As we follow our March Madness brackets and watch teams win or lose, it’s easy to forget what these athletes go through in a game and the efforts of their health care professionals that keep them in the game. We are reminded of how hard the players are on their bodies when we think about the Carolina Tarheels. They lost after being down to their third-string emergency point guard due to two serious medical injuries (Kendall Marshall with a broken wrist and Dexter Strickland with a torn ACL). This is not a common situation in basketball. Most of the time, players are kept in play. “A key piece factor in keeping players in the game is a team chiropractor,” states Dr. Andrew Cohen of ProActive Chiropractic in the Financial District of San Francisco who works with many Bay Area athletes.
“Chiropractic care helps to give a team and athlete a competitive advantage in whatever sport they participate in. Specifically, it helps to enhance endurance levels, assist in the recovery from many structural injuries and achieve overall peak performance,” shares Dr. Craig Buhler, who for 26 years served as the DC for the Utah Jazz, treating countless athletes including NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton. “By including chiropractic into an athlete’s regular health practices, one is able to maximize training and optimize functional balance and skill.”
Recently, all-star point guard for the Chicago Bulls and former National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose shared his success with chiropractic care in recovering from back spasms that forced him to the bench. In an interview with ESPN, Rose says, “The whole week I was seeing a great chiropractor, (Dr.) Stuart Yoss. He did a great job on getting me back.” After missing five games, the longest in Rose’s career, he has returned to play in optimal shape.
Chiropractic care is an important component of sports injury treatment. Professional athletes across the spectrum of sports, including those with the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, professional golf and others, rely on the unique care of DCs to help manage and prevent injuries. Many college and high school teams are also recognizing the value of increased access for their athletes.
“A collaboration of several healthcare professionals is key to caring for elite sporting teams,” shares Dr. Buhler. “Chiropractic is an essential component to this healthcare team and, as it continues to become more apparent, athletes are recognizing the value it has for accomplishing their goals of staying in the game and playing at their best.”
To learn more about chiropractic and sports and how quickly you can get back competing visit: www.ProActiveSF.com and www.Yes2Chiropractic.com. Dr. Cohen specializes in getting you back to play as quickly as possible in as few visits as possible.