sports medicine Archives - Hometown Family Wellness Center

May 11 2020

Athletic Performance Can be Improved with Chiropractic

Dr. Russell Brokstein, chiropractor in Freehold, NJ, played competitive soccer for 28 years, and values the edge chiropractic gave to his playing days toward the end of his soccer career. “It helped me keep up with players half my age and in many instances prevented injuries by keeping me more flexible, having a better range of motion, and quicker healing capacity. I wish I had been introduced to chiropractic at a younger age to experience the benefits all those years playing”

Dr. Brokstein helps athletes of all ages in the Freehold, Howell, Marlboro, Manalapan and Colts Neck area by providing chiropractic and sports medicine techniques so they can benefit this “drug free” and “secret weapon” that many college and professional athletes are taking advantage of. Now there is further research that shows chiropractic can improve overall athletic performance. Professional teams and athletes are hiring chiropractors for this reason. Watch the video where Dr. Brokstein talks more about this topic:

May 11 2020

Low Back Pain in Young Athletes

Young athletes experience many injuries in their sports. Loyola University Medical Center reports the 3rd most common

sports injury is low back pain in young athletes under 18 years old. They not only miss out on playing games during the injury but there is risk for more chronic problems down the road.

Dr. Neeru Jayanthi, a sports physician, and his colleagues presented the research at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando. 1,200 young athletes who sustained 843 injuries were in the study.

Low back pain in young athletes accounted for 15% of the injuries. The only more common injuries were knees at just over 31% and ankles at 16%. Other problems noted were concussions and headaches at 13.4%, shoulders 10.7% and hips 6.4%.

Most (61%) of the low back pain in young athletes were low risk injuries to the lumbar facet and sacroiliac joints. The other 39% were considered serious stress fractures or complications of stress fractures. If pain persists for more than 2 weeks it’s important to get checked immediately. When low back pain in young athletes is not treated properly it can lead to chronic back pain.

Dr. Jayanthi recommended several injury prevention tips:

One day of rest if there is pain in a high risk area such as the back, shoulders or elbows. To take a week off if pain persists.
Seek evaluation from a sports physician if symptoms last more than 2 weeks.
Athletes that play racket sports should work on their form and strokes as well as limit back extension to less than 20 degrees.
Children who are still developing physically should not play a sport for more hours per week than their age.
Avoid specialization in one sport before late adolescence.
Don’t play competitive sports all year long. Take a break for at least 1-3 months out of the year.
Take a rest day once a week from sports training.
Balance out time between playing sports and time in the gym and unorganized recreation.

Low back pain in young athletes is common due to extension of the low back. Also improper work out and exercise techniques are incorporated. Many younger athletes also have insufficient strength of the core stabilization abdominal and back extensor muscles.

Chiropractor in Freehold NJ, Dr. Russell Brokstein, has a background in treating sports related injuries. If you have a child who has been injured make sure you find a chiropractor with a sports background. Dr. Russell checks for imbalances of the joints and muscles to correct the actual cause of the pain and injury. It’s important that the chiropractor check for ankle, foot and knee instability that could lead to other spinal injuries. Once the cause is corrected, an active exercise and stretching regimen is incorporated to strengthen and stabilize the body and prevent future problems.

Low back pain in young athletes is becoming too common. Chiropractic is a gentle, natural treatment that corrects the cause of the problem. A recent study suggests that chiropractic is the best conservative treatment for back pain in athletes. If you are in Freehold or surrounding towns looking for a chiropractor call Dr. Russell or find out more about his practice: click here

May 11 2020

True Health… You Can't Feel It!

True health cannot be felt. I was just in my gym today and saw a local “Sports Medicine” doctor advertising he will make you feel better so you will play better. In my mind I started to think how absurd this is and I need to take a little time to explain.

Many medically oriented doctors just concentrate on symptoms. By masking or hiding your symptoms with medications, you have a false sense that your condition is better. The underlying disease or instability is still present. Cortisone shots actually make things worse. If you go out and do your normal activities, recreational, sports or work while on these drugs, you can cause some serious damage. The mechanics of the joint, tendons and ligaments are still compromised and are therefore more prone to injury. Some of these treatments actually weaken the structures too. The pain is meant to be a signal to you that something is wrong, but if these doctors cover up the pain, you cannot tell that you are causing more damage that can be permanent. You might play better at first because he covered up your symptoms and you can’t feel the pain, but in the long term you will not be playing better or feeling better!

Now we’re going to take this a step further to entire health and wellness. People think they have true health because they don’t have pain or “feel ok”. There are many conditions you might not have symptoms until

Symptoms are not how to base your health — Symptoms are not how to base your true health

it is too late. Just think of going to the dentist to get your teeth checked and the doctor tells you he found a cavity. You aren’t going to tell the doctor that there is nothing wrong because there is no pain. You want the doctor to correct it so it doesn’t deteriorate.

You can be walking around with high blood pressure, clogged arteries, digestive issues, cataracts, other growing illnesses, including cancer but not know it because you don’t feel it… YET! Pain and symptoms are not a guide to tell you if you have true health. Pain and symptoms are usually the last thing to show up with an illness.

The most important thing most people don’t feel is what is called a subluxation. This is when a spinal bone, or vertebrae, moves out of place putting pressure on your nerves and interferes with the functioning of your body. Every single organ, gland and cell of your body is controlled by the functioning of your nervous system. Imagine a subluxation cutting off the life force to any of your vital organs. Can your heart function at 100% if the nerve that goes to it is compressed by 10%? Do you think you have true health if the nerve going to your lungs is compressed 20%? The answer is a resounding NO!

Wouldn’t you want your body to be able to function as close to 100% by removing the subluxations? Doesn’t it make sense that true function brings true health? Chiropractors are the only health professionals that are trained to detect and correct subluxations to bring optimal function and true health to you.

Just because you don’t feel it doesn’t mean you are healthy! Are you ready to experience true health? Contact Freehold Chiropractor Dr. Russell Brokstein at Hometown Family Wellness Center at 732-780-0044.

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