Many professional and competitive athletes already know the value of regular chiropractic care. Increased flexibility, increased energy, increased speed, and increased performance as well as a decrease in injuries are all benefits of chiropractic care.

In fact, it's becoming rare to find a professional or amateur sports team that does not have a "team" chiropractor. Take for instance the bay area in Northern California. The San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants and the San Jose Sharks have their own team chiropractor.

Chiropractic is an excellent adjunct to any sports regimen. Through the use of highly specific and safe spinal and extremity adjustive techniques, physical therapies, therapeutic exercises and stretches, dietary and nutritional counseling and correction of biomechanical faults - athletes can experience increased performance and reduced risk of injury.

Chiropractic care can increase range of motion, flexibility, balance, coordination, joint proprioception, body symmetry, agility, reaction times, speed, and kinesthetic awareness - all essential to the serious athlete.

In a recent study a group of asymptomatic university baseball players were split into 2 group; one group received spinal manipulation while their counterparts acted as controls - receiving no care. Vertical jump, broad jump, standing broad jump, muscle strength, blood pressure, pulse rate, micro-circulation (nail bed capillary counts) and stress test were evaluated in all athletes prior to the study, and 5 & 14 weeks follow up. Those receiving spinal manipulation experienced significant improvements in muscle strength and long jump distance at 14 weeks. The spinal manipulation group also experienced improvement in capillary counts at 5 and 14 weeks follow-up. Additionally, the spinal manipulation group had decreases in resting blood pressure and pulse rate following tread mill activity.

Another study conducted by Nansel, PhD., found cervical adjustments dramatically improved neck range of motion in a group of asymptomatic individuals who had differences of more than 10 degrees in lateral flexion of the head (ear to shoulder).

References:

1. Nansel, PhD. JMPT 1989; 12(6):419-27.
2. Schwartzbauer J, DC, Schwartzbauer M, DC, Hart J, DC, Zhang J, MD, PhD. J Vert Sublux Res 1997,1(4):33-39.