SARASOTA, Fla., Feb. 3, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A Sarasota chiropractor wishes to remind patients who may be traveling for winter vacations to snowy climates that proper wellness care can help prevent common sports injuries that occur this time of year, and that such injuries may respond to natural, treatments such as chiropractic care. According to Dr. Abe Kozma of Sarasota Chiropractic, Physical Therapy & Massage, skiing, snowboarding and other popular winter pastimes frequently result in musculoskeletal injuries. "Even if patients are engaging in indoor sports, it is always best to prep muscles to help reduce injury," he says.
Sprains and strains of muscles and connective tissues are common winter athletic injuries, and the chiropractor cites a lack of proper preparation as one reason. "Your muscles, tendons and ligaments do not have the same degree of flexibility and elasticity in cold weather as they do when they are warm," he explains. "When subjected to extreme motions or stresses under such conditions, they are more likely to become pulled or torn." He recommends that athletes perform warm-up exercises to help prevent this problem.
The Sarasota chiropractor recommends massage and physical therapy for many soft tissue injuries. Massage, he says, enhances the circulation, allowing inflammatory toxins to exit muscle fibers and enhancing the action of healing nutrients. He adds that physical therapy can help an injured body part return to or even surpass its former strength and flexibility. "For instance, we treat a lot of sprained ankles and knee injuries," he says," and strengthening exercises are an important part of ensuring that the athlete regains his full range of motion in the joint." Like massage, physical therapy is also instrumental in pain relief.
Dr. Kozma warns that the arms, legs and spine can all take a beating in winter sports, noting that skiers tend to be more prone to upper extremity injuries while snowboarders are slightly more vulnerable to knee pain, sprained ankles and other lower extremity problems. Additionally, every time a downhill skier hits a bump in the slope, the spine sustains significant jarring that can contribute to a vertebral misalignment, which in turn can cause back problems. Chiropractic adjustment can correct these misalignments, which may on major nerves such as the sciatic nerve cause leg and back pain.
Preventive wellness is another important way to avoid back problems and other athletic injuries, says Dr. Kozma, who urges athletes to train thoroughly and undergo a preventative wellness check before engaging in their favorite winter sports. "Fortunately, there are steps people can take, such as proper warm-up exercises and periodic wellness checkups, that can help reduce the risk of back problems, sprained ankles and other injuries," says Dr. Kozma.
In addition to sports injury rehabilitation and wellness care, Dr. Kozma also helps patients with posture correction, auto accident injuries and chronic pain conditions.