Chiropractic Care for Young Athletes at Apex Wellness Center
Kids and sports just go together. Whether it’s an informal game of softball or a more formalized setting like Little League, young athletes derive many benefits from exercise, competition, and teamwork. However, it’s important to keep kids healthy and fit and to prevent sports injury. A chiropractor is uniquely positioned to help with both of these aspects. As your pediatric chiropractor in Dallas, Apex Wellness Center has some information for you.
How to Keep Young Athletes Fit
Proper preparation is key to ensuring that your young athlete becomes and stays fit. Unlike adults, children and adolescents have physical development issues that must be considered in training for a sport. A highly competitive sport typically means rigorous training schedules. Contact sports can increase the risk of a sports injury. Kids need to learn how to perform exercises correctly when training. They must learn about proper warm-up, stretching and strength training. Since children often think they are invincible, parents must ensure all of these issues are taken into consideration.
Prevention and Treatment of Sports Injury
One of the most important aspects of preventing sports injuries is proper physical preparation. Training is certainly important, but training to the point of pain or exhaustion can damage immature joints, put too much pressure on developing bones and increase the risk of injury. Other health habits are also critical – proper nutrition, hydration, and adequate sleep, for example. If an injury occurs, prompt treatment is key. It’s also important that children limit their activities once an injury occurs. Kids tend to focus on the short-term and may push themselves back to activity too soon.
How Chiropractic Care Benefits Children
Chiropractic care is beneficial whether the child participates in an athletic activity or not. All children, for example, should focus on correct posture and body mechanics. Carrying a heavy backpack on one shoulder can lead to problems in the spine. Slouching at a desk or spending long hours on the computer may result in headaches. A chiropractor can analyze the child’s posture, correct spinal alignment problems and make recommendations for exercises to stretch and strengthen muscles. Chiropractors can also perform a motion analysis to help identify ways in which the child’s movements – such as pitching, throwing or running – might be setting the stage for an injury. If an injury does occur, chiropractic can help with the healing process.
Contact Our Apex Wellness Center in Dallas, TX!
If your young athlete is having problems or is interested in improving his or her performance, please contact Apex Wellness Center at 972-392-9402. Our office is located at 6009 Belt Line Road in Dallas. As a top pediatric chiropractor in Dallas, TX, we also provide treatment for the whole family and serve the surrounding areas of Richardson, Carrollton, and Addison.
