Introduction
Athletes push their bodies to the limit, and injuries are part of the game. But recovery is what keeps athletes on the field. That’s where chiropractic care makes a difference.
Many athletes are turning to our chiropractors to speed up recovery, improve overall performance, and prevent future injuries.
Dr. Jeremy Coffey, who is part of our chiropractic team, explains, “Chiropractic care is meant to increase motion, increase stability, and decrease tightness, irritation, and inflammation that often accompany sports injuries.”
This article explores chiropractic care and its holistic approach through the expertise of Dr. Coffey, a leading chiropractor at Western Reserve Hospital. What Are the Most Common Sports-Related
Injuries Treated With Chiropractic Care?
Athletes deal with all kinds of injuries, but some are more common than others. Chiropractors frequently treat:
- Spinal issues. These include sprains and strains in the neck, lower back, and middle back. They limit mobility and cause persistent discomfort, such as neck pain.
- Traumatic injuries to the musculoskeletal system. These include sprains, strains, and muscle tears, all of which limit mobility and sideline a player.
- Chronic conditions. These include overuse injuries like bursitis, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, and knee injuries like jumper’s knee. These develop over time, cause inflammation and discomfort, and worsen without a proper treatment plan.
How Chiropractic Care Helps Athletes Recover From Sports Injuries
The body's recovery process requires more than rest and medication. Chiropractic care offers safe treatment that addresses the root causes of sports injuries while promoting a faster healing process.
It restores proper movement, reduces inflammation, and works alongside other medical treatments (such as pain medication) to help athletes recover faster. Here are more details:
1. Restores Joint Mobility and Stability
After an injury, restricted movement slows healing and creates imbalances. When one joint malfunctions, others compensate, increasing stress and injury risk.
Chiropractic adjustments restore joint motion, improving flexibility and movement. Dr. Coffey explains that proper movement reduces strain on muscles and joints. Ignoring misalignment prolongs recovery, while chiropractic care restores stability, prevents complications, and aids peak performance.
Beyond recovery, proper joint function enhances biomechanical efficiency and neuromuscular control, giving athletes a performance edge.
In fact, research suggests that chiropractic care corrects imbalances and optimizes motion. This increases competitiveness. In addition, fewer injuries and better movement mechanics contribute to longer careers and better overall health after retirement.
2. Reduces Inflammation and Swelling To Provide Pain Relief
Inflammation is the body's natural response to injury. But when it lingers too long, it slows down healing and increases discomfort.
Chiropractic care helps regulate this response through targeted adjustments and soft tissue therapy. This improves circulation and reduces pressure on affected areas, which means faster recovery.
Soft tissue therapy is also effective at managing inflammation-related injuries. Techniques like myofascial release and active release therapy, which are types of chiropractic care, target tight and irritated muscles, which impact joint function and mobility. This helps athletes struggling with chronic conditions like plantar fasciitis, bursitis, and tendonitis.
3. Complements Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Care
“Chiropractic care works hand in hand with other sports medicine treatments to improve recovery and get athletes back to their sport,” says Dr. Coffey.
- Chiropractors focus on restoring joint mobility and easing muscle tightness, which helps the body move properly.
- Physical therapists take that progress and work to strengthen and stabilize the muscles, which helps prevent future injuries.
- Orthopedic specialists step in when needed to manage pain and reduce inflammation — sometimes using medications or surgery.
Chiropractic care doesn’t replace these other treatments — it works alongside them. Since it improves mobility first, chiropractic adjustments help physical therapy achieve better results. If orthopedic care is part of the plan, it adds another layer of support for pain and inflammation.
When taken together, these methods create a complete recovery plan that helps athletes heal effectively and get back to their best.
The Role of Spinal and Joint Alignment in Recovery and Injury Prevention
When the body moves correctly, muscles and joints work together, efficiently absorbing force and reducing stress.
Misalignment disrupts this balance, causing compensation that weakens some muscles, overstresses others, and raises injury risk. Chiropractic care restores alignment, improving movement and reducing strain. Targeted techniques correct spinal and joint misalignments, preventing injury and supporting recovery.
For example, spinal adjustments address restricted motion, tenderness, and tension, restoring range of motion. Research suggests adjustments influence brain areas controlling pain, such as the insular and anterior cingulate cortex, reducing discomfort and aiding chronic pain management.
Chiropractic Techniques and Injury Prevention Strategies
Let’s look at the different types of techniques used to improve, restore, and prevent injuries:
Soft Tissue Therapy and Its Role in Sports Injury Recovery
Dr. Coffey explains that nearly every sports injury has a muscular component. Joint dysfunction doesn’t happen in isolation. Muscles surrounding the injury site become tight, irritated, or inflamed, affecting movement and recovery.
Soft tissue therapy helps break down any restrictions, improve circulation, and restore flexibility. Here are soft tissue techniques that help improve movement:
- Myofascial release therapy. Targets tight fascia (the connective tissue around muscles) to relieve pain, improve blood flow, and restore flexibility.
- Active release therapy (ART). Breaks up scar tissue and adhesions that develop from overuse injuries, allowing muscles to move freely.
- Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM). Uses specialized tools to stimulate healing, break down fibrosis, and improve muscle elasticity.
How Regular Chiropractic Adjustments Help Prevent Future Injuries
Athletes rely on their bodies to perform at a high level, but intense physical activity creates imbalances that increase the risk of injury.
While these small changes may not cause immediate discomfort, they place uneven stress on the body over time and lead to strain and long-term pain.For instance, when joint misalignment persists,
irritation in surrounding tissues can worsen, causing tendinitis and bursitis. Chiropractic care helps manage inflammation before it becomes a long-term issue and reduces the chances of developing overuse injuries.
Chiropractic adjustments also restore normal joint function, allowing the body to move as a single, coordinated system. Dr. Coffey explains that when joints and muscles function properly, the risk of injury decreases. Regular chiropractic care ensures that each part of the body moves as it should.
Chiropractic Care for Athletic Performance Optimization
Chiropractic care helps athletes move better, feel less soreness, and train without restriction. When joints and muscles work as they should, the body generates more power, stays balanced, and recovers faster after physical exertion.
However, misalignments or tight muscles can limit movement, weaken coordination, and create unnecessary strain. These don’t have to be isolated or small. In fact, according to Dr. Coffey, some athletes don’t have a specific injury but still feel off in their performance.
Chiropractic care corrects these issues and helps athletes feel stronger and more controlled during competition. For instance, a study on judo athletes found that after cervical spine manipulation, grip strength increased. For combat sports, a stronger grip makes it easier to hold and control an opponent, leading to better performance.
Training also demands a lot from the body, and without proper recovery, muscles stay tight, joints lose flexibility, and inflammation builds up. Chiropractic care reduces stiffness, improves circulation, and keeps joints moving as they should.
Instead of feeling sluggish after intense exercise, athletes regain strength and mobility faster, allowing them to stay competitive and train at full capacity.
Recommended Stretches and Exercises for Injury Recovery and Prevention
Stretching, mobility exercises, and muscle release techniques keep the body flexible, reduce tension, and prevent future injuries. Dr. Coffey explains that these techniques work alongside chiropractic care to support long-term healing.
Here are some tools and exercises he recommends:
- Foam rolling and massage guns. These help loosen tight muscles, improve blood flow, and reduce soreness after training or competition.
- Muscle release with household items. A baseball, a rolling pin, or even a can of green beans can provide deep pressure to release knots and relieve muscle tension.
- Yoga for flexibility and core strength. It increases the range of motion, builds stability, and helps prevent stiffness that can lead to injury.
Differences in Treatment for High-Impact vs. Low-Impact Sports
Dr. Coffey explains that different sports create different injury patterns. “Football players deal with more traumatic injuries, while golfers experience chronic overuse injuries.” This means the demands of a sport influence the types of injuries athletes experience.
High-impact sports like football and wrestling involve forceful collisions, sudden directional changes, and intense physical contact. These cause traumatic injuries like meniscus tears, ligament sprains, and fractures.
Low-impact sports like golf and swimming place less stress on the body at any given moment. But they lead to long-term overuse injuries, such as tennis elbow, swimmer’s shoulder, and plantar fasciitis.
Chiropractic care is adaptable to both. The treatment approach remains similar across all sports, but the nature of the injury determines the focus of care:
- High-impact sports. Chiropractic care helps restore joint mobility, reduce inflammation, and promote healing after sprains or strains. Adjustments and soft tissue therapy further reduce muscle tightness.
- Low-impact sports. Chiropractors focus on breaking up scar tissue, restoring flexibility, and correcting imbalances that lead to long-term pain. This is done through adjustments, soft tissue therapy, and mobility exercises.
Sports Chiropractor Care for Different Athlete Levels — Youth, Amateur, and Professional
When asked how chiropractic treatment differs across athlete levels, Dr. Coffey explained, “I’ve worked with athletes at all levels — youth, amateur, and professional. The care itself is fairly consistent across all levels. However, injury types and performance optimization needs can vary.”
Here’s what care looks like for different types of athletes:
Youth Athletes
Youth athletes experience rapid growth that can lead to imbalances. While they may not feel pain immediately, movement compensations from growth spurts or improper mechanics can cause long-term problems.
Regular chiropractic care ensures proper movement and stability as they develop. That was the case with a youth football player the doctor treated. “I treated a youth football player with back pain from a knee surgery compensation,” Dr. Coffey recalls. “With chiropractic and physical therapy, he returned to full play."
Amateur Athletes
This group faces the highest rate of preventable injuries, often due to inconsistent training, improper recovery, and overuse. Without professional-level medical support, amateurs are more likely to push through pain or ignore early signs of strain.
Chiropractic care corrects imbalances, relieves muscle tightness, and helps prevent chronic injuries.
Professional Athletes
Youth or amateur athletes often seek care reactively. Professionals integrate chiropractic care as part of their ongoing performance strategy. The approach shifts from being treatment-focused to a proactive maintenance model.
In other words, the focus becomes less on fixing acute problems. Instead, chiropractic care focuses more on maintaining optimal biomechanics and accelerating recovery between intense training blocks or competitions.
The Rise of Pickleball Injuries — A Surprising Trend
Pickleball may seem gentler on the body compared to high-contact sports. But the quick lateral movements, sudden stops, and repetitive motions increase the risks of having:
- Achilles tendon strains
- Lower back pain
- Hip issues
These injuries are common in middle-aged players with pre-existing mobility issues, tight muscles, or minor misalignments that previously caused no problems.
Pickleball’s rapid movements and sudden direction changes strain joints and muscles, worsening underlying issues. Inefficient movement forces certain muscles to compensate, leading to strain and overuse injuries.Chiropractic care prevents and aids recovery by improving joint mobility and
reducing stiffness, easing sudden movements and preventing strain on areas like the lower back or Achilles tendon.
Dr. Coffey recalls treating a pickleball player with sharp hip pain: “After a few adjustments, he competed pain-free.” Restoring movement mechanics helps athletes stay in the game.
Advancements in Chiropractic Care for Sports Injuries
When athletes are injured, their bodies form scar tissue to protect damaged muscles and tendons. But too much scar tissue stiffens joints, restricts movement, and increases the risk of reinjury.
Chiropractors use new techniques to break down scar tissue and improve circulation. Methods like myofascial release and active release therapy help restore muscle flexibility.They’ve also focused
more on functional taping techniques like kinesiology and athletic taping to support injured joints and muscles. These techniques provide stability while allowing movement, reduce swelling through improved lymphatic drainage, and increase proprioception. Increased proprioception helps athletes stay aware of their body mechanics to avoid further injury.
The days of working in isolation are also coming to an end. Chiropractors are now working more closely with orthopedists and physical therapists to create detailed recovery plans. Dr. Coffey believes that “When different specialties work together, we create the best recovery plan for athletes.”
Experience the Benefits of Chiropractic Care at Western Reserve Hospital
As an athlete, you are always looking for ways to improve performance and stay in peak condition. Chiropractic care provides a natural, non-invasive way to correct muscle imbalances, restore mobility, and speed up recovery. All without relying on medication or surgery.
Your chiropractor also helps reduce inflammation, prevent future issues, and keep you training at your best. This means you can recover from strains faster and keep performance up long-term.
Dr. Jeremy Coffey sums it up best: “Chiropractic care has little downside and can be a game-changer for recovery and performance.”
If you’re looking to train harder, recover faster, and compete at your highest level, our 100% patient-centered chiropractic care at Western Reserve Hospital will help you get there. Schedule a consultation today.