Remember when you were young and invincible? At least that is what you thought. Accidents and injuries are only things that happen to other people, right? Nonetheless, when youngsters play a contact sporting activity such as football, there’s a very real chance of injuries that could impact them for the rest of their lives.
Of the greater than one million players that took part in 2011, two senior high school football players passed away as a result of football-related accidents. However, non-fatal back and neck injuries are much more common. Chiropractic doctors recommend that many of these injuries can be prevented by educating football players about how their spinal column functions as well as which positions to avoid throughout play, particularly when tackling. Several professional teams even employ their very own chiropractic doctors to help avoid and treat injuries.
Most of the significant football injuries are dued to compression of the cervical spine(neck). When players collide during a tackle, the amount of force felt by both players is substantial. Nonetheless, if a player drops his head prior to impact, the collision is really felt far more acutely, as the flexing of the cervical spine decreases the natural properties of shock absorption in this part of the upper back. Maintaining the head up could significantly minimize the number and severity of neck injuries in youthful players. Preventing direct head helmet contact with an opponent is additionally a vital part of staying safe as well as reducing impact on the neck and upper back.
Along with good tackling mechanics, warming up as well as cooling off before and after a game is as vital in football as it is in various other sporting activities. Muscles that have not been warmed up and also stretched before a game are much more likely to tear or get strained on physical exertion. In a similar way, cooling off exercises protect against sharp contractions of over-exerted muscles. Players from a very young age are tought this by any good coach.
Training muscles with health club workouts is a vital part of many sporting activities. However, there might be a propensity in football for trainers and players to focus on areas of the body that enhance performance (such as the legs and upper body) while overlooking the more susceptible muscles of the neck region. Neck conditioning is a great way of lowering the possibility of a significant cervical injury, as the muscles will have the ability to absorb more of the effect of a collision. As noted above, this is even a lot more true if the player’s head is kept up.
A number of chiropractic organizations have taken a lead in enlightening football teams and players at the senior high school level and beyond to minimize the risk of head, neck and back injuries. Some chiropractic doctors provide complimentary advice to teams and create posters and instructional messages to post in locker room areas as a natural extension of their chiropractic care. An excellent ongoing partnership between local chiropractic doctors and senior high school football teams provides a strong basis for educating youthful athletes about the significance of spinal health and wellness, proper preparation and good playing mechanics.
For more information, please call Barger Chiropractic of Folsom, located at 231 Blue Ravine Rd, #200, Folsom, CA, 916-984-9999 or Visit our website at http://www.docbarger.com
