Are you training for a marathon, participating in a regular competitive tennis game, or a big fan of rock climbing?

From weight control to keeping heart disease at bay to boosting your mood, the health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore.

But all pro athletes will tell you there’s a major downside, namely increased wear and tear on the body. Over time, muscles become sore, joints start to ache — perhaps you’ve experienced the symptoms after a vigorous workout at the gym. Walking and simple activities become painful; muscle stiffness makes it difficult to move freely. Further physical activity can make the problem even worse; it’s important to address your body’s signals quickly and at the source of your pain.

The great news is, chiropractic treatment holds many powerful benefits that can help you maintain— and extend— your active lifestyle. Read on to discover four ways chiropractic treatment has been effectively used by pro athletes and can be equally beneficial for you, too.

1. Increased Range of Motion and Flexibility

Chiropractic treatment, including spinal manipulation and chiropractic massages, can restore flexibility and range of motion in achy joints and sore muscles as well as promote training breakthroughs. When your joints are more relaxed, they also become stronger and more responsive during periods of physical stress.

And don’t forget about your hip joints. By increasing mobility in the hips, athletes and other active patients have seen improved physical performance and experienced fewer training setbacks.

2. Decreased Time Between Injuries

As an athlete or otherwise active person knows, sports injuries are a fact of life. This is especially true for runners, an activity causing excessive stress on lower body joints and muscles, sometimes leading to injury.

Loosening your muscles and joints with chiropractic adjustments and massages helps reduce recovery time and get you back to that active lifestyle much sooner.

3. Reduced Pain from Injury

Spinal cord adjustments can reduce pain as you recover from an injury. With chiropractic treatment, athletes and other active individuals can begin physical therapy and stretching exercises much sooner and with less discomfort.

4. Injury Prevention

When your spinal cord is out of alignment, the chances of injury during physical exercise skyrocket. Sometimes, sports injuries won’t have immediate physical symptoms (think youth sports concussion and whiplash injuries that don’t cause problems for the athlete until much later in life).

An effective way to prevent injury? Utilize chiropractic care as a preemptive measure. Regular chiropractic adjustments help align your spine, reducing the chances of injury from the start.

Pro Athletes Rely on Chiropractic Treatment

Take a cue from the pros: chiropractic treatment has long been an indispensable part of training and conditioning for peak performance.

For instance, the average pro football chiropractor renders 30 to 50 treatments per week during the season. With the NFL season lasting 16 weeks (not including quarterback camp, mini-camp, and pre-and post-season), that means 34 team chiropractors provide 16,320-27,200 adjustments to America’s superstars in just 120 days — and that’s a conservative estimate!

Over the years, some of our best-known athletes have shared the role chiropractic care has played in their careers:

Michael Jordan. The best basketball player in NBA history was also a firm believer in chiropractic treatment. Jordan once said, “Since I’ve been in chiropractic, I’ve improved by leaps and bounds both mentally and physically.”

Jerry Lee Rice. “Chiropractic care was key to keeping me in the game,” said the NFL’s most-renowned wide receiver.

Tiger Woods. This 11-time PGA Player of the Year was once quoted as saying, “I've been going to chiropractors for as long as I can remember. It's as important to my training as practicing my swing.”

Floyd Patterson. He reigned as the world heavyweight champion twice from 1956 to 1962, and even back then, chiropractic treatment was key. “I have to have a series of chiropractic adjustments before I go into the ring. I found that going to a chiropractor three times a week helps my performance. The majority of boxers go to chiropractors to get that extra edge.”

Tom Brady. Chiropractic treatment helps this NFL superstar perform at his best. “As long as I see the chiropractor,” Brady has said, “I feel like I’m one step ahead of the game.”

Michael Phelps. The most decorated Olympian of all time, this champion swimmer has said visits to his chiropractor help him stay in top shape: “Wherever I’m really tight, it loosens things up. It’s pretty intense.”

Regardless of your status-- pro athlete, athlete-in-training, or just a desire to be physically healthy, chiropractic medicine plays an integral part. Would you like to talk about how chiropractic treatment can fit into your healthy, active lifestyle? Make an appointment online or call us at (814) 835-5054. Let’s create a custom treatment plan to keep your body performing at its peak.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for in-person advice or care from a medical professional.