What do Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rory McIlroy, Usain Bolt, Peyton Manning, Jordan Speith, Misty May-Treanor, Blake Griffin and thousands of other top athletes have in common?  These athletes rely on their Chiropractors to keep them in the game.

In sports, performance is everything. Regardless of whether you’re a pro golfer, tennis player, soccer player or a weekend warrior, your level of performance in your chosen athletic activity is what takes you to competitive heights.  There are certain things that every athlete knows will make them stronger, faster, more flexible, and have more stamina and regular Chiropractic Care is one of them.  Chiropractic is becoming increasingly popular as a way for the sportsman in all of us to have that competitive edge.

Did you know that all 32 teams in the National Football League offer chiropractic care services and currently, 28 teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) use the services of a doctor of chiropractic? U.S. Olympic athletes use chiropractic care, as do well-known pro golfers, tennis pros and professional athletes from every sport.

You may know that chiropractic is great for people with back pain or even headaches, but you may be wondering how it can help an athlete. Solid research, along with a proven track record show that chiropractic helps sports performance in several key areas:

Increased flexibility

Flexibility is important for nearly every sport and chiropractic care helps to increase flexibility throughout the body. As the spine is aligned, there is more balanced tension on the muscular system and the body is better able to perform as it should and flexibility is a big part of that.

Better Mobility & Faster Recovery

When a person has better flexibility they are able to move around better. Chiropractic helps loosen the joints of the shoulders, elbows wrists, hips, knees and ankles, as well as the spine. Adjusting and mobilizing these overused joints improves blood flow which means that nutrients and oxygen are carried much more efficiently.  This helps with recovery so the athlete is less sore and heals faster after workouts. This whole-body wellness encourages better mobility.

More Resistant to Injury

Because chiropractic keeps the body flexible, there is a much lower risk of injury. Tight muscles can lead to injuries, sometimes serious injury. When the body well aligned and flexible the chances of a pulled or a torn muscle or torn ligament are greatly decreased.

Relieves pain

Sports like hockey and football are full-contact sports and injuries are not uncommon. However, even milder sports like horseback riding, cycling, baseball and racket sports can also result in injuries or pain from overuse. One study showed how chiropractic helped relieve the pain of shoulder instability in hockey players.

Chiropractic aligns the spine and body while increasing blood flow, but endorphins are also released through the treatment. This helps the body combat pain in a natural, less invasive way without the use of medications.

Increased strength

While chiropractic care is typically regarded as a method for relieving pain and alleviating skeletal and muscular issues, it has also been found to improve physical strength. A study on judo athletes who received just three chiropractic care sessions showed that their grip strength improved by 16 percent.

Speeds Healing

Chiropractic care has long been a standard practice for aiding in the healing of many sports-related injuries including tennis elbow, hamstring pulls, rotator cuff injuries, back strains, and neck pain. While it does help prevent these injuries, in the event that they do occur, chiropractic care helps the athlete recover faster and get back in the game quicker.

So whether you enjoy a weekend round of golf with the guys or you are a tennis rockstar, chances are you too can benefit from chiropractic care. Each of these benefits is exceptional in their own right, but all of these little benefits add up to one significant plus: it improves sports performance. If you want to be stronger, faster, and more agile, the research shows that chiropractic care can certainly help.