“America believes in education: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week.” – Evan Esar
Johnny takes the handoff at the 40 and bounces off a tackler to the outside. Heading to the 30 yard line he gets hit from the side and driven out of bounds at the 27 yard line marker. I know what you’re thinking. Did he get the first down?
I’m wondering how his spine can take that kind of car accident-like impact 25 carries a game without any repercussions. The simple answer is he can’t. Even if you don’t play football, sports like soccer, baseball, volleyball, softball, wrestling and lacrosse involve a lot of contact and the physical demands of any training and practice affect your spine and muscles too.
Cross country track was a slug fest in NY. As soon as you were out of sight and in the woods running the race guys were catching elbows in their sides and getting pushed down.
That is one big misconception regarding our spine. If it doesn’t hurt it must be okay even though we use it every time we move, fall, play, lift, etc.
Another one is that kids certainly don’t need to be concerned about spinal care, that’s an old folk’s problem. No exactly. That’s like saying dental care is only for adults when you start to have problems with your teeth.
Many of the issues we ignored when we were younger like car accidents, falls and playing contact sports can lead to problems later in life if left uncorrected. And new problems are a lot easier to resolve when they just happen.
No one wants to fix a broken forearm 10 years later after it has adapted to the break. Probably have to re-break the arm and the treatment and rehab would be much more intense and longer.
Last weekend at the pumpkin farm I witnessed a boy slip and then slide down the side of a straw bale until his legs landed and they slid out too. The result was hyperextension of his low back. He was in considerable pain and I ran over to him.
I warned the Mom because this is a classic incident that can fracture the low back vertebrae but only be discovered after symptoms worsen 10 years or more down the road.
Recently I had a patient who tweaked his low back playing baseball only to find out he aggravated an area similar to the injury I just discussed.
I have even treated 14 year old athletes suffering from disc bulges like us old folks.
Kids are incredibly resilient. My son knocked his front teeth almost out, couldn’t swallow and wanted to play Ben 10 on the Wii while we waited to have his bloody teeth removed. Of course I adjusted his neck and back because the impact of the stump surely knocked his spine for a ride.
Many children play sports and it is a healthy experience, can build great friendships and help them develop good motor skills. Unfortunately they can also get hurt and are often told to walk it off.
Again, just because you can’t see their spine doesn’t mean it didn’t take a whooping after heading a soccer ball traveling at 70 mph. That’s like getting punched in the head by Muhammad Ali.
I listed a few of the common areas student athletes complain of and how chiropractic can help your budding star recover and stay in the game.
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