Upper Cervical Care and Sports Enhancement
Introduction
What do current and retired athletes Lance Armstrong, Andy Roddick, Martina Navratilova, Dan O’Brien, Evander Holyfield, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Montana, Carl Lewis, Greg Louganis, the U.S. Olympic Team and many other famous and not-so-famous athletes have in common? They all receive regular chiropractic care to enhance their performance in their chosen sport.
More and more amateur and professional sports teams and athletes are discovering that chiropractic care is a critical element of their success. And why? Athletes are finding out that they benefit from care in three ways. Chiropractic care helps to keep their bodies healthy, which helps to prevent sports-related injuries in the first place. If athletes are injured, it helps their bodies’ natural ability to manage and heal the injury. And… it helps to improve their stamina and performance.
Specific Research Studies
A research study conducted by Drs. Anthony Lauro and Brian Mouch, published in the Journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigation, reported that chiropractic care could increase athletic performance by as much as 16.7%! This same study determined that athletes who routinely receive adjustments exhibit better reaction time and coordination and that their sports-related movements demonstrate a higher precision and accuracy rate.
In addition, the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research documented research showing that chiropractic care increases capillary count. What does this mean to athletes? It means improved blood flow that carries more oxygen to all parts of the body – one way to gain a competitive advantage over other athletes – whether it’s on the field, in the ring, on the track, in the arena, on the ice or in any other sports venue.
Add this all up and what do you get? A superior athlete who can generally respond and recover better than most of their athletic counterparts. It’s just that simple.
Upper Cervical Care and Sports Enhancement
How does Upper Cervical care increase sports performance and healing? Well…it all starts with the spine – 26 vertebrae, muscles, ligaments and a complex system of nerves that carry messages from your brain out to every part of your body.
Every single nerve in the body passes through the brain stem – at the base of the skull – and travels down through the spinal cord, ultimately branching out to every body part, controlling communication between the brain and every organ, every system and every cell. It’s easy to understand then the importance of keeping this network of nerves – the nervous system – in top operating condition so that the body can function at its best and stay healthy.
Nerve interference can occur as the result of trauma to the upper cervical spine (neck region). This trauma can result from a fall, a motor vehicle accident, a sports injury or even the birth process. And trauma can cause the first vertebra of the spine, the atlas, to shift out of place and press on nerves as they pass through it on their way down the spinal cord. This nerve interference can cause all types of problems, including disease and an inability for the body to heal properly. It can also affect one’s ability to function at peak performance in the sports arena.
Upper Cervical doctors receive very specific training to be able to locate, correct and remove nerve interference, by gently moving the atlas back into its correct position. Once interference is removed, proper nerve function returns, re-establishing the vital communication links, allowing the body to function at its best and to heal from within!
Seven-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, who has received chiropractic care since January 1999, credits chiropractic for helping to keep his body together and endure the rigorous demands of the Tour de France. In fact, Lance said that he could not have won without his chiropractor's help.
U.S. Olympic Team athletes have had a chiropractor as part of their sports medicine team since 1992. Olympic athletes train for years in their chosen sports and many feel that chiropractic care gives them an edge in competition. A key reason why Olympic athletes like chiropractic care is because they feel it keeps them at the “top of their game,” without the use of drugs. There is an especially long list of banned substances for Olympic athletes, including over-the-counter medications that many people use to treat injuries. Consequently, these athletes feel that chiropractic adjustments are just what they need to enhance their performance.
Summary
If it’s good enough for some of the best athletes in the world, it’s definitely good enough for every athlete at every level of play. If you want to improve your ability to compete at your optimal level of performance, if you want to “bounce back” and get “back in the game” faster after a sports-related injury, then Upper Cervical care is the not-so-secret weapon you need to take with you into your chosen sport’s arena.
