Chiropractic Care for Sports Injuries
Athletes tend to challenge themselves and their bodies through rigorous exercise and physical demands. That is why it’s important to seek out professional help to prevent and treat common injuries within their specific sport. Dr. Hollier has been treating high level athletes over the past couple of years. Whether you are just starting or if you are a professional, Dr. Hollier will curate an individualized treatment plan for you to get out of pain and keep you as healthy as possible during your season. Dr. Hollier will give each patient and individualized dynamic warm-ups so they will be able to adequately prepare for their games. It’s not enough to show up and play, the athletes must prepare their bodies for optimal performance and physical function.
Dr. Hollier played many sports growing up, including baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis and has recently picked up golf. His love for sports makes him passionate about treating sports injuries. He mentions that he was always injured growing up and wished he would have had the knowledge to stay pain free during his long seasons of intense activity. His goal is to get you out of pain and back to performing as quickly as possible. Even if you are not currently experiencing pain, he can fully evaluate you and perform range of motion and orthopedic tests to see if you are at a risk at developing an injury during your season. It is best to be proactive with your care rather than reactive. We want to make sure problems do not arise. We do not want to wait until you are in severe pain before addressing common issues.
Baseball
Arm-care is a huge part of keeping young athletes healthy and throwing. It is important to take a few months off during the year to allow the shoulder and elbow to properly rest. With year-round baseball this has become increasingly difficult. If an athlete is trying to participate without taking the appropriate rest measure, then they could be at an increased risk for injury. It is also extremely important to follow pitch count guidelines. Unfortunately, even when all things are done correctly, there can still be aches and pains that occur. That’s where we come in. Dr. Hollier will do a full history and evaluation to see where the pain is coming from and the best plan of action to treat it. Dr. Hollier works closely with some Orthos in the Katy area that he can refer to if need be. However, for most cases, referrals are not necessary, and the muscle pain can be treated right here in our office. We do our best to get the athlete out of pain and back to their sport as quickly as possible. It is not enough to just get the athlete out of pain and send them back to their sport. It is important to fix the mechanical issue that caused the pain in the first place. This is why the professional evaluation is so important to keeping an arm healthy for the long term. Dr. Hollier can create an arm care program for you to increase your velocity or get you back to throwing pain free. If you are a baseball player in the Katy area looking to improve velocity or return to throwing, then give us a call at 832-479-9558.
Golf
Dr. Hollier sees many golfers in the Katy and Cinco Ranch area. Golfers are predisposed to a couple of different conditions. The forward bending with rotation puts golfers at risk for developing disc bulges in the lower back and muscle spasms. Thoracic rotation is an integral part of the golf swing, and it is important to be able to move freely throughout the mid-back. If an athlete is not able to fully rotate then they may top the ball or not extend through fully, taking some distance off the ball. Another common complaint among golfers is medial elbow pain also known as “Golfers Elbow” or medial epicondylitis on the trail hand. This is because of the impact the club makes with the ground causing irritation to the elbow of the trail hand. These conditions are very common and treatable with our services. We treat disc bulges with spinal decompression therapy which is a treatment that applies a gentle pull to the neck or lower back that helps to decrease disc bulges and alleviates the pressure on the nerve. For Golfers Elbow we create an extensive exercise routine that will strengthen the elbow to be able to tolerate more load. We will also utilize Electric muscle stimulation to decrease the acute muscle stiffness and soreness. Manual therapy to the elbow is utilized to help work through some of the tight muscles surrounding the elbow joint.
Dance
Dr. Hollier has worked on dancers at the highest level. The most common injury he sees with dancers is a hip flexor strain also known as “dancers’ hip” The repetitive nature off hip flexion in dance leads to an over use injury of the iliopsoas which is the primary hip flexor. Dr. Hollier knows how frequent these practices and competitions are happening and that rest is not always an option. Therefore, he focuses on strengthening the hip flexor with a proper exercise regimen and warm up routine. As you get stronger and the warmup improves, the hip flexor will be able to tolerate more load, which will decrease the pain and alleviate the associated symptoms. Therapy in the office includes active release which is a combination of pressure and stretching which helps work through the tightness in the hip to allow it to move more freely. Electric muscle stimulation also helps to decrease the muscle stiffness and soreness. Lastly, the hips will be adjusted to allow for a more pain free range of motion.
