Sports Injuries
You train frequently. You love it. But you seem to get one injury after another. You start to feel better and return to training. It flares up again- or you get a completely new injury. Urgh!
When you’re out injured, all you can think about is getting back into it. You feel miserable not being able to do what you love. You start eating more. Feel down. And you miss the social side of things.
In 2011-2012 it was estimated that over 36 000 Aussies were hospitalised by sports injuries (Australian sports injury hospitalisations 2011-12, 2014). Even more common are less traumatic - yet still worrying - sports injuries such as:
Golfers elbow
Ankle sprain
Plantar fasciitis
Rotator cuff
ACL tear or strain
Meniscus injury
Shin splints
Hamstring strain or tear
Groin strains
Corky
Runners knee
Jumpers
Achilles tendinitis
Back pain
It’s natural that you want to avoid surgery. Worse still is when you’ve had surgery but you’re still in pain. In fact, up to 13% of ACL surgical repairs re-rupture and only around half return back to competitive sports again (Ardern et al 2014).
Research suggests there are similar outcomes for some surgical and non-surgical treatments - like shoulder impingement (Monk et al. 2016) (van de Wall et al. 2020) (Nazari et al. 2019).
We know that injuries are more than just changes in the body. The brain also changes (Miao et al. 2017) (Neto et al. 2017) (Hotz-Boendermaker et al. 2016) (Gokeler et al. 2019) (Baumeister et al. 2011)!
We used to talk about RICE for an acute injury. Now we avoid HARM and apply PEACE and LOVE to an injury (Dubois & Esculier 2017). But what then? No two injuries are the same.
No two people are the same. That’s why we offer a range of tailored treatment options from caring, experienced practitioners.
“Why is this happening to me?” or “How can I get better so I can get back to doing what I love?”
We understand you may feel frustrated, hopeless, or confused by now. Well please know you’re not alone. Here at Body and Brain Centre, we hear this a lot from people with sports injuries.
It’s great that you’ve tried a few things. You now know what doesn’t work. So you’re a step closer to finding out what does work.
Ways we can help you manage your sports injuries
Our team can skillfully get to the source of your injury, how to treat it, and help you with rehab.
People recover from sport injuries through a range of ways, depending on preference and their needs:
Chiropractic
Dry Needling
Acupuncture
Cupping
You don’t need to worry about which service suits - we’ll point you in the right direction. However, you may like to understand how these services may help:
Chiropractic for sports injuries
Our Chiropractors are trained to treat head to toe - and we understand how connected the body really is.
A limp from a sprained ankle can flare up your hip, knee or back pain. Over time your brain changes too. It ‘remembers’ the pain. Your brain changes the muscle activation patterns. It goes into protective mode.
Chiropractic adjustments free locked up joints. Massage tight muscles. Strengthens weak muscle & rewire your brain (Herold et al. 2019). Different therapies may be used like laser, cupping, dry needling or TENS. Lots can be done depending on your injury and your preference.
Chiropractors can diagnose what's going on and refer you for appropriate scans if required. They work alongside your surgeon, podiatrist and other doctors to ensure you have the best treatment.
Chiropractic at Body and Brain Centre
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for sports injuries
By clearing stagnant energy, acupuncture can relieve your pain (Malone 2017) (McDonald & Janz 2017) (Ernst & White 1998). The calm state achieved promotes healing, reduces inflammation and decreases muscle tension.
All this can get you back to your sport sooner.
There are lots of ways your Doctor of Chinese Medicine can help your sprains, strains, aches and pains: acupuncture, cupping, moxa, Chinese massage, herbs, needle-free laser acupuncture.
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine at Body and Brain Centre
Let us help you
Not sure which service to start with?
No worries. Book your free phone consultation and we’ll point you in the right direction. Medicare rebates may be available. From here we can start an open, and honest conversation about your sport injury just to make sure we’re the right fit for you.
Related articles you'll enjoy
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20 February, 2019
Sports Chiropractic
17 March, 2017
Research references
Ardern CL, Taylor NF, Feller JA & Webster KE (2014). Fifty-five percent return to competitive sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery: an updated systematic review and meta analysis including aspects of physical functioning and contextual factors. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(21):1543–52.
Australian sports injury hospitalisations 2011-12 (2014). Australian Institute of Health & Welfare. 2014 Nov 4. Accessed via https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injcat/168/australian-sports-injury-hospitalisations-2011-12/contents/summary on 30/08/2019
Baumeister J, Reinecke K, Schubert M & Weiß M (2011). Altered electrocortical brain activity after ACL reconstruction during force control. J. Orthop. Res., 29: 1383-1389. Doi:10.1002/jor.21380
Dubois B & Esculier J (2019). Soft-tissue injuries simply need PEACE and LOVE. British Journal of Sports Medicine. Published Online First: 03 August 2019. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-101253
Ernst E & White AR (1998). Acupuncture for Back Pain: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Arch Intern Med. 1998;158(20):2235–2241. doi:10.1001/archinte.158.20.2235
Gokeler A, Neuhaus D, Benjaminse A, Grooms DR & Baumeister J (2019). Principles of Motor Learning to Support Neuroplasticity After ACL Injury: Implications for Optimizing Performance and Reducing Risk of Second ACL Injury. Sports Medicine. Doi:10.1007/s40279-019-01058-0
Herold, F., Törpel, A., Schega, L. et al. (2019). Functional and/or structural brain changes in response to resistance exercises and resistance training lead to cognitive improvements – a systematic review. Eur Rev Aging Phys Act 16, 10 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s11556-019-0217-2. Further studies are required to confirm these results but this review suggested that resistance exercise evoked substantial functional brain changes, particularly in the frontal lobe.
Hotz-Boendermaker S, Marcar VL, Meier ML, Boendermaker B, Humphreys BK (2016). Reorganization in Secondary Somatosensory Cortex in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients. Spine: June 1, 2016 - Volume 41 - Issue 11 - p E667-E67. Doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000001348
Malone M (2017). The Utility of Acupuncture in Sports Medicine: A Review of the Recent Literature. Journal of Sports Medicine and Therapy. 2017; 2: 020-027.DOI: 10.29328/journal.jsmt.1001004
Miao X, Huang H, Hu X, Li D, Yu Y & Ao Y (2017). The characteristics of EEG power spectra changes after ACL rupture. PLoS One. 2017;12(2, article e0170455). Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170455.
Monk AP, Davies LJ, Hopewell S, Harris K, Beard DJ, Price AJ (2016). Surgical versus conservative interventions for treating anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Apr 3;4:CD011166. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011166.pub2. Low quality evidence suggests that there’s not much difference between surgical repair of ACL injuries and rehabilitation in young adults. It is noted that many patients who opt for rehabilitation end up getting surgery within a few years.
Nazari G, MacDermid JC, Bobos P (2019). Conservative versus Surgical Interventions for Shoulder Impingement: An Overview of Systematic Reviews of Randomized Controlled Trials. Physiotherapy Canada. Published Online: December 19, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3138/ptc-2018-0111. No difference in outcomes was noted for surgical and rehabilitation for shoulder impingement. Shoulder specific exercises should be given as a first line of conservative treatment.
Neto T, Sayer T, Theisen D & Mierau A (2019). Functional Brain Plasticity Associated with ACL Injury: A Scoping Review of Current Evidence. Neural Plast. 2019; 2019: 3480512.Published online 2019 Dec 27. Doi: 10.1155/2019/3480512
van de Wall BJM,Ochen Y, Beeres FJD, Babst R, Link BC, Heng M, van der Velde D, Knobe M, Groenwold RHH, Houwert MR (2020). Conservative vs. operative treatment for humeral shaft fractures: a meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized clinical trials and observational studies. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. Available online 3 April 2020. Positive results seen with both surgery and rehabilitation however surgery reduced the risk of non-union.
