Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Injuries Answered By Your Little Rock Chiropractor
Whether you’re a professional, an avid amateur player or a weekend warrior, you always face the risk of a sports injury. It’s important to receive early treatment to get you back in the game. Dr. Courtney Carmack offers chiropractic sports injury treatment in Little Rock, AR.
What Are Some Common Sports Injuries?
A sports injury can occur in any part of the body. However, some sports are more likely to cause a particular type of injury. Football and basketball players are prone to knee injuries from twisting. Any contact sport can result in a head injury from a fall. Baseball players – especially pitchers – are prone to repetitive injury of the shoulder or elbow. Any sport in which the player repeats the same motion can cause a repetitive motion injury. Other common sports injuries include sprains, strains, and tendinitis.
What’s Included in Sports Injury Treatment?
It depends on the actual injury – a repetitive motion injury requires different care than a concussion, for example. Fractures must be splinted or put in a cast, while tendinitis usually needs anti-inflammatory treatment and rest. Common sports injury treatment includes rest, heat, cold, massage and gentle stretching. Laser therapy may be useful for older injuries and to help loosen adhesions in the tissue. You may need movement retraining so the way you move doesn’t make an injury worse or increase the risk of a future injury. Specific exercises can also help you regain your strength and decrease the risk of re-injury.
How Can Chiropractic Help a Sports Injury?
Most sports injuries have a musculoskeletal component, which is the chiropractor’s special area of expertise. An injury often results in a misalignment of one or more joints, as well as tight muscles, tendons, and ligaments. These typically respond to manual adjustments. Massage and laser can also help with muscle pain and tension. In addition, a chiropractor can recommend posture changes and a targeted exercise program to relieve the changes in your gait or movements that you make because of pain.
Is Sports Injury Treatment Lengthy or Expensive?
A number of factors go into sports injury treatment. Obviously, more severe injuries take longer to treat. While a fracture will typically take 6-8 weeks to heal, soft tissues heal at a slower rate depending on the severity. Not only do different tissues heal at different rates, but people also heal at different rates. This is an area where the younger athlete has an edge. Cost is usually based on the number of sessions and types of treatment involved in the individual recommendations. For example, the cost will vary depending on if you need additional therapies in addition to manual adjustments.
Contact Dr. Courtney Carmack, DC in Little Rock, AR Today!
Dr. Carmack offers a full range of chiropractic services, including treatment for sports injuries. Please contact our office at (501) 404-8910.