WHETHER you are a professional athlete or recreational runner, chiropractic treatments can vastly improve your physical health, reduce the pain from injuries and improve your spine alignment for a more effective run. If you encounter an injury or any pain caused by running, a chiropractor can provide excellent rehabilitative care and keep your body in top form for physical activity.
Physical therapy aids in recovering strength in soft tissue and muscle in the body after an injury, however, chiropractic treatments can improve the mobility of your joints after an injury.
Chiropractors are trained to look at the whole body and align it for optimum balance. Aligning the body can relieve tension or pain that is caused from misalignment before it becomes more than a minor impediment.
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Runners may not even realize, until it is adjusted, that the tension they feel is the beginning of pain caused from being out of balance. Chiropractic adjustments are often part and parcel of a runner’s training programme to strengthen and improve performance.
Someone who can attest to this is Glenwood resident and member of the Stella Running Club, Lisa Sutton, who encountered a painful knee injury after a marathon. And after seeking chiropractic treatment, she never looked back.
Sutton has been a recreational runner for nine years and has been a member of the Glenwood-based Stella Running Club for six. “Stella is where I belong. My Stella family have given me the encouragement and tools that I need to achieve my goals. I am proud to say that I not only surpassed my initial goal of killing a 1km distance, I have quite a few half-marathons under my belt, and a few months before Covid-19 hit us, I proudly crossed a finish line for my first marathon, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.”
While training for her first half-marathon, Sutton developed a severe knee injury. “I was a running newbie, and I ran a little too far, too quickly. After the race, I struggled to walk and was out for a few weeks with a painful knee injury. You need to build a solid foundation; otherwise, your body will be quite unhappy with you.”
She was then advised by her running comrades to visit a chiropractor, but due to myths she had heard about chiropractors, she was sceptical. “I discussed my issue with a few runners, and many suggested seeing a chiro. I was a bit nervous, thinking that it was all about ‘clicking’ and ‘snapping’ your body, but I was very wrong. The sessions are so much more than that. They use machines, dry needling and multiple other techniques specific to an injury. A chiro will also provide advice for home treatments, the possible need for supplements, and in some instances, when further investigation is necessary, they can refer a patient to have X-rays, scans or blood tests,” said Sutton.
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After the success of her initial session, her perspective has shifted, and she now visits a chiropractor regularly. “The chiropractors I see talk you through the treatment they are about to do and why. I also ask a lot of questions to better understand my body and the implications of any injury. I’ve learnt so much. The knowledge of how a body works, how it responds, and when it needs the important periods of rest amazes me. Your body will tell you so much if you tune in and listen to it.”
Sutton says she feels that chiropractic visits are a personal choice, but they have helped her tremendously. “You need to find what works for you, but in my case, a chiro has helped me every time, and I have recovered well.”
For local residents, she recommends the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Chiro Clinic. “I find the team of chiropractors at DUT to be amazingly good. They are led by a wonderful team of qualified chiropractors, and they work hard to find a solution.”
To find out more about the DUT Chiro Clinic, contact them on 031 373 2205.
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