FRANKFORT, Ill., Dec. 8, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A chiropractor in Frankfort wants to make adult athletes and parents of younger athletes aware that football injuries can respond well to natural treatment methods. According to Dr. Scott Stratton of Advanced Chiropractic Wellness Center, a combination of spinal adjustment, physiotherapy and other healing modalities can help players recover from such common yet serious injuries as whiplash, herniated lumbar discs and concussions. "We want these people to know that many of them can achieve genuine, lasting pain relief without surgery or drugs, while also healing themselves more efficiently, thanks to chiropractic care," he says.
Dr. Stratton points to concussions as one of the most notable types of injuries sustained on the gridiron. He explains that this form of brain injury, which occurs when the brain is hit against the interior of the skull due to a violent jarring or direct impact, can cause cognitive impairment, disrupted sleep habits, emotional swings, fatigue and sensory hypersensitivity. He adds that more than 250,000 football players experience concussions each year.
"It is critical that players who may have sustained a concussion seek medical help immediately," he says. Dr. Stratton notes, however, that many concussion symptoms can be mimicked by cervical spinal injuries, especially those that occur near the atlas and axis bones that join the skull to the spinal column. He regularly adjusts the vertebrae of the neck to relieve the nerve impingements that accompany concussions in football injuries.
The practitioner states that other musculoskeletal football injuries are not necessarily associated with the sport of football. He cites whiplash, a neck injury common in automotive accidents, as an example. "A violent landing or tackle can jolt the body severely, and this throws the head around not unlike a car crash would. Players come away with herniated disks in the neck, pinched nerves and muscle damage," says Dr. Stratton, who adds that whiplash victims may suffer from headaches, arm pain and jaw pain in addition to acute pain and stiffness of the neck. Dr. Stratton's clinic uses spinal adjustments to correct the misalignments in the vertebrae, allowing a combination of physiotherapy and corrective exercises to rebuild the neck's strength and range of motion.
Dr. Stratton mentions that nerve impingement, disc herniation and spinal misalignments can occur not just in the neck but also in the lower lumbar region, especially after a punishing tackle. "Lower lumbar pain is typically thought of as a type of personal injury, but it also occurs on the playing field," he says. He has found that chiropractic treatment and rehabilitation are similarly effective against this form of injury. The chiropractor in Frankfort encourages players and their families to contact the clinic for additional information.
In addition to sports injuries, Advanced Chiropractic Wellness Center treats personal injuries, workplace injuries, chronic pain conditions and other musculoskeletal ailments in Frankfort patients.