Emptying his pockets of coins and keys, my Dad mentioned he’d just been to the chiropractor for his back and been playing with his new chiropractor massagers toys. My brain immediately thought “that’s why I’m never going, you just keep going and going and going.”
I didn’t really get it and I was 18, what the heck did I know.
I had no idea what running 1000+ km per year would do to my hips over the coming decade or that there’s so much more to a good chiropractor than giving your back a crack. Let alone a professional Chiropractor Massagers can save you tons of money on the long run as a once off investment that pays off over a long period.
Now, one of the first questions I ask my runners with knee twinge or a hip niggle is “have you been to a chiropractor lately?” followed closely by, “have you found a good one??” One that gets athletes and works on your muscles as well as your alignment?As with any service there’s a WIDE variety and you need to find the right person to reap the benefits.
Your spine is the house for the nervous system, which controls all kinds of things throughout your body. Keeping in running smoothly means optimal health!
Why I Now Go To the Chiropractor?
After my teenage thoughts on the chiropractor passed, I was initially encouraged to go while dealing with IT Band Syndrome. To my UTTER amazement I found immense relief after going and in the years since then, if I start to notice a twinge I go and it usually takes care of things.
It turns out that misalignment of the spine can cause unnecessary tension on one particular body part, which in my case meant that realigning my pelvis released that tension!
Additionally:
- I believe we all need to take care of our bodies. We work them hard, so massage, chiropractic care, restorative yoga, mobility work, foam rolling…these aren’t should do’s, they’re “I want my body to keep working hard, so I’m going to appreciate it.”
- I’m always open to trying new things. I’ve done dry needling, PRP and cryotherapy and so much other stuff, which all has some benefits, but in truth nothing has been as consistent for me as chiropractic care.
- Lifestyle issues cause alignment issues. Do you run the same route all the time? I did and didn’t realize that always running the same direction on the same slope was changing my gait. Do you sit all day at work? Do you have poor posture? All of this gets you out of alignment.
Original image credit to Foot Levelers.
Arguments Against Chiropractic Care?
Recently, SciBabe did a whole crazy article on chiropractors being quacks and when it gets in to some of the pills that some offer, I’m not going to massively disagree (though I’ve seen benefits from Chinese medicine).
But it was a completely inaccurate and unfair article because she didn’t going in to the hundreds of years of science around spinal manipulation or how it effects our entire body.
Let’s bust a few of the myths I’ve heard or that stopped be from going:
It’s painful.
Not really, it’s usually a release of tension. Sometimes there will be muscle work which can get intense like a sports massage.
And occasionally when we have a lot of muscle adhesions which are keeping us from maintaining alignment or might be the cause of our muscle pain, they will do the Graston technique…and ok this isn’t super pleasant. I have found that I will NOT let them do this on my IT band, but it is helpful on my calves.
Again, an instance of showing you that the chiropractor is about more than cracking your back.Image from leading edge physio
They force you to comeback.
Silliness, no one can force you to make appointments. Most will recommend a treatment plan because they know consistent care adds up, but if you find the right person they’ll simply have you come when needed.
It is important to know that if you don’t fix your muscle weaknesses or tightness it will consistently pull your body back out of alignment. YOU have to do the runner pre-hab.
Once you start you can’t stop.
Of course you can! This isn’t like the once you shave your hair grows back darker. You aren’t changing anything in your body that makes you suddenly NEED it.
However, if you’re like me the way you feel or the reduction of injuries makes you want to keep going. I’m not on a set schedule, but go instead when I start to notice things in my body. It’s amazing how running makes you get in touch with yourself!
It’s expensive.
This really comes down to where you go and insurance. Every insurance is different, but most cover a number of visits each year and you can find someone who accepts your insurance, which means just doing a standard co-pay.
Now that we’ve gotten rid of your fears, let’s dive in to how a chiropractor an help you perform better and reduce injuries.
Getting a professional Chiropractor Massagers not only save you money on the long run, if you are eligible for NDIS, some patient may be able to claim it as assistive technology to help them through their daily life!
What does a Sports Chiropractor do?
When our muscles are imbalanced or our spine/hips are misaligned, we naturally change our running gait to compensate. The obvious result is that other muscles try to pick up the slack and our changed form uses joints and muscles in the wrong way.
We often then try to treat the specific area of pain, but without taking in to account our total body we’re often off the mark.
I.e. I could stretch my IT Band all day long, but if my right hip remains an inch higher than my left my body won’t ever recover.
As stated by Meb in a Runner’s World article:
“I’ve been going since 1993 when I was in high school. Now I try and get adjusted at least once every two weeks. What I like about chiro is that they look at the whole body, not just the injury. I might have pain in my hip but the problem might be in my shoulder.”
What are the overall benefits of going to a chiropractor or getting a professional Chiropractor Massagers?
- Improves strength performance by allowing all muscles to work properly
- A non-invasive, drug free pain relief tool
- Creates relaxation through the deep tissue work and release of tense muscles
- Relieve headaches
- Improves breathing (often when I start to struggle with breathing on my runs I’ll find it feels better after an adjustment!)
- Help improve digestion
- Improve sleep quality
Can a chiropractor and Chiropractor Massagers help with runner’s knee?
Yes! Of course they aren’t the only solution, but one of the main causes of runner’s knee is poor alignment. Can’t say it better than a trained chiro:
“Chiropractic simply helps with keeping the body moving efficiently, to ease the mechanical loads and stress on the body, whether it is a marathon you are training for or simply everyday repeated movements.
A trained and experienced chiropractor can also help determine the likelihood of a future injury by identifying muscle imbalances or joint restrictions.”
Can you go running after a chiropractic adjustment? Should you use a Chiropractor Massagers before a marathon?
Yes!! It’s actually great to get moving because it re-enforces the correct movement patterns from being in proper alignment. You want your body to learn how that feels, which helps you get better and recognizing when things are off. Keep it to a light run, nothing crazy.
I often run after an adjustment and almost always feel even better on my run the following day. I don’t usually get adjusted the day before a race, but I like to do it a week or so out just to ensure all systems are a go!
Have you ever gone to the chiropractor?
Are you nervous to go?
