Proper healthcare for a young football player is vital to their success. Of course, parents want to keep their children healthy, regardless of their age, so a little preemptive care can make a big difference in their performance. As parents of athletes, having an injured child can be heart-wrenching because there isn’t much they can do to stop the child’s pain besides giving them some anti-inflammatory drugs. However, one thing a parent can do is make sure that their child, regardless of age, is healthy and strong enough to play football. That includes having their spine and neck checked before and after they play.
If you have a child that is playing football or has been injured from playing football, depending on their condition, a chiropractor may be able to help them recover from their injury. Call your local chiropractor to schedule an appointment today.
Some of the most commonly used parts of the body used in football are the head and shoulders. Players use their heads and shoulders as part of the tackle or to fend off other players trying to tackle them. Unfortunately, the consequences of using the head too much can be that a player can suffer from a neck injury or a concussion. According to the US National Library for Medicine, National Institution of Health, there are more than 300,000 sports-related injuries that result in a concussion diagnosis per year (www.ncbi.nih.gov, 2013). Furthermore, the shoulders can also be impacted from a head or neck injury. The pressure and stress from the injury seems to run down the spine and extend into the shoulders, causing fatigue and pain in the muscles.
When it comes to head and neck injuries, a chiropractor is often the first medical professional to examine a patient with concussive symptoms similar to those who have been involved in auto accidents. Injuries to the cervical spine and head are very particular and require a delicately light hand. However, not everybody is a good candidate for chiropractic care, and it is not a cure for any major injury. Still, chiropractic treatment can allow the central nervous system and the nerves that extend from the spine to flow freely, allowing the body to communicate clearly with other parts of the body.
Although football players wear pads to protect them from injury, for younger children, their little bodies will still absorb a tremendous amount of pressure from the impact of a hit. A very painful injury in football is produced by getting speared in the back by another player. This happens quite often in youth football leagues. Spearing is when the one player, like a quarterback, is facing one direction, and an opposing player comes from being and plants his helmet into the back of the quarterback in an attempt to tackle him. The resulting injury from that type of hit can result in a broken rib, dislocated rib, or bruised muscles among other injuries. Although, quarterbacks are the most vulnerable in the game, all players can be injured in a similar way.
Other injuries that players can experience from playing football include:
- Knee injuries
- Ankle sprains
- Shoulder injuries
- Spine injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back pain
- Hip injuries
A chiropractor is skilled in helping the body maintain an optimal level of function, so people (in this case football players) can perform at a maximum level daily. Chiropractors are particularly trained in body maintenance, which means that they can utilize their experience to effectively reduce soreness and stiffness, depending on the condition of the patient’s body.
Additionally, a chiropractic adjustment has produced significant results in many athletes—both professional and youth players—such as helping improve mobility by minimizing or, in some cases, eliminating pain and increasing flexibility through specific adjustments. As alternative medicine, chiropractic care may even be able to help increase endurance and strengthen the body by allowing the nerves to flow freely to the muscles and other tissues.
If you have a child that is playing football or has been injured from playing football, a chiropractor may be able to help them recover from their injury or maintain their strength during games, depending on their condition. Call your local chiropractor to schedule an appointment today.
