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In fact, according to a 2006 study sponsored by the Centers for DiseaseControl, more than 7 million high school athletes nationwide participate insports each year resulting in approximately 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctorvisits and 30,000 hospitalizations.
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The most serious types of sports related injuries are those involvingcatastrophic trauma to the cervical spine (neck). While such major injuriesrarely occur, the risk of suffering from minor cervical spine misalignmentsthrough physical contact is quite common. These misalignments of vertebrae inthe neck, called subluxations, cause compression of spinal nerves and tensionin the central nervous system. While the occurrence of subluxation amongstudent athletes is very high, it frequently goes undetected.
"High school athletes in Southern California are among the very best inthe nation, (and) the level of competition here is intense," says Doctor BarryStahl, president of StayBetter.com, a natural health and wellness Web Siteserving Orange County. "These young men and women are putting their bodiesthrough incredible strains and stresses everyday, the torque on the spine,from say, tackling another person or striking a soccer ball moving at 30 mphwith your head, is massive. The chance that some form of subluxation willoccur in most competitive athletes is great to say the least," said Stahl.
According to Stahl, "Subluxation is often left untreated because itinitially results in only minor pain or discomfort. When significant paindoes develop, the condition is generally already aggravated and then typicallytreated with pain killers, but the problem remains and will progressivelydegenerate of not properly treated."
Not only does subluxation increase the risk of more serious cervical spineinjury among athletes competing in high impact sports, it can also affectperformance among those who may not know they are suffering from thecondition.
"It's how our bodies communicate," says Stahl. "All our actions andreactions begin with an electrical impulse generated from the brain andcommunicated through the nervous system. When the nerves that carry theseimpulses are obstructed by misaligned or malfunctioning vertebral segments themessages are not efficiently delivered and performance, as well as our bodies'ability to withstand trauma, suffers."
The good news is that general injury rates among high school athletes areon the decline. From safety-driven rule changes and better protective gear,to quality treatment and diagnosis from certified athletic trainers, today'shigh school athlete is safer than ever. However, injury prevention remains anongoing priority and maintaining optimal spinal health is simply one more stepthat young athletes, and parents of young athletes, can take to both aidperformance and help protect from injury.Contact: Patrick Mahrt Rivet Public Relations at Ocean Park Pictures 310/450-1220-o 310/886-9251-m [email protected] Dr. Barry Stahl, DC StayBetter, LLC 1-866-StayBetter-o 714/269-6877-m
SOURCE StayBetter, LLC
