Tuesdays on the Run: Chiropractic Treatment for Runners

As you know if you've been reading for a while, my husband just spent 3 years in chiropractic school and is now a practicing chiropractor!

That's why today's Tuesdays on the Run topic is so important to me--alternative treatments for runners!

I'm linking up today with Erika, Patty, and April to talk about why chiropractic care is so great for runners, especially in treating running injuries!

Chiropractors treat more than just the spine and neck.
There's a saying that chiropractors are "crackin' necks and gettin' checks."  Well, until I watched Joe go through chiropractic school, I had no idea that chiropractors can do SO MUCH MORE than that!

When I started running, I had some pain behind my knee.  Joe suggested I go to the student clinic to get checked out.  I was skeptical, since I was having knee pain, but I went anyway.  If nothing else, I figured I could help one of his friends get in her numbers for graduation at the clinic.

I shared all about this experience before, so I won't go back through all of it now.  Long story short: my knee pain was fixed!  Chiropractors have lots of different techniques to use for just about all parts of the body.  If you're having an issue in an area of the body, call a chiropractic office and see if they are able to treat those area.  Sports chiropractors, in particular, do so much more than just neck and back adjustments!

There are so many treatments that a chiropractor can do!
Chiropractors do so much more than adjustments.  For my knee pain, I received the Graston treatment.  I've also received the Active Release Techniques (ART) to help address muscle pain in numerous areas.  That's the great thing about chiropractors-there are just so many things they can do.

Chiropractors find the source of pain and work to correct that.
Another issue I've had is IT Band issues.  After telling my chiropractor about those, she ran me through a series of exercises and determined that I had some hip instability that caused those issues.  She gave me some exercises to do to correct that instability, and I have to say that it REALLY helped!  When I do those hip strengthening exercises, I do not have any IT band pain!

I love that my chiropractor looked for the source of my pain and helped correct that instead of just treat me and send me on my way.  It's so important to correct any issues to prevent further injuries, and most chiropractors look to do that.  Specifically for runners, correcting these issues can really help with your running form.

If you are interested in trying chiropractic care, call different doctors and speak with them about what they do.  Tell them about your issues or what you're interested in gaining from care, and they will tell you what they will and won't do!  Chiropractors are so, so diverse in their practice, so it's important to find the one that's right for you.

Question for you: Have you ever seen a chiropractor?  What forms of alternative medicine have you used?