Sports medicine is a unique sub-specialty that focuses on medical issues that arise out of this more intense activity. Because the physiology of athletic movement and exercise differs from normal function, so must the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries resulting from it. Sports medicine practitioners apply their distinct knowledge and skills to help athletes and exercisers achieve or restore peak physical function.
The doctors utilize chiropractic manipulation or an adjustment to help restore normal function and motion in a joint that has become fixated. Our techniques employ gentle pressure or a shallow thrust to restore optimal motion. An adjustment is sometimes accompanied by a pop or cracking noise, which results from the joint's release of nitrogen gas. To date, many studies of the chiropractic adjustment have proven its effectiveness, safety and high levels of patient satisfaction.
Functional rehabilitation is similar to traditional elements of physical therapy, the purpose of which is to return the patient to proper movement patterns ranging in complexity from activities of daily living to highly complex movement patterns seen in athletics. This approach works to retrain muscles, restore joint function and prevent recurring injuries and doctor visits.
To reinforce the passive care, exercises are then prescribed to “teach” the body to move in a more efficient and less painful manner. Most importantly rehabilitation will provide you an education about your body and what you can do to treat yourself, as well as what you can do to prevent future injury.
Pre-participation Sports Physicals
Front Range Sports Medicine is a CHSAA certified provider of pre-participation sports physicals. Students can receive the inexpensive exam necessary to participate in a CHSAA sanctioned athletic programs.
Therapeutic and Athletic Taping
Therapeutic taping involves taping over and around muscles and joints in order to achieve various functional goals. The first application technique gives support while allowing the joint to maintain full range of motion. This enables the individual to participate in their normal physical activity with functional assistance. The second application technique, which is most commonly used in the acute stage of rehabilitation, helps prevent over-use of the injured area and facilitates lymph flow to reduce inflammation.
Athletic taping typically uses more rigid tapes with mechanical strength to resist stretching. It is applied to the skin to support, stabilize, and restrict movement in joints in order to aid healing and/or prevent injuries of the musculoskeletal system.
Soft Tissue Mobilization
A wide variety of techniques are employed to manipulate the soft tissue (muscle, tendons, ligaments, and fascia) in order to reduce pain and aid in the healing process. Such techniques include myofascial release, Graston, pin and stretch (similar to Active Release Technique, ART), and trigger point therapy. Through the use of tools and the practitioner’s skilled hands, these techniques eliminate adhesions, remodel scar tissue, reduce inflammation, and increase the extensibility of tissue. The resulting outcomes improve upon and restore proper biomechanics.
A wide range of therapeutic modalities are used to control pain, inflammation, scar tissue formation, and muscle spasms, as well as aiding in the healing process.
- Interferential electrical muscle stimulation
- Microamperage neural stimulation
- Mechanical traction
- Moist heat therapy
- Homeopathic injections
- Work hardening rehabilitation program
Flexion-distraction is a specific chiropractic technique that is an effective and noninvasive means of treating low back pain associated with disc herniation, bulge, and spinal stenosis. Flexion/distraction uses a specialized table. The patient is placed face down, and then the table is moved into flexion to create negative pressure in the disc and stretch surrounding musculature. This is necessary to help restore proper joint function, reduce inflammation and pain, and allow for better movement patterns.
Pediatrics and Pregnant Mother Care
Many parents have their newborns checked right after birth and as the infant grows, learning to hold up the head, sitting, crawling and initial walking stages are all times in spinal development where injury may occur and therefore spinal biomechanics can be adversely affected.
Chiropractic care in pregnancy is an essential ingredient to your prenatal care choices. A large percent of pregnant women experience back discomfort and pain during pregnancy. Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy can relieve and even prevent the common discomforts experienced. Specific adjustments eliminate stresses in your spine, restoring balance to your pelvis and creating an environment for an easier and safer delivery.
Massage is the manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue using various techniques, to enhance function, aid in the healing process, decrease muscle reflex activity, inhibit motor-neuron excitability, and promote relaxation and well-being.
Acupuncture is a Chinese therapy that has been used for centuries. It is based on the theory that there is energy, called chi or qi, flowing through your body. Chi is thought to flow along energy pathways called meridians. Acupuncturists believe a blocking or imbalance of the flow of chi at any point on a pathway may result in illness. Chinese medicine practitioners believe acupuncture unblocks and rebalances the flow of chi to restore health
Pilates is a body conditioning routine that builds flexibility, muscle strength, and endurance in the legs, abdominals, arms, hips, and back. It puts emphasis on spinal and pelvic alignment, breathing, and developing a strong core or center, and improving coordination and balance. Pilates' system allows for different exercises to be modified in range of difficulty from beginner to advanced. Intensity can be increased over time as the body conditions and adapts to the exercises.
Functional Assessment Screen
The assessment, which requires the patient to perform full-body movements, guides the clinician to a dysfunctional non-painful movement pattern, which is then assessed in detail. This approach is designed to complement the existing exam and serve as a model to efficiently integrate the concepts of posture, muscle balance and the fundamental patterns of movement into musculoskeletal practice. By addressing the most dysfunctional non-painful pattern, the application of targeted interventions (manual therapy and therapeutic exercise) is not adversely affected by pain.
Exercise and Nutritional Counseling
Patients are advised in proper exercise and nutritional habits to aid in injury recovery, athletic performance, and pain management. A variance of strategies can be formed ranging from full exercise and nutrition plans to small modifications of current habits.
Foot orthotics are used to aid people with foot problems as well as affecting knee, hip, and spine conditions. As such they are often used by athletes to relieve symptoms of a variety of soft tissue inflammatory conditions. Lower leg alignment is the key to power transfer. Proper and efficient power transfer is the key to performance.
The practitioners at Front Range Sports Medicine use an extensive knowledgebase to provide informative lectures for a multitude of audiences. Front Range Sports Medicine regularly presents to regional athletic trainers, students at Douglas County High School, Castle View High School, and local businesses. Lecture topics include:
- Chiropractors Role in Sports Medicine
- Proper Workstation Ergonomics, Lifting Techniques and Injury Prevention in the Workplace.
- Proper Nutrition for the Athlete
- Successful Aging
- Please contact Front Range Sports Medicine at (303) 688-8855 if you are interested in having a doctor speak at your event.