Home » Blog » We Love Running, But Running Doesn’t Love Us
Running is great for the mind, as a stress reducer and helping you stay young and vital. But running is not always great on the body – especially for people of a certain age. We often have a love hate relationship with the sport. We crave that endorphin rush, or runner’s high and we cringe at the occasional pain. So what’s a runner to do?
Regular chiropractic care can help keep you on the road, and enjoying your runner’s high for a longer period of time. Many common running injuries are caused by over use and repetitive motion. As we age, our bodies lose some of the recuperative ability that is needed to ward off repetitive motion injuries. Chiropractic care stimulates the body’s own recovery process and improves mobility which can help reduce future injury.
Chiropractors have many ways to treat running and other sports injuries. What specific treatment they use will depend entirely on the individual and the type of injury. One such therapy is therapeutic ultrasound. This is used to heal soft tissue in joints and tendons. Sports injuries and arthritis are treated with ultrasound to relieve inflammation and promote blood flow.
Your chiropractor may also elect to use electrical muscle stimulation. Low-level electrical currents are used to stimulate muscles, forcing them to contract. Benefits include:
- Relaxation of muscle spasms
- Prevention or retardation of disuse atrophy
- Increased local blood circulation
- Muscle re-education
- Maintaining or increasing range of motion
In addition to specific therapies, you will likely be asked to rest, apply ice to the affected area and perhaps take a mild over-the-counter pain medicine until the injury has recovered.
Finding a chiropractor who specializes in helping athletes of a certain age can go a long way toward keeping you active, fit and staying healthy for a long time to come.