Running is a fantastic exercise for the body, mind and spirit. As our feet hit and lift from the ground, each motion propels us towards a healthier, happier state of being. Running can help us feel free, focused, clear and accomplished. Regular running can add up to a plethora of benefits that include better heart heath, improved immune function, reduced chance of cataracts a balance of cholesterol, disease prevention, a decrease in stress and depression, and an overall greater sense of wellbeing and energy; Running in moderation can even stave off cancer! For all of these positive results of running, there are really few disadvantages. The same skeletal and muscular movement that enables our bodies to benefit from running will occasionally need maintenance and care to prevent various strain and injury. When such problems do occur, they result in a number of issues that I refer to as running syndromes.
Running syndromes occasionally slow down many of my athletic patients. They affect those individuals who run daily and consider themselves die hard runners, first and foremost. Running syndromes also affect other athletes and players who run as part of their training and fitness programs. My primary goal is to help my patients prevent running syndromes in the first place, which is accomplished through regular sports chiropractic care to keep your spine, joints and muscles in peak alignment thus enabling higher performance condition and enable your body to absorb the motion that’s fundamental to athletic movement. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for me to see a patient that needs care and assistance in recovering from a running syndrome. What are these syndromes? They are many, but the most common tend to be shin splints, snapping hip syndrome, pulled hamstrings, piriformis syndrome, severs syndrome, iliotibial band syndrome, plantar fascitis, and cartilage breakdown-- which is known as a number of problems, including runner’s knee. Sprains, stress fractures and various forms of tendonitis are all fairly common as well.
These problems can easily keep runners from doing what they love for long periods of time. Too often, conventional medicine treats the symptoms of these conditions, such as soreness and pain, but the affected area is never truly addressed. This frequently means that athletes will reinjure the same region over and over again. Fortunately, the reinjure cycle can be stopped through chiropractic care. Sports chiropractic differs from standard medicine in its targeted, corrective and preventative approach. Through adjustments, joint and muscle focused rehab therapies and treatments that hasten recovery, like those that I offer at my practice, runners, and other athletes can restore the harmony of their complex biological networks and achieve top performance. I invite any runners and athletes out there, whether you’ve sustained an injury or you simply want to continue performing at your best, to come see how sports chiropractic can benefit you. Contact me directly at my chiropractic and longevity center inSan Rafael, CA: 415-721-7520 or visit my website www.summitchiro.net for more information.
