How Chiropractic Care Can Help Young Athletes Thrive In Sports
When a teen finds a sport they are very interested in, there’s a spark that is lit inside them. They want to do everything in their power to succeed and be the best they can be on the court, on the field, or on the track. Often times however, teens get the base level of how to properly care and maintain their muscular strength in order to prevent injury. When I was in high school, I was a track athlete. I ran sprinting races from the 100m, 200m and 400m to the team relay events. I was one of the fastest in my age range for competitions, and it showed. Unfortunately, due to getting overworked and not properly getting the stretches and exercises down to prevent injury, I got hurt. I was a starter for the relay that was for the California State Finals for my school, and during practice I pulled my hamstrings out of the blocks. This was due to not properly warming up and I also being late to practice. I ended up doing many weeks of physical therapy and massage therapy, and yet sprinting did not happen again. I was discouraged and hopeless because I thought I would never run in my life again (because it was SO painful). Eventually though, I found a love for long distance running. Though I didn’t do track my senior year of high school, I found a love for something else- rehabilitation.
It kickstarted my desire to help other people get better in their day to day life- especially athletes because I understood the struggle of not being able to do something you love.
I began learning kinesiotaping for the football team and TA’ing a health science class. Then that catapulted me into going to Cal Poly for Kinesiology, then massage school, then finally chiropractic school.
Where I am getting at with this story is that I think a combination of physical therapy rehabilitative exercises/stretches, chiropractic care, and massage therapy all can play a role in helping repair the musculoskeletal system in the body. Often times, having a physical therapist watch you in the first acute stages of care is ideal post-injury, but it’s even better to do prehabilitation exercises to prevent getting there.
At the office here, we will always have you leave with exercises and stretches for your main complaint. These are stretches and exercises many physical therapists, chiropractors, and orthopedists will give you, but it is important to do these right after a treatment. This is due to the increased range of motion that occurs after care, and that will in turn allow you better range of motion, well, in motion!
Another aspect of getting care at a younger stage in life is the ossification of bones. Below are the age ranges for bones fully ossify:
Ages 11-16
Elbows and Knees: The kneecap (patella) finishes hardening, and the elbow complex fuses.
Hips and Pelvis: The three separate bones of the hip (ilium, ischium, and pubis) begin fusing into a single pelvic girdle.
Spine: The ring-like ends of the vertebrae start to ossify.
Growth Plates: The epiphyseal plates begin to narrow and harden, starting from the hands and feet and moving inward toward the torso (1).
Growth plates eventually stop producing cartilage and fuse completely, marking the end of bone lengthening. The timeline for complete fusion and ossification varies slightly depending on the specific bone and the individual:
Ages 17–20: Upper limb bones and shoulder blades.
Ages 18–23: Lower limb bones and hip bones.
Ages 23–26: Spine (vertebrae), sternum, and collarbones (2).
Going to see a chiropractor can ensure management of the alignment of the musculoskeletal system while bones are growing and hardening. Medical literature supports chiropractic care primarily as a conservative option for managing mechanical pain, joint mobility, and headaches in adolescents. It cannot alter the genetic timeline of when a child's bones will ultimately fuse. Because a young adult’s skeleton is largely made of flexible cartilage and open growth plates rather than solid bone, the mechanical forces acting on their body are highly critical (3).
Come in and see how we can help you excel in your athletic goals!
-Dr. Taryn Davis, DC, CMT, BS Kinesiology
