Whether you are a casual runner or are training for marathons, it’s crucial to take care of your health and prevent injuries. Running is a high impact sport, which can lead to back pain, muscle damage, pinched nerves, and even skeletal damage. It’s recommended that runners receive treatment to prepare their body for running and maintain peak condition. Common treatments for runners include acupuncture, chiropractic care, Kinesio Taping, and massage therapy. Keep reading to discover the benefits of chiropractic care for runners.

Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Runners

Like any exercise, runners follow a specific training routine to achieve their goals, such as running a race. Runners can benefit from receiving chiropractic adjustments, which helps boost their performance, maintain a healthy spine alignment, treat any injuries, and prevent injuries.

Promote a Faster Recovery Rate

If you have an injury from running, a chiropractor can help you heal quicker. These holistic experts do this by performing special adjustments designed to increase blood circulation to the affected areas and help the body heal itself naturally. Chiropractors treat several common health conditions related to running, such as pain in the back, ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, and neck. Indeed, chiropractors perform adjustments that encourage the soft tissue around the affected joints to heal. Thus, this promotes a faster recovery rate, which means runners can get back to doing what they love sooner.

Better Pain Management 

If you have an existing injury from running, you already know how painful and uncomfortable this is. Depending on the severity of your injury, you may have to postpone your running routine and any races you were planning on entering. Luckily, chiropractors can perform gentle, safe adjustments that will reduce a patient’s pain. For those that would like to avoid taking harsh drugs and having risky surgeries, chiropractic is an excellent alternative based on science. Most runners don’t want to wait months to address their injuries or pain, which makes chiropractic a better alternative with quicker results. In general, most chiropractic patients notice an almost immediate improvement to their pain after a few adjustments. This can reduce the need for pain-relief medicine and the unpleasant side effects that negatively impact an athlete’s ability to train and run.

Prevent Injuries 

For many runners, they ignore their pain or injuries. Runners may wait until their race or workout is over or until the pain becomes unbearable. This is not ideal because running with an injury and spine misalignment leads to more pain and injuries. A safer option is to seek treatment before an injury occurs or as soon as you experience an injury. Chiropractors use a whole body approach to health, in which they perform specific adjustments designed to help the body maintain proper spine alignment. A healthy spine will positively impact the rest of the body. Indeed, runners can then enjoy optimal sports performance and have less chances of becoming injured while running.

Obtain Optimal Sports Performance

By visiting your local chiropractor, you will experience less pain and faster healing if you have an injury. Chiropractors can help runners obtain optimal sports performance, so they can better manage their training routines and races. A runner with a healthy spine will find it easier to maximize their body’s running capabilities. Your chiropractor may also recommend tips to maintain your performance and health. These tips include running on different surfaces (i.e. the beach, sidewalk, track, and treadmill), replacing worn out running shoes, and remembering to stretch before and after workouts. 

What Are Common Chiropractic Treatments for Runners?

Before your first visit, call your local sports chiropractor to ask about which treatments they offer for runners. The four common treatments are listed below.

• Active Release Technique (ART) – This technique applies deep tension while carefully moving a joint through its range of motion. Chiropractors combine massage and stretching, which helps address and treat adhesions in the muscles. 

• Graston Technique – This technique is designed to break down any surface-level scar tissue with hand-held stainless steel tools.

• Functional Dry Needling – This technique is designed to release tension in trigger points by applying deep muscle stimulation with needles, which is particularly helpful for the psoas muscle (hip flexor muscle).
• Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) – This treatment releases tension by stimulating any surface muscles.

By receiving regular chiropractic adjustments and following a healthy lifestyle, runners can achieve lasting health and maximize their running routines. A chiropractor has the skills and expertise to keep a runner’s spine in proper alignment, which makes it easier to train and prepare for a race. If you are looking for the best sports chiropractor near you, look no further than Awaken Chiropractic in Parker and Denver, CO today!