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Improving Marathon Performance

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Marathons are on the rise and people are striving to improve their marathon performance. If this is you or you know someone who is into extreme sports, you will love the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.

Flying through the book because I couldn’t put it down and talking with a good friend and fellow 100 Year Lifestyle Chiropractor, Dr. Dan Traxler of Connect First Family Chiropractic in Sterling, VA, has inspired me to challenge myself with running longer distances. I recently signed up for the St. George Marathon in October. This being my first marathon, I’ve been constantly researching everything I can about how to improve my performance and decrease my chances of injury. So far, I’ve come up with two things, and I believe they are the most important two things anyone training for a marathon, ultramarathon, iron man, etc. should consider; sleep and chiropractic care.

We all know sleep is important, whether we’re training hard or just doing our normal routine, but I think we fail to realize just how important sleep actually is for athletic performance. Studies have shown an increase in sprinting speed by 9% among basketball players who slept two extra hours each night. Their shooting accuracy also improved.1 Imagine carrying these benefits over to running and how your time will improve! It might be difficult to get an extra two hours of sleep every night while you’re training, but even increasing your sleep the week leading up to the event can boost your race-day performance.

A reduction of time spent sleeping reduces your reaction time, regardless of what sport you play or participate in. Just one night without sleep can reduce reaction times by up to 300%.2 If you’re training for a race and you’re also a student studying hard for finals, a CEO running a company, or a mom just trying to keep up with daily life, make sure you’re getting at least eight hours of sleep each night to keep your reaction times on point.

You might think the strongest predictor of sports injuries would be how many hours you practice, and you’d be in the majority. However, studies have shown that sleep is actually the biggest predictor of injuries.3 Without adequate sleep, your body doesn’t have enough time to regenerate cells needed to heal and protect your body. Without adequate sleep, your reaction times are slower, as previously discussed, so you can’t stop an injury as it’s about to occur. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep to keep you healthy and off the sidelines as you train.

Another benefit of getting enough sleep is improved growth hormone regulation. Growth hormone is vital to sustaining athletic performance as it aids in muscle repair, muscle building, and bone growth. Almost 75% of growth hormone is released during sleep.4 Getting a regular seven to nine hours of sleep each night guarantees the production of growth hormone and your ability to recover so you can keep up with your training schedule.

Sleep is something most people understand when it comes to athletic performance. Something that not many people understand is how chiropractic care can help athletic performance. Chiropractic adjustments balance the body while also enhancing the function of the nervous system, the master control system of the body. The nervous system controls everything; the thoughts we think, our hearts beating, digestion of our food, breathing and muscle contraction. Studies have shown that after a single adjustment, athletes had stronger muscle contractions measured by EMG technology.5 By maintaining a healthy nervous system as a part of a healthy lifestyle, your muscles will be bigger, faster and stronger. Imagine how having faster and stronger muscles will improve your athletic performance!

There you have it. If you’re looking to increase marathon performance, or any other athletic activity, adequate amounts of sleep and chiropractic care are two things you can implement immediately. To find a provider near you, click here. Good luck on your training endeavors!

  1. Mah, C., Mah, K., Kezirian, E., & Dement, W. (2011). The Effects of Sleep Extension on the Athletic Performance of Collegiate Basketball Players. SLEEP, 34(7), 943-950.
  2. 5 Areas Sleep Has The Greatest Impact on Athletic Performance. (2015, September 23). Fatigue Science.
  3. Milewski, M., Skaggs, D., Bishop, G., Ibrahim, D., Wren, T., & Barzdukas, A. (2014). Chronic lack of sleep is associated with increased sports injuries in adolescent athletes. Jouranl of Pediatric Orthopedics, 34(2), 129-133.
  4. Sleep and Human Growth Hormone. (2019, May 8).
  5. Keller, T.S., & Colloca, C.J. (2000). Mechanical force spinal manipulation increases trunk muscle strength assessed by electromyography: A comparative clinical trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 23(9), 585-595.

Why Recurring Injuries Recur

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Recurring injuries are annoying to athletes of all ages who want to compete at the highest level. They are also annoying to everyday people who want to enjoy the outdoors and recreational activities as well as those who just want to climb the stairs or sit at their computer without pain. Maybe they are annoying to you?

If you have recurring injuries, you may have thought or asked a version of this question on more than one occasion:

“Why do recurring injuries recur”?

Recurring injuries are likely to recur if you are just treating symptoms rather than getting to the underlying cause of the problem. Over the counter medication, prescription drugs, or anything else for that matter that is focused on artificially reducing inflammation or chemically numbing the pain can be a reason why injuries come back over and over again. Chemically altering the way you feel can lull you into a false sense of well-being while also setting you up for a recurring injury.

Just because you feel better does not mean the problem is gone. Just because the pain has subsided does not mean the injury has been eliminated or corrected. It just means the pain is gone for now. This can lead to recurring injuries, severe and permanent problems as you age.

When it comes to truly healing, sometimes the injury can be your best advocate. If you listen to your body’s Innate Intelligence rather than put it to sleep with drugs, you will be able to make choices that eliminate the underlying cause and support your long term health.

One of the most common underlying causes for many health problems and injuries is a condition known as vertebral subluxation. Vertebral subluxations are injuries to the spine and nervous system that can affect your health on every level. They can lie dormant and asymptomatic for decades or cause immediate pain and discomfort in any part of your body from head to toe including your organs, systems and muscles.

The nerves in your neck are the most widespread in the body and can affect the function of your heart, lungs, stomach, shoulders, arms, wrists and fingers. The nerves in the lower back control the bladder, bowel, hips, legs and feet. Injuries in this area of the spine can cause unexplained recurring problems here and every other area supplied by these nerves. Vertebral subluxations are very often the reason why recurring injuries limit your life and return relentlessly.

If you want to eliminate recurring injuries and get off the recurring crisis rollercoaster, you must continue with your consistent chiropractic care to give your body the opportunity to regenerate, adapt and strengthen itself with healthy nerve supply.

Your personal habits and lifestyle choices have a lot to do with perpetuating or eliminating recurring injuries too. If your body is telling you not to run because of an injury that won’t go away, listen to it and go for a walk or ride a bike instead. If your body is telling you not to lift a certain way or with a heavier weight, listen. If it’s telling you to eat or not to eat a certain food, listen.

Whether you plan to live as a high level athlete or just want to be able to do your daily activities with ease, taking the actions described above, listening to your body’s messages and responding to them wisely will enable you to eliminate recurring injuries and enjoy your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle.

Concussion Movie and Reality

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The Concussion movie starring Will Smith and Alec Baldwin is raising awareness and important concerns for many victims of this misunderstood condition. If you are, or know, an athlete or accident victim who has experienced a brain injury through concussion, then you know the impact it can have on health and quality of life. Headaches, neck pain, memory loss and depression are just a few of the many symptoms that can occur and the severity can range from mild to severe.

Chiropractic care should be an important part of the care that you receive as quickly as possible after a concussion injury occurs. Topics in Integrative Healthcare recently released a report regarding SRC (sports-related concussion) and the benefits of chiropractic care for the injury. “A short course of cervical manipulation (adjustments) and upper thoracic manipulation was suggested and applied. The patient noted significant symptomatic relief after the second treatment and virtually complete resolution of symptoms after five visits performed over two weeks.” Unfortunately, there are a high number of young athletes that do not seek care who experience longer periods of impairment and delay in their return to play.

There are many chiropractic techniques to help accelerate healing of a concussion injury. These techniques analyze how the brain is communicating with the body over the nervous system and make corrections to get the brain and body functioning better.

An examination of the neck is extremely important for patients who suffer from concussions. If you have received a trauma that is hard enough to injure your head and brain, it’s likely to also have caused injury to the neck. Overlooking the neck as a component of healing is a big mistake which can delay healing and lead to chronic problems and deterioration in both the spine and nervous system. These spinal subluxations, when present, cause miscommunication in the nervous system which can make the symptoms worse and prevent healing. Depending on the extent and severity of the injury, results vary for each person. Regardless, it is important to include chiropractic evaluation and adjustment protocols to ensure the possibility of optimal healing and return to normal function.

Each year, 1.6-3.8 million sports-related brain injuries occur, 136,000 of them in young athletes during high school sports (1). Traditional methods alone can limit the possibilities of healing and delay return to normal function.

If you or a loved one has had a concussion, schedule a time to get your spine and nervous system checked. If you have not, schedule a time to get checked anyway to ensure that your spine and nervous system are healthy. You will optimize its function of today while you also strengthen yourself in case of an emergency down the road. See you at your appointment.

1. Langlois JA, Rutland-Brown W, Wald MM. The epidemiology and impact of traumatic brain injury: a brief overview. J Head Trauma Rehabil 2006; 21:375-8.

Acute and Chronic Injuries

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Acute injuries can occur from slips, falls, household chores, accidents, sports, trauma, car wrecks and work injuries to name a few. In extreme or life threatening cases, the injury could require the attention of paramedics or an emergency room physician and you should take this action step immediately.

However, many acute injuries such as strains, bruises, and whiplash can heal quickly with chiropractic care which helps the body to heal itself. Getting the nerve system healthy is an important first step towards beginning and optimizing the healing process. If the acute injury has a nerve and spinal component, and this component is not addressed, acute injuries can become chronic and affect your health for a lifetime.

Chronic injuries are those that cause discomfort and dis-ease over a long time causing deterioration in the spine and nervous system. This type of injury can lead to serious long-term health problems.

Chronic conditions may have been caused by an acute problem earlier on in life. You may have dismissed the original injury as no big deal. The pain has dissipated or been masked so the cause of the problem is now ignored. We frequently see people in our practice who have deterioration of their spine and nervous system who may not be bothered by the pain any longer, but instead, they have conditions related to organs and systems that are beginning to malfunction. Over time and left uncorrected, these conditions can worsen.

Age is not the only factor in the seriousness of the chronic injury. Infants and children are just as likely to experience troublesome conditions as a 35 year old professional football player. It is not uncommon to see a child who had a traumatic birth develop asthma, allergies or headaches later on in life. Childhood falls while learning to walk or playing on the playground can come back to cause more serious conditions during or after a growth spurt.

You may be reading this after trying several medications and seeing more than one type of doctor for an acute or chronic condition. The Chiropractic care we provide may be just the thing your body needs to help you make a comeback to pre-injury health status or beyond.

Don’t let an acute injury become chronic, and don’t let a chronic injury limit your quality of life. A healthy spine and nervous system is vital to healing no matter what the condition or length of time you have had it. Schedule your appointment regardless of how you feel today, before your condition becomes more chronic than it is right now.

Spring Sports Injuries

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Spring is here. The issues surrounding head injuries, including concussions, have never been a part of mainstream conversation more than right now. As we begin the Spring sports season, concussions and neck injuries are being reported in the pros and young athletes. Pee-wee and primary age athletic organizations have released new rules limiting contact during practices. Youth Soccer has changed their criteria for heading.

Every athlete and parent is concerned about head injuries. As our kids become faster, stronger and start sports earlier, their chances of sustaining chronic head and neck injuries, and the likely result of long-term brain injury, is dramatically rising.

The hidden tragedy is that every head injury has the potential to also damage the neck. Since the primary focus at the time of a head injury is the head, the neck is often overlooked. There are distinct signs of neck injury that can be found during an examination at the time of injury, as well as days, weeks, months and even years later. Due to the focus and pressure rising on concussions, the rapid forward-backward motion commonly known as whiplash has been swept under the rug, downplayed and often ignored. And yet, the vast majority of head injuries also have the mechanism to cause whiplash injuries.

Whiplash and concussion have serious long-term effects, including depression, memory loss, fatigue, mood swings, headaches and chronic instability. Head and neck injuries also damage sensitive nerves in the region as they exit the spine.

Damage to ligaments can mean continual nerve irritation and interference if proper care is not given. The effects from these injuries can last decades whether or not the person is experiencing pain.

The potential for long-term effects has caused many to run away from activities they love and use to remain physically active. Rather than leave athletics, the Lifestyle Care Continuum of The 100 Year Lifestyle can help you correct and protect spine and nervous system subluxations that can affect the health of muscles, ligaments and vital organs.

Crisis Care provides relief and stability to injured areas of the spine. It is essential that these injuries are given appropriate time to stabilize, as head and neck injuries have a high rate of lingering symptoms.

The Critical Transition phase of care is essential to help minimize the long-term effects of these injuries. Major research centers still only recommend care for a couple of months following an injury, one of the probable causes for continued nerve damage. For people who have sustained previous injuries and those looking to avoid them, the spine and nerve protection afforded by Chiropractic Lifestyle Care contributes to optimum function and support, which can minimize the risk of future injuries.

If you or a loved one has ever sustained even a mild head or neck injury, consider your long term health and get your spine and nervous system checked. The damage done by the injury may not surface for years to come, but your ability to protect your long-term health and well-being begins now.

References:
1.http://nflconcussionlitigation.com/

2.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/sports/pop-warner-football-limits-contact-in-practices.html

3.http://www.aans.org/Patientpercentsign20Information/Conditionspercentsign20andpercentsign20Treatments/Sports-Relatedpercentsign20Headpercentsign20Injury.aspx

4.http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/01/28/concussions-effects–may-linger-for-decades

5.http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=197667

6.http://windcitypt.com/files/2011/07/Sterling_predictors_of_outcomes_post_WAD.pdf

Summer Sports, Injuries and Prevention

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Summer is here. Many people are getting outdoors and upping the ante on their activity level, trying to get in shape, improve their performance or set a personal best. If this describes you, It’s time to optimize the function of your brain, spine and nervous system and not let injuries get in the way.

When it comes to your brain, the issues surrounding head injuries, including concussions, have never been a part of mainstream conversation more than right now. As we begin the Summer sports season, concussions and neck injuries are being reported in the pros and young athletes. Pee-wee and primary age athletic organizations have released new rules limiting contact during practices. Youth Soccer has changed their criteria for heading.

Every athlete and parent is concerned about head injuries. As our kids become faster, stronger and start sports earlier, their chances of sustaining chronic head and neck injuries, and the likely result of long-term brain injury, is dramatically rising. The hidden tragedy is that every head injury has the potential to also damage the neck. Since the primary focus at the time of a head injury is the head, the neck is often overlooked.

There are distinct signs of neck injury that can be found during an examination at the time of injury, as well as days, weeks, months and even years later. Due to the focus and pressure rising on concussions, the rapid forward-backward motion commonly known as whiplash has been swept under the rug, downplayed and often ignored. And yet, the vast majority of head injuries also have the mechanism to cause whiplash injuries. Whiplash and concussion have serious long-term effects, including depression, memory loss, fatigue, mood swings, headaches and chronic instability. Head and neck injuries also damage sensitive nerves in the region as they exit the spine. Damage to ligaments can mean continual nerve irritation and interference if proper care is not given. The effects from these injuries can last decades whether or not the person is experiencing pain. The potential for long-term effects has caused many to run away from activities they love and use to remain physically active.

Rather than leave athletics, the Lifestyle Care Continuum of The 100 Year Lifestyle can help you correct and protect spine and nervous system subluxations that can affect the health of muscles, ligaments and vital organs. Crisis Care provides relief and stability to injured areas of the spine. It is essential that these injuries are given appropriate time to stabilize, as head and neck injuries have a high rate of lingering symptoms. The Critical Transition phase of care is essential to help minimize the long-term effects of these injuries. Major research centers still only recommend care for a couple of months following an injury, one of the probable causes for continued nerve damage. For people who have sustained previous injuries and those looking to avoid them, the spine and nerve protection afforded by Chiropractic Lifestyle Care contributes to optimum function and support, which can minimize the risk of future injuries.

If you or a loved one has ever sustained even a mild head or neck injury, consider your long term health and get your spine and nervous system checked. A misjudged landing when jumping into a crowded pool, a kick to the side of the head in Soccer, or a missed catch resulting in a baseball to the face might land you on the blooper reel right away but damage done by the injury may not surface for years to come. Your ability to protect your long-term health and well-being begins now.

References:

1.http://nflconcussionlitigation.com/ 2.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/sports/pop-warner-football-limits-contact-in-practices.html 3.http://www.aans.org/Patientpercentsign20Information/Conditionspercentsign20andpercentsign20Treatments/Sports-Relatedpercentsign20Headpercentsign20Injury.aspx 4.http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/01/28/concussions-effects–may-linger-for-decades 5.http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=197667 6.http://windcitypt.com/files/2011/07/Sterling_predictors_of_outcomes_post_WAD.pdf 2016.