In my 20-plus years as a Sacramento CA chiropractor, some of my best patient outcomes have been with athletes.  Of course, athletes come in many sizes, shapes and ages.  Some of have been professionals who absolutely must remain in top shape.  Others, of the weekend warrior variety, are simply happy to get in a few good shots in their game of choice, and then live to tell about it at school or work on Monday!

Athletes Of All Ages Embrace Chiropractic Care

I have had an interest in many recreational and athletic activities my whole life - from skateboarding to snow skiing, long before I became a Sacramento chiropractor.  I played volleyball at a varsity level, and have coached Little League from T-ball to Majors.  It's exciting now to watch my kids grow up and enjoy the pursuit of recreational activities and sports.

My daughter Kaia, has played soccer, softball, swimming and  Volleyball as a Freshman.  She's enjoying her God-given 5'8" frame now more than ever!

My son Erik, lover of most sports, has enjoyed a high level of performance in baseball All Stars, basketball, and some golf as well. He played JV and varsity volleyball as a Freshman last year and was Goal Keeping for the soccer team.

The Anderson kids certainly have an edge in their games since their dad checks them regularly for proper alignment, balance and spinal function.  They are very in-tune with their bodies, and love to be adjusted and re-aligned.

Any athlete that has good balance, proper alignment, natural joint mobility and the resulting accurate joint position sense, or proprioception, has a huge advantage in sports and recreational activities.

Dr. Eric Plasker, who wrote the best selling book, The 100 Year Lifestyle and The 100 Year Lifestyle Workout book, calls this Getting your ESS in shape.

• E is for endurance.  A good athlete must have the cardiovascular fitness to efficiently deliver oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and other parts of the body.
• S is for strength.  A successful athlete must be strong and have the skeletal muscle development that can deliver powerful and coordinated movements.
• The third S is for STRUCTURE!  This is often the missing link. Structural alignment and function is absolutely vital for an athlete.  That's why so many modern athletes of all ages have a chiropractor as an integral part of their health care team.

Athletic Chiropractic Care in Sacramento CA

In my Sacramento chiropractic practice, I have had the privilege of evaluating and serving many athletes over the years, as well as some Olympic athletes, professional golfers and others.

Years ago, I had Dan O'Brien in my Sacramento chiropractic office.  You may remember that he won the Olympic Gold Medal in the Decathlon in Atlanta in 1996.   What an amazing and inspiring man!  He did not need care for back pain-he was into optimal performance.

Dan shared his story with me:  While he was training for the Olympic Trials, he had tremendous endurance and strength.  The problem was that he was still coming up short in many of the events.  It was suggested that he have a chiropractic evaluation, which he did.

He soon discovered that he had some misalignment and imbalance in his spine and pelvis that was causing him to perform less than optimally.  Once he started having his structure adjusted by a chiropractor, (and got his ESS in shape), he began to run, jump and perform to the point that he was called the Greatest Athlete in the World.

Dan has been an outspoken advocate of chiropractic ever since, and is one of many shining examples of how proper evaluation and treatment of an athletes structure can make the difference between a good performer and an Olympic Gold Medalist.

Other notable athletes, who have been outspoken about their positive experience with chiropractic include:  Joe Montana, Roger Craig, Lance Armstrong, John Stockton, even Arnold Schwarzenegger!  Nowadays, most, if not all, pro sports teams have a team chiropractor. For example, my friend and colleague,  Dr. Bob Graykowski, D.C. is the team chiropractor right here in Sacramento for the River Cats AAA baseball team and the Sacramento Kings NBA team.

Many people don't know that one of the healthiest and biggest fitness advocates of all time, Jack LaLanne, is a huge chiropractic fan.  In fact, he went to chiropractic school himself, to learn about the body, and all about getting his ESS in shape.  He has endorsed the 100 Year Lifestyle Workout book and strategy, and is still going strong at 95.

Years ago, at a chiropractic extremities adjusting seminar, I paired up with Jack's good friend, Norman Marks, D.C. from Oakland, CA, who also was a fitness legend for all of his 86 years.

Norman told me that Jack  (who then would have been in his 80's) , would challenge anyone to keep up with him through his whole workout.  I got tired just listening to all the exercises he did on a daily basis!

The truth is that most of us, and our kids, will likely never be professional athletes, or have the desire to follow Jack through his workout.  Most of us however will need some level of ESS to take us all the places we want to go.  Your sport may be a little tennis doubles on the weekend, or perhaps some Olympic lawn mowing.  Or, it may be competitive volleyball, and the hope of a college scholarship.

Whatever your dreams and desires, I urge you to have a Sacramento chiropractic structural and functional evaluation.  It could make all the difference and help you not only heal properly from old or recent injuries, but also prevent future ones and help you enjoy more optimal performance in whatever physical activity you want to do.

I find that many people have absolutely no idea how much they are limited by structural problems.  There are many reasons for this including simple and understandable ignorance and the reality that many structural problems start from minor injuries as children, so unfortunately, we just get used to them.  "Has Your Life Become Frog Soup" in the Health Articles section of our website addresses this issue.

My mission as a Sacramento chiropractor is to find and serve people, including athletes, who need my specific expertise to heal.   It's a lot of fun, and I do get a special joy watching and hearing about young people I have helped who go on to enjoy great success in sports and life.

You can reach us at (916) 485-5433. Game on!

Copyright Gregg C. Anderson, D.C.