Sports Injury Treatment Santa Clara, CA


For the past few years, the number of individuals who seeks advice from health professionals regarding overall fitness is increasing dramatically. People of all ages are becoming more conscious about their overall health thus they are engaging in sports and exercise. Although physical activities can be very beneficial, improper movements can lead to injury.

Sports injuries obviously happen through sports and exercise. Like all other things in excess, too much physical activity can also be very harmful. Over and improper training, poor training practices, inappropriate use of sports equipment and accidents are some of the examples that can cause a sports injury.

Did you know that every one of the National and American Football League teams have a chiropractor?   And did you know that the head doctor for all the doctors for the American Olympic athletes is also a chiropractor?

There are two levels of sports injury: Acute and Chronic.

Acute injuries are those that occur suddenly like hyperextended muscles, sprained ankles, and twisted joints while doing the activity. Some of which may be mild, others severe.

On the other hand, chronic injuries are those that are older than 6 months and are caused by frequent overuse of muscles and joints; especially those that were once injured and left untreated.

Common Injuries

Injuries can happen to almost all parts of the body, but knees and ankles are the most common sites. Here are examples of the most common injuries we see:

  • Sprains and strains of muscles and joints
  • Knee injuries
  • Swollen muscles
  • Achilles tendon injuries
  • Tears of tendons and ligaments
  • Pain along the shin bone
  • Rotator Cuff injuries
  • Fractured bone
  • Dislocated joints

While these aforementioned injuries are considered Traumatic injuries, severe injuries in the human head, spine, and brain fall under Catastrophic injuries, and some of these are irreversible.

How can a Sports Injury Chiropractor help?

Chiropractic sports specialists focus mainly on providing prompt treatment and long-term rehabilitation to patients in order to enable them to resume competitive athletics. The sports injury is diagnosed first by the chiropractor by determining the history of activity that causes the pain along with physical examinations.  X-rays, MRIs, Diagnostic Ultrasounds are used to determine the severity of the injury in cases like sprains and strains. Chiropractic care is then used to loosen up stuck joints and restore muscles to their proper strength and tightness/looseness. This is done via manual or instrument adjustments to the joints, ands via various soft tissue techniques on the muscles. Some soft tissue technique examples include ART (Active Release Technique), Graston, stimulating the muscle spindles and/or the golgi tendon organ. Sometimes an unrelated muscle must be strengthened or loosened to stop the painful muscle from hurting.

Stabilizing devices, such as a cast, can be used for fractured bones after positioning the bone in their original placement, provided that the fracture doesn’t require surgical procedures. This would be done by an orthopedist.

After all of the above mentioned are met and the diagnosis is certain, rehabilitation will now begin. Here are some rehabilitation procedures used by Chiropractors:

Rest – Rest or immobilization plays an essential role in recovering from an injury as it ensures proper healing of damaged connective tissues and bones.

Hot and cold compression – this process can lessen the swelling of affected areas and can reduce pain as well as repair damaged tissues. Chiropractors consider the need for the treatment depending each patient’s case.

Joint manipulation – research has shown beneficial results in reducing pain and faster recovery on a case by case basis. Chiropractors will determine if the procedure is necessary or not.

Sports chiropractic and chiropractic rehabilitation have been in the loop for the past several years as they are widely used by professional athletes for improving their overall fitness.

Typical Recovery Time

Recovery depends mostly on the type of injury a patient suffers. The Chiropractor will be the one to guide the patient through the process and will determine if the patient can return to the activity. We feel the sooner the better once it’s safe, since long-term immobility may be harmful to the patient and can even delay recovery. Athletes who have been training for some time usually heal very fast (another reason to get in and stay in shape).

Long Term Benefits of Sport Injury Therapy

Chiropractic treatments have many benefits and can provide positive long-term effects on the body. These treatments can improve various things that are essential not only to athletes but also to everyone involved in physical activities. Further, consistent chiropractic treatments can help strengthen the body especially for athletes maintaining flexibility, coordination, agility, balance and proper posture to be able to reach their full potential as well as preventing additional injuries.

If you have any questions about our services, please contact us today at (408) 985-8118.