Whether you are at home, on the field or in the car, injuries can happen anywhere. If you find yourself in pain or unable to move comfortably after being injured, in many cases a visit to the chiropractor may be just what you need. Chiropractors can help with many different kinds of injuries. Here are a few of the most common:

Sprains and Strains

Almost everyone has experienced some kind of sprain or strain, and these are common injuries chiropractors treat in the office. Exercise, posture, even everyday activities can cause a sprain or strain—and often the pain, discomfort and trouble moving comfortably seem like they will never go away.

These painful conditions often respond well to chiropractic care, and patients usually say they have less pain and better movement after treatment. Chiropractors will examine the problem area(s) and discuss treatment options with you, and they may give you some instructions for taking care of yourself at home between appointments.

Postural, Repetitive Stress or Overuse Injuries

Many people find themselves sitting, standing, studying or working in the same position day after day. Over time, those repeated postures can lead to tight, short and weak muscles and difficulty moving without pain. Chiropractors can assess your posture and give you some tips and tricks for making sure your workstation and devices are set up in a good position for you. Sometimes small changes to your setup will really help decrease tension in your muscles and alleviate your discomfort.

Repetitive stress or overuse injuries are also very common and happen when a sport, activity, exercise or task you are doing uses one or a few joints over and over again (think typing, playing golf or sweeping, for example). You might be surprised at how many times we hear about overuse injuries happening after a day of cleaning the garage! There are a few types of repetitive stress injuries often seen in the office, including Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow. Of course, there are other overuse injuries as well—even your small finger joints can be affected by repetitive stress. If you have any kind of pain that you think may be from overuse or repetitive motion, let us know—we would be happy to check it out for you.

Whiplash

Patients with whiplash will often complain of neck pain with stiffness and headache. These alone are very common complaints in the chiropractor’s office. Whiplash is the most common injury from a car accident, but it can also happen from slips and falls, sports or other trauma. If you have experienced trauma followed by these symptoms, chiropractors are trained to evaluate your condition and work with you to determine what type of care will get you feeling better and help your body heal.

Sports Injuries

Some of the most common sports injuries seen in a chiropractic practice are ligament sprains, tendonitis and stress fractures. Although they can happen to any active person at any age, these injuries are increasing in occurrence among children and teenagers—with about 3.5 million sports-related injuries among children and teens in the U.S. each year. Kids are participating in sports at younger ages, and we often see teenagers who have overused and over-trained muscles, sometimes leading to muscles growing faster than the bones they attach to can handle.

In addition, many adults find themselves able to participate in sports or exercise only on weekends, and sometimes they overdo it trying to make up for the lack of activity during the week. “Weekend warriors” can suffer from any of the injuries above: sprains, strains and overuse injuries.

Whether you are a weekend warrior, a highly trained athlete or someone who likes to exercise leisurely, chances are you have had some type of sports-related injury. From sprained ankles to neck injuries and everything in between, many chiropractors have experience diagnosing and treating injuries that happen while playing sports. Your chiropractor can be a key player on your team of health care physicians for injury prevention as well. Many well-known athletes use chiropractic for this exact reason.

Chiropractors can help you with pain, discomfort or difficulty moving no matter your activity level. There is no injury too small for us to assess. We want to help keep you active and pain-free.