiropractors such as OptiStart Chiropractic offer massage services as well, which are specific to the same aims as chiropractic itself, and can greatly help in those moments when you need to recover from pain or exhaustion.

7. Overall health

Exercise and sports are in themselves good for your health, both physical and mental. With chiropractic, you’ll notice that all the benefits from doing physical activities come quicker, last longer and do not come with any pain that could eventually happen if, as mentioned above, your body is not aligned. When your body is in full balance, it is able to heal itself better and is overall more resistant.