Chiropractic Care Helps Athletes Jump Higher!

Basketball Player scoring a slam dunk basket

Ankle sprain is the most common sports injury and affects many athletes’ sports performance during game. It typically occurs when the foot turns inward (inversion), causing over-stretching or tears of the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. A minor sprain can be resolved by using “PRICE therapy”—Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation, but a moderate to severe sprain requires additional therapies. Without adequate treatment and rehabilitation, the condition becomes chronic, and you may suffer from recurrent ankle sprains.

33 college students in South Africa with recurrent ankle sprains participated in the 4-week study the participants were randomly allocated to receive rehabilitation alone or chiropractic treatment AND rehabilitation. Researchers found that the participants who received both rehabilitation and chiropractic showed better results in the pain scale and the joint motion restrictions.

In a study published in 2014, 22 female handball players with talocrural dysfunction (one of the three joints that compose the ankle) were recruited to participated in a pilot study. They were randomized to receive chiropractic treatment or sham treatment once a week for 3-week. Researchers found that chiropractic treatment increased vertical jump height in the female athletes with the ankle problem. This is a preliminary result, and the larger scale of trials are needed to confirm the result. But this is a great example that more athletes now seek for non-invasive, safe, and effective chiropractic treatment to boost up their sports performance. Please Contact Us or your local chiropractor today!

References:

Lubbe, D., Lakhani, E., Brantingham, J. W., Parkin-Smith, G. F., Cassa, T. K., Globe, G. a, & Korporaal, C. (2015). Manipulative therapy and rehabilitation for recurrent ankle sprain with functional instability: a short-term, assessor-blind, parallel-group randomized trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 38(1), 22–34.

Hedlund, S., Nilsson, H., Lenz, M., & Sundberg, T. (2014). Effect of chiropractic manipulation on vertical jump height in young female athletes with talocrural joint dysfunction: A single-blind randomized clinical pilot trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 37(2), 116–123.