6 Things to Look for in a Sports Chiropractor
Sports Chiropractor. It’s an overused title that carries little weight. We want to make sure that if you are looking for a Sports Chiropractor, you find a provider that will help you meet your athletic goals and give you the care you deserve.
Here are some things that make a Sports Chiropractor true to their title:
More Active Care vs. Passive Care. This means that most of your visits involve you being active in your treatment (i.e. you are moving, bracing, pulling, etc.), rather than your chiropractor performing treatments to you (i.e. you lie/sit down while your chiropractor does the work).
Treatment looks like your sport. Treatment may not always be a direct replication of your sport, but treatment should be at least be applicable to your activity. For example, if you are a swimmer, having a pool at the chiropractor’s office is likely out of the question. However, the exercises performed in the office should look similar to the movements used in your sport.
Outcome measurement. Beginning with the first exam and continuing with every treatment, it is important that your chiropractor has a way to measure the effectiveness of your treatment. This measurement may come in the form of a pre-treatment movement screen or a task that either causes pain or is dysfunctional. You should see your provider re-perform the same test after treatment to evaluate what effect the treatment had on how you move and how you feel.
He or she has a background in sports. Your sports chiropractor’s background may not be in your exact sport, but they should have a basic knowledge of how the sport is performed to help you optimize your performance. Certifications like Titleist Performance Institute (TPI), OnBaseU, Motion Palpation, CFSC, DNS, Rocktape, etc. can also indicate that your chiro is well-versed in sport-specific movement and treatment strategies. This doesn’t mean that your chiropractor needs to have a ton of sports certifications to provide you with great care, but a background in some of the methods listed above can be a quick way to see if your chiro is serious about learning more about treating athletes.
They talk the talk. Your sports chiropractor should use words like load, force, resistance, progression, strengthening, function, training, and performance. How your chiro talks to you and talks about your treatment can be a great indicator of what your treatment involves. If your goal is to run faster, jump higher, lift heavier, or avoid injury, your treatment should involve progressively loading your body to allow it to reach those goals. If your sports chiropractor only talks about out of place bones or weak muscles, they may not be the best fit to help you tackle an injury or improve your performance.
Treatments aren’t the same every week. Your visits should build upon each other, and you shouldn’t feel like you’re stuck doing the same exercises visit after visit. The body will adapt to increased stress and load, so (going back to the goals of treatment and training) you should expect the exercises to become progressively more complex. Your sports chiropractor’s goal with your treatment should be to help you reach your sport-specific goal, not just complete a set number of visits.
These qualities are very important when finding a “true” sports chiropractor. It’s our goal to not only change the meaning of what a sports chiropractor is, but also hold others responsible for the use of the title. A “sports chiropractor” that performs the same adjustments or treatments on every patient, regardless of the patient’s goals, pain level, or abilities, could be trying to use the “sports chiropractor” title as a marketing strategy to attract athletes.
At Midwest Movement, we understand human movement and we focus on actively involving patients in their own care. That begins with educating each patient on what is happening with his or her body and helping them to take control of their health.
Our active approach continues with regularly reassessing outcomes to ensure true progress and making exercises directly applicable to the athlete’s sport and treatment goals. In our office, we have a gym where we can do everything from lifting weights to running, even hitting golf balls or soft toss for softball and baseball! It’s important to us that we can offer athletes the best strategies to get and stay well.
Do you have any questions about how we can help you or another athlete recover from an injury or optimize performance? Give us a call, send a message to clinic@midwestmovementelkhorn.com, or stop by our office and we’d be happy to help!