I recently read a very informative article by Claudia Arnig, D.C. called Sports-Related Injuries in Children: What Parents Need to Know. In this article Dr. Arnig gave some very interesting numbers that I believe all parents should know. It is estimated that 3.5 million children under the age of 14 receive some form of medical treatment for sports injuries each year. Also, the Institute for Preventative Sports Medicine estimates that each year close to 212 million school days are missed by students who have sustained a musculoskeletal injury vastly attributed to sports-related incidents.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 300, 000 children and adolescents suffer from sports-related concussions each year. Concussion symptoms range from memory loss, chronic headaches, difficulty with concentrations to depression. These symptoms can manifest for months, even years following a severe concussion. Some parents even reported abrupt personality changes following a serious sports-related head injury.

Repetitive stress injuries to children’s developing spine and extremities can also develop in children who play sports that require the child to move one arm or leg repetitively over long periods of time like baseball, golf, and tennis for example. If their sport leans toward asymmetrical movements, children should be taught how to properly warm up and cool down through symmetrical activities to balance the body and minimize repetitive strain injuries.

Childen should also be taught the concept of pain and its importance as a warning signal from the body that something is wrong and needs to be checked out. Taking pain medication or OTC pain relievers will simply mask the problem and act as a band aid instead of getting to the root cause of the problem.

Children benefit greatly from regular spinal and extremity check-ups with their chiropractor. Rather than waiting for an injury to occur, chiropractic care can help children practice practical prevention strategies and develop better overall stability.

ref: Dynamic Chiropractic, August 26, 2009

For example, aerobic exercise improves cardiovascular function.1, 2 As a result, during periods of rest the heart rate is slowed and the ability of the lungs to take in air (vital capacity) is increased. A slower heart rate means the heart is working more efficiently. Likewise, increased vital capacity means the lungs are working more efficiently. Fewer heart beats per minute and fewer breaths per minute result in reduced “wear and tear” on these critical systems. Aerobic exercise makes us healthier.

When we have stress, our muscles get tight. Sometimes this tightness is prolonged, and the normal mobility of our bones and joints is compromised. Reduced mobility of the spinal column creates a spiraling effect of tight muscles, tight ligaments, and further loss of mobility in the neck, middle back, and lower back. We experience pain in these areas as a result.3

These patterns may persist. We all know people who have frequent neck pain or lower back pain. These patterns of pain and limited mobility may result in changes to the normal curves of the spine. Normal curves may become flattened, and these changes result in further discomfort, muscular tension, and pain.

Importantly, loss of the normal spinal curvature in the neck and middle back may place additional stress on the heart and lungs. The actual, physical space in which these organs function may then become reduced. Maximum function may be compromised and efficiency is lost. Brisk walking used to be easy. Climbing stairs used to be no problem. Now these normal daily activities may leave you out-of-breath. You’re huffing-and-puffing and don’t know what’s happened.

You begin doing aerobic exercises to try to improve cardiovascular function. But the potential benefits are limited by these underlying muscle, ligament, and joint problems. You spend a lot of time exercising but don’t seem to be making any improvements.

Chiropractic health care may be able to restore more normal functioning. Chiropractic treatment restores mobility to spinal joints. The gentle treatment relieves stress on the spinal muscles and ligaments, which in turn improves spinal range of motion. Muscle tightness eases, pain and stiffness are reduced, and you become more flexible.

In addition, this improved flexibility allows your chest and rib cage to expand much more fully when you breathe. Your heart and lungs have more room to function, and you can now actually begin to receive the full benefits of your aerobic exercise. This in turn, leads to improved “Stroke Volume.”

Stroke volume is not about improving your golf scoreat least, not directly! Physiologically, stroke volume is the amount of blood your heart pumps every time it beats. The more blood pumped per heartbeat, the less times your heart has to contract to provide the needed amount of blood.

Our heart’s efficiency is directly related to stroke volume. Increased stroke volume means less work for the heart.

As you do more and better aerobic exercise, you are training your heart to be more efficient. Stroke volume increases over time as a result of this exercise, and you notice a number of things. First, it’s much easier to walk up hills and other inclines. Stair climbing requires no extra effort. If you’re a swimmer, you can go longer between breaths and you can stay underwater longer. If you play hockey,

And, you notice your heart rate goes down. A good resting pulse is 60 beats or less per minute. Most people who aren’t exercising have resting heart rates of 70 or greater, even 80 or greater. Less heartbeats per minute means less work for your heart.

Aerobic exercise, done correctly, makes a person much healthier overall, positively impacting many body systems. Chiropractic care helps you get fit and stay fit!

1Pivarnik JM, et al. Effects of maternal aerobic fitness on cardiovascular responses to exercise. Med Sci sports Exerc 25(9):993-998, 1993. 2Jackson EM, Dishman RK. Hemodynamic responses to stress among black women: fitness and parental hypertension. Med Sci Sports Exerc 34)7):1097-1104, 2002 3Petrella RJ, et al. Can primary care doctors prescribe exercise to improve fitness? Am J Prev Med 24(4):316-322, 2003

1. Stretch before and after you do any strengthening exercises. Here are some recommended stretches:

• Side bends work the muscles on the sides of your back and hips
• Hip rotations stretch several muscles in your hip, pelvis and thigh region
• The hamstring stretch works the large muscles at the back of your thighs
• Back extension helps the muscles that bend your spine backward, while back rotation stretches the muscles that rotate your spine and shoulder muscles
• The shoulder stretch works shoulders and upper arms

2. Muscle-strengthening exercises can make your body stronger and more flexible

• Wrist strength is very important during the impact phase of a golf game
• Strength in rotating the upper arms in either direction is important throughout the golf swing
• To improve form and strength in your golf swing, practice good posture by concentrating on using your abdominal and back muscles.
• Rowing strengthens the muscles of your upper back and shoulders.
• Pull-downs also work the shoulder and upper-back muscles.

3. When taking clubs out of your vehicle, bend your knees, slightly curve your spine, and gently lift the golf bag out of the vehicle.

4. ‘The clubs before the cart’ – Research shows that after one season of weekly golf games that involved walking the golf course, males over fifty significantly decreased their cholesterol count. [Source: October 1990 issue of The Physician and Sportsmedicine]

5. Warm up for your first swing. Make sure you stretch.

6. Bend your knees and use a golf club for support before stooping for the ball, or when preparing to tee off.

7. Ensure that you use correct posture and spinal angles when driving and putting.

8. Stretch to cool down after your game.

For more information, consult with your family chiropractor. www.bcchiro.com

Some of the changes that occur during the course of pregnancy:

• release of the hormone relaxin causes muscle and ligament relaxation
  • allows joints to more easily misalign
• increased weight gain
  • increased demand and fatigue on spinal and pelvic muscles
  • increased stress on spinal and pelvic ligaments
  • increase in lumbar and thoracic spinal curves which further increase the above
  • increased joint stress and thus occurrence of vertebral and sacroiliac joint misalignments
• change in weight distribution
  • increased demand and fatigue on spinal and pelvic muscles
  • increased stress on spinal and pelvic ligaments
  • increase in lumbar and thoracic spinal curves which further increase the above
  • increased joint stress and thus occurrence of vertebral and sacroiliac joint misalignments

The above changes primarily affect the pelvic and spinal ligaments, muscles, joints and other supportive soft tissues. These changes cause sprain/strains of pelvic and spinal structures, as well as alteration of the normal spinal curvatures and spinal biomechanics. The result is an increased stress on the body leading to pain and discomfort.

For more information, consult with your family chiropractor. www.bcchiro.com