Here we go again. Summer is over, at least according to our calendars, but not according to my thermometer which once again was reading triple digits over the weekend. Regardless of the weather, the seasons are a changin’ and football is back. The NFL, College Football, Youth Football and Football Concussions are all back in full swing.
For the past couple of weekends you can see the signs everywhere. On the TV (think Peyton Manning and Papa Johns), on the computer and especially around our city. Seems like any store or restaurant we go into on a Saturday now there is some young kid in football pads. Undoubtedly they are dreaming of their next move up the football chain, from pop-warner to high school to college maybe and for the “lucky” few perhaps even a sniff of the glorious NFL. WOW, the NFL what a dream it would be to play in that league, or is it?
Based on my knowledge and experience I can answer that question in one word, “NO!”
For the first quarter of this year I worked with a lot of ex-NFL players who are getting treatment for possible brain injuries. Due to the increased chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE cases that are being reported, these guys are genuinely scared for their future, as well they should be. (Click Here)
However, thru my experience working with these guys I discovered 2 things that were just as troubling as the concussion epidemic in football. Number One is the amount of pain these football players live with day in and day out. Every single player I worked with had some sort of CHRONIC PAIN. Neck Pain, Hip Pain, Knee Pain, Ankle Pain, Low Back Pain, they all had something. The second problem I discovered was how poorly prepared these guys are for life after football. The vast majority of them have been playing football for as long as they can remember. In a way it is all they know how to do and once that ends, they are lost. They have no skills, no job and no plans for the rest of their life. And the saddest part of it all is that the teams(college and pro) and the league that they make so rich want nothing to do with them.
Sports at any level will take a toll on your body. It may take years or even decades until you feel it, but it will happen. Whether it is one major injury like a broken bone or a concussion, or a number of minor aches and pains they all catch with us at some point. Injuries are a part of sports. Try as we might to prevent them, they are going to happen. The most important thing to do is to recognize an injury when it happens, big or small, and then treat it appropriately. Ice, heat, physical therapy, stretching, yoga, chiropractic adjustments all can help you to recover faster and minimize the long term effects of an injury. Pain is like your bodies check engine light, the longer you ignore it, the worse off you are going to be.
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
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