Chiropractic Adjustment Improves Athletic Performance

Numerous elite athletes, including Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretsky, Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, and Tiger Woods, have credited chiropractic care with helping them on their path to excellence.  These athletes have experienced firsthand the benefits of getting adjusted.

An elegant research study by Smith et al in JMPT in 2006 demonstrates how a chiropractic adjustment gives an athlete a competitive edge.  In this randomized controlled study, participants were asked to perform a task before and after an adjustment.  Participants who received an adjustment had a significant increase in reaction time, while control participants who did not receive an adjustment had only nominal change in reaction time.  Click here to view the abstract.  Please feel free to visit Path of Life if you wish to read the full article.

Additional studies on the effect of chiropractic adjustment on athletic performance are underway at Life University's Sports Science Institute (LUSSI) and will be posted here when available.

Chiropractic care has also been shown to increase proprioception, which is the communication between the brain and muscles.  Click here, here, and here for abstracts.  Additionally, a recent paper by Hubscher et al, entitled Neuromuscular Training for Sports Injury Prevention:  A Systematic Review, shows evidence that proprioceptive/neuromuscular training reduces the incidence of certain types of sports injuries among adolescent and young athletes.  Click here for the abstract for this paper.  All of these articles are available at Path of Life upon request.  These articles clearly show that chiropractic care helps keep an athlete at the top of his/her game by helping to correct the issues that result from wear-and-tear (or accidents), and by helping to maximize the brain-body connection for optimal performance.

(Note from Dr. Amy: I am a lifelong outdoor athlete, and I believe that a lot of sports injuries are preventable with proper preparation, which includes maintenance of good spinal and joint alignment.  To me, being unable to play outside is simply unacceptable.  I get checked and adjusted regularly to make sure that my body is in the best shape it can be to withstand the abuse I regularly give it while biking, climbing, running, hiking, and kayaking!  Chiropractic care has helped me to maintain the all-terrain lifestyle I love.  I hope it can do the same for you.)

The following video, featuring chiropractor and four-time Olympian, Dr. Terry Schroeder, describes how chiropractic care gives athletes an edge:

If you'd like to see how chiropractic care can help you improve your game, call or email us to request an appointment!

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PATH OF LIFE CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CENTER * 25 MERRIT PARKWAY UNIT 4 * NASHUA NH * 603.886.8300