Athletes! Don't Just "Walk it Off" and Forget About It

Backstage at the 'So You Think You Can Dance' tour, the massage therapist and I were quickly ushered to our makeshift treatment room. We were told several dancers would be arriving for care immediately, while the others would be seeing us after the pre-show rehearsal.

Tacoma was stop number one on the tour, and many of the dancers were already dealing with a blend of new and old aches and pains. They would be traveling by bus to 41 cities in 61 days to perform their several-hour routine. Their grueling schedule had no room for injury, and it became our job to help speed the healing process and hold everyone together.

I was shocked to learn that some of the dancers had never received any therapeutic bodywork. Some of them suffered from chronic neck pain (dancer's whiplash). Others were dealing with un-rehabilitated ankle sprains from years earlier - or back pain brought on by the rigors of traveling. And these were just a few problems we treated and that we see happen in every sport.

Most people assume that high-caliber athletes are in tune with their bodies. However, having good body control does not mean that they are injury-free. Many athletes do not realize how much their bodies compensate for injuries over time.

Years of damage accumulates because of the typical "walk-it-off" and "no-pain, no-gain" attitudes instilled in them as young athletes. They rarely learn that every neglected injury changes how their body moves.

It work like this: Anytime you pull a muscle, sprain a ligament or pinch a nerve, you damage nerves that sense pressure and movement - or that sense and help coordinate your balance and movement.

When you damage these balance and pressure nerves, they relay bad messages to your brain. Your brain then sends bad information back down to your muscles and joints and makes them act less coordinated. Less coordination means your muscles and joints start working in a different order and causing more areas of stress and strain in your body. The more stress that is focused in an area, the more abnormal movement happens and the more likely you are to eventually develop arthritis in that area.

For example, damage to the balance nerves in your ankles is what often leads to the spraining of a particular ankle over and over again. If your ankle is not retrained with rehabilitation exercises and ligament massage, the balance is off. Every time you put pressure down on that unbalanced ankle with an abnormal angle, you roll it again. Eventually the muscles connecting your ankle and knee work differently. A chain reaction begins and your knee, hip and/or low back become affected.

Any of those joints along the chain reaction may develop arthritis. One bad ankle sprain without treatment could end a sports career or lead to a lifetime of problems.

Chronic neck tightness and soreness from whiplash-like falls and maneuvers is another common untreated injury. Ignoring neck pains can lead to migraines and possibly severe arthritis and loss of neck range of motion.

Repeated neck injuries also damage the many balance nerves located in the upper neck joints. Chronic injury to those nerves can lead to vertigo-like symptoms and poor balance.

Chiropractic adjustments, massage and physical therapy exercises retrain the muscles, joints and nerves to work correctly again. Each therapy has its own benefit and research shows that they work even better when combined.

Working with the dance tour made it obvious that many athletes do not know how important it is to understand and take care of their bodies.

It is important, whether you plan on playing your sport professionally or just on the weekends for fun, that you get proper care for your injuries. Do not just "walk it off" and forget about it. Take the time to fix your injuries properly the first time so you can keep your competitive edge and not worry about creating permanent problems.

I am owner of and head chiropractor at Flourish Chiropractic in Seattle, WA. For more information about injuries, treatment, and my background visit http://www.drkristismith.com or follow me at http://twitter.com/flourishspa.