I have been a regular chiropractic patient for over 3 years and absolutely swear by it.  Not only does it maintain my general health but I find it vital as an athlete.........

To give a brief outline (I could talk all day on this subject); I had suffered with migraines since a teenager and they were severe!  They always required 2-3 days off work, no medication even came close to relieving them.  The usual stars and speckles, followed by temporary blindness, then came the sickness and immense pain.  Doctors simply told me I would always suffer and that it could be certain foods that were triggering them.  Spinal alignment or joint movement was never mentioned.

Fast forward some years and I met a chiropractor who talked me into seeing him for an assessment – until this point I would never have trusted a chiro with my neck, I fitted into the category of “if they do it wrong the can break your neck/paralyse you” (watching to many films and listening to uni lecturers label them as cowboys!)

“Woooaahhh” is all I can say after that first adjustment – my neck felt as though it had had the biggest release ever.  It took a few consecutive sessions to fully feel a difference but I can honestly say I have not had a migraine since.

It was from this visit that I started to become educated to the world of chiropractic and later chose to work alongside side a team of chiropractors at a private clinic.

I remember getting extremely funny looks when I left my position in the NHS to work privately with chiropractors.  They thought I had gone mad!

I can honestly say it was the best move ever.  It opened my eyes to what is possible if the spine is functioning at it’s most optimal.

I have watched individuals be told by other medical professionals (including physio) that the only option is surgery and as a last resort have come to the chiro clinic.  Within two weeks of treatment seen massive improvements and by the end of their treatment plan (which always included functional rehab from myself) they have been fully functional and so greatful that surgery in fact was never required.

By no means am I saying other professions don’t work or aren’t an option,  I am simply attempting to provide an insight into chiropractic care and how it can benefit us as athletes as generally, people think of chiropractic care when they have a bad back or a whiplash injury.  However what most people don’t realise is that it is widely used by top sportsman in pretty much every field as a preventative tool for injuries not just post injury.

I used to find that when I trained, particularly chest.  My left arm would give way mid rep with no warning and there would be absolutely no power/strength at all.  I’d have my training partner shouting away, telling me to work through it but it would be impossible, there was just no strength left.  I now realise this had nothing to do with muscles fatiguing or the usual line of  ‘it’s just lactic acid build up’ – it was simply poor communication from the spinal system/nerves (due to poor spinal function) to the muscle leading to what appeared as fatigue.  The downside to this as a figure athlete was that I was never getting to the true point of muscle fatigue and therefore limiting my potential to develop muscle growth.

I am now hugely aware of when my muscles are not functioning to their optimal and ensure I get regularly adjusted to limit the occurrence of a poor training session.

This is just one example of how chiropractic can optimise training and I will post testimonials in the near future to provide other athletes insights into how it benefits their training and competition results.

Arnold Schwarzenneger is a massive advocate for chiropractic care, he has even been a guest speaker at some of their annual meetings and quoted saying:

“Chiropractic is about natural, preventive health care.  Bodybuilders and fitness people have been using, very extensively, chiropractors in order to stay healthy and fit.

Whenever I had a little problem with my body, I always ran to one of my dear friends [Franco Columbo,D.C.], He was always right there with the adjustments. This is how I found out the best way of going, is to use Chiropractors, not only after injuries, but also before injury."

“We’ve got to let the people know that there is a necessity, it’s not even an option, it’s a necessity to have a chiropractor. As much as it is a necessity to have a dentist, if you have a dentist for the family, you should have your chiropractor for the family.”  - Arnold Schwarzennger

Oher top athletes who regularly use chiropractors include:

Tiger Woods ~ 14 time PGA Championship Golfer

"...lifting weights and seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis has made me a better golfer. I've been going to chiropractors for as long as I can remember. It's as important to my training as practicing my swing.”

Evander Holyfield

" "I Have To Have An Adjustment Before I Go Into The Ring. I Do Believe In Chiropractic. I Found That Going To A Chiropractor Three Times A Week Helps My Performance. The Majority Of Boxers Go To Get That Edge." "

Lance Armstrong-7 Time Tour De France Winner

Lance Said That He Could Not Have Won Without His Chiropractor's Help. "I Am Just Coming Into My Best Years. This Year I Did New Things; Stretching And Abdominal Work."

In America having a chiropractor is as normal and as frequent an occurrence as seeing your dentist.  “you see your dentist for a check up on your teeth, why wouldn’t you do the same with your spine?  You only get one”

A quick insight into how chiropractic works

As you may have gathered, chiropractic care is aimed to restore spinal health.  If our spine is fixated/not functioning correctly the nerves/signals to our muscles become inhibited or irritated which in turn affects our biomechanics, hindering our optimal performance.

With the use of adjustments to return spinal segments to their normal mobility and using advanced tissue therapy to help supportive tissues (muscles, tendons and ligaments) a chiropractor works to assist the body reach it’s optimal function levels.

***Although a very brief insight into how chiropractic care works and the benefits it can provide us with as athletes.  I'd be interested to take on any questions/discussions about chiropractic care or any other alternative treatments and experiences (which I have no doubt some of you will!) which require a more in depth answer/coverage as I can then ensure I cover the aspects that suit everyones interests. 

I simply hope to to increase awareness and the benefits of chiropractic care within sports as I feel it’s largely overlooked and misunderstood by many, including other professionals and open up peoples thoughts as to why they may be experiencing some of the limitations they come across when training