Chiropractic

What types of injuries can be treated with chiropractic care?

Chiropractic Care: Treating a Broad Range of Injuries

Globally, our scope in chiropractic is extended or expanded to include any type of musculoskeletal condition. So musculoskeletal really means any event or adverse event that affects the muscles, the articular structures, ligaments and tendons. And that would include things like muscle tears, muscle strains, ligamentous sprains, so ankle sprains, anything which is non-surgical, so a grade 1 or 2 muscle strain that doesn't actually ligament sprain such as ACL injury or MCL injury which doesn't necessarily require surgery in conjunction with an orthopedic surgeon. And then anything non-specific such as non-specific low back pain, neck pain and even headaches. So there's a very broad scope of conditions which can be treated by chiropractic care.

Chiropractic care can be used to treat a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions, including muscle tears, strains, ligament sprains, ankle sprains, low back pain, neck pain and headaches.

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In chiropractic care, our scope includes treatment for various musculoskeletal conditions. This encompasses events or issues that affect the muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons. Examples of injuries that can be treated include muscle tears, muscle strains, and ligament sprains (excluding severe ligament injuries that require surgical intervention). Chiropractic care can also be effective for non-specific conditions like low back pain, neck pain, and headaches. Overall, there is a broad range of conditions within the musculoskeletal realm that can benefit from chiropractic treatment.

What are the most effective strategies for preventing spine injuries in athletes?

Building Strength and Preparedness: Preventing Spine Injuries in Athletes

Athletes need to be strong and they need to be well prepared for the demands of their sport. There are many different types of sports which place many different types of demands on the body. Repetitive strain versus frequency of games or competition versus intensity of training versus phase of the season. So the effective strategies are first of all understanding what type of demands are placed on the spine during the sport and then what levels of intensity ebb and flow during the season. Once you understand that there are certain basic things that you can look at such as the lumbar endurance, the Soroson's test where we effectively ask the individual to support their body weight for a given period of time and there are certain benchmarks. So they would be lying face down and supporting themselves from the pelvis up in an extended position. That would be one example. Another would be coordination of lumbopelvic movement. Do they have good postural control? Those would be some of the key things we would want to look at. And then we would look at how the lumbar spine can expand.

Athletes need to be strong and well prepared for the demands of their sport, by understanding what type of demands are placed on their body, such as lumbar endurance, coordination of lumbo-pelvic movement, and postural control. These factors should be taken into account when creating effective strategies for training.

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The most effective strategies for preventing spine injuries in athletes involve building strength and preparing for the specific demands of their sport. Different sports place varying demands on the body, such as repetitive strain, frequency of games or competition, intensity of training, and phases of the season. To develop effective strategies, it's crucial to understand the specific demands placed on the spine during the sport and how intensity levels fluctuate throughout the season. Assessing lumbar endurance is important, such as through tests like the Soroson's test where individuals support their body weight in an extended position. Coordination of lumbopelvic movement and good postural control are also key factors to consider. Understanding how the lumbar spine can expand is another aspect to explore. By addressing these areas, athletes can better prevent spine injuries and optimize their performance.

What motivated you to start the High Performance Incubator? 

From Traveling to Sharing: Founding the High Performance Incubator

I'll keep this one short. Why did I decide to start the High Performance Incubator? I spent many years traveling around Latin America and the United States and also Europe working with a variety of practitioners from different backgrounds. In fact, I learned so much from, in particular, the strength and conditioning world that I felt it was remiss of me not to try to share some of these lessons with my colleagues. Obviously, I'm a chiropractor, but I consider myself to be more of a performance therapist or an individual who is dedicated to high performance. That being said, I feel like I've spent a lot of years trying to search for my people the right path for me. And part of the High Performance Incubator is allowing people to take a shortcut and to get to where they want to be a little bit faster by exposing good, reputable people to individuals who may have already walked their path.

I decided to stop the high performance incubator because I wanted to share the lessons I had learned with my colleagues, and help people reach their goals faster by introducing them to people who have already walked the path.

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The motivation behind starting the High Performance Incubator was my extensive experience working with practitioners from various backgrounds during my travels in Latin America, the United States, and Europe. I particularly gained valuable insights from the strength and conditioning world, which I felt compelled to share with my colleagues. While I am a chiropractor by profession, I consider myself more of a performance therapist dedicated to achieving high performance. Throughout my journey, I spent years searching for the right path and now want to provide others with a shortcut to reach their goals faster. The High Performance Incubator aims to connect individuals with reputable experts who have already walked similar paths, enabling them to find their way more efficiently.

How should someone with spinal stenosis go about improving their low back while lifting weights?

Improving Low Back Strength with Lumbar Stenosis

Hey Carter, that's a great question. Weirdly we actually run a lumbar spinal stenosis boot camp through our clinic here. And for those that don't know, lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal where the spinal cord passes through in the lower back area. It can be caused by aging and degeneration or it can be caused by genetic factors such as a smaller canal. And it can be very problematic for individuals and can often lead to surgery if unchecked. So weight training to strengthen the lower back with lumbar stenosis. Number one, educational piece is huge in this. We want to be able to control the lumbopelvic relationship. And what that means is typically in stenotic patients, they do not do well in spinal extension. That's to say when they are leaning back and increasing that lumbar curve. Therefore we emphasize exercises to educate the individual into a more suitable posture which would be bringing the lumbar curve into flexion. So once you've established good lumbar control, in all honesty, then it becomes a question of increasing endurance, which is going to increase the strength and resilience of the lumbar muscles. And then making sure that you're not putting yourself into provocative or painful positions.

Weight training to strengthen lower back with lumbar stenosis should focus on controlling the lumbo-pelvic relationship and emphasizing exercises to educate the individual into a more suitable posture. Endurance should be increased by increasing strength and resilience of the lumbar muscles, while making sure not to put yourself into provocative or painful positions.

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Improving the low back while lifting weights for someone with spinal stenosis requires specific considerations. Lumbar spinal stenosis involves the narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back, often due to aging, degeneration, or genetic factors. It can be problematic and may require surgery if left untreated. In weight training for this condition, education plays a crucial role. Controlling the lumbopelvic relationship is important, as stenotic patients typically struggle with spinal extension (leaning back and increasing the lumbar curve). Therefore, exercises focus on educating individuals towards a more suitable posture that brings the lumbar curve into flexion. Once good lumbar control is established, the goal is to increase endurance to strengthen and build resilience in the lower back muscles. It's vital to avoid positions or movements that provoke pain or discomfort.

How can spine health be improved through blood flow restriction training?

Unlocking Spine Health: The Power of Blood Flow Restriction Training

Blood flow restriction training is predominantly actually focused on hypertrophy, which is increasing the cross-sectional area of a muscle, and as a consequence of that should be a concomitant increase in strength and perhaps also strength endurance, depending upon the type of exercise that we're doing. The protocols don't specifically imbue additional strength or resilience or spinal health per se, however, a stronger athlete is going to be more resilient and they're going to be more capable of resisting the types of forces that are going to be placed through the body. In addition, we can also mitigate overload. So for example, when we use blood flow restriction training, we can decrease the amount of weight to get the same hypertrophy effect, which means that for example, on a back squat, the type of load or compression on the spine, the forces may be less. So it would be protective rather than preventative.

Flow Restriction Training is mainly focused on hypertrophy, which can increase an athlete's strength and resilience, as well as decrease the amount of weight used in exercises to reduce strain on the spine.

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Blood flow restriction training primarily focuses on increasing muscle size (hypertrophy) and, subsequently, strength and possibly strength endurance. While the protocols themselves do not directly address spinal health, a stronger athlete will generally be more resilient and better able to withstand forces exerted on the body. Additionally, blood flow restriction training can help mitigate overload by allowing for the same hypertrophy effect with reduced weight. This means that exercises like back squats may place less compression or load on the spine, potentially offering a protective effect. However, it is important to note that blood flow restriction training is not specifically designed as a preventative measure for spinal health but rather as a method to enhance muscle growth and strength.

Ankle braces: Not a foolproof solution for preventing sprains

The jury is still out on whether or not ankle bracing can prevent sprains. What they can help with is the sense that there is some sort of support or stability and they can often be useful as a bridge back into sport and activity. They can also be used as a supportive aid during the rehabilitation process. However, if I was simply hoping that a fabric brace or even a brace with a little bit more rigor would entirely prevent a sprain, I think that's unlikely because they're not designed with that purpose in mind. They are really orthoses to support during the rehab process or to protect during the early stages post-injury rather than something which you should use long-term to try to decrease the incidence of sprains during sport.

Fabric braces or bracing with a bit more rigidity can be used as support during the rehabilitation process and to protect in the early stages post-injury, but they cannot prevent sprains.

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The effectiveness of ankle braces in preventing sprains is still uncertain. However, ankle braces can provide a sense of support and stability, making them useful for transitioning back into sports and activities. They can also serve as supportive aids during the rehabilitation process. It's important to note that fabric braces or more rigid ones are not designed with the sole purpose of entirely preventing sprains. They primarily function as orthoses to support during rehab or protect in the early stages post-injury, rather than being used long-term to reduce sprain occurrence during sports.

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Performance therapist, chiropractor, Neuro rehab.

Neither AnyQuestion nor its Experts provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment or otherwise provide professional healthcare services.

Nicky Kirk, DC, MS