What do elite athletes like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Michael Jordan, Dan O'Brien, Mark McGwire, and Donovon Bailey, to name a few, have in common? They all receive regular chiropractic adjustments to maintain their health. Today's athletes are looking for an edge over their competitors and are turning to Chiropractic care to help them gain it.
When a fraction of a second may mean the difference between gold and silver, brain and body performance become key. That is why the majority of professional sports teams have a Chiropractor on their medical staff and top athletes are being adjusted regularly during training and before each event. Chiropractic adjustments improve the overall function of the nervous system. This is an important aspect of chiropractic that people often overlook. Chiropractic care is much more than mechanical neck and low back pain treatment. Regular Chiropractic adjustments also improve the overall function of the nervous system, which in turn, improves the efficiency of the communication between the brain and the body. The improved communication gives athletes the edge needed to excel.
How can chiropractic adjustments help to improve brain and body function? The answer lies in the effect that an adjustment has on the nervous system, which is the master controller of our body. Everything that we do is regulated by impulses that are sent from the brain out to the body through our nerves. During any kind of athletic activity, our nervous system makes thousands of corrections in order to keep our body moving properly. But when stressors like overtraining, chronic injuries and improper nutrition overwhelm your nervous system the body loses its ability to make corrections – a condition called subluxation. Subluxations cause muscles to tighten and restrict vertebral movement. This restriction prevents proper nerve communication causing decreased joint movement, pain and injury.
Chiropractic adjustments improve the movement of the vertebrae and help to take the pressure off the nerves as they exit from the spine. With the release in pressure on the nervous system, the brain is able to communicate with the body more efficiently. When brain and body are communicating well, our muscles respond faster, we have better balance and coordination, and our heart and lungs respond more quickly to demands. Consequently, we are able to perform better, have less injury, and recover from injury more quickly.
For the athlete or weekend warrior who is looking for an edge to his or her physical performance, the improved communication between the brain and every part of the body, especially the heart, lungs and muscles can make the difference between becoming injured or staying healthy and achieving gold!
