Runners
Running is one of the best forms of exercise you can give your body, whether you run competitively in races on weekends or for a school/organization, or just run for leisure, fun, and fitness. It has immense whole-body benefits by improving function in both the body and stimulating the release of “feel-good” chemicals called endorphins. While not an efficient way to lose weight, running does increase insulin sensitivity, which may help in that arena.
Form is critical as running can be hard on the body, especially when done frequently and over long distances. When you think about it, every time your foot strikes the ground, it transmits force through the entire body, especially the spine. Our spine is designed to handle this with its “shock-absorbing” discs, but it’s essential to look after your spine appropriately with regular chiropractic care.
Barley Wellness is the best place you can go as a runner. Dr. Barley has been running for years with the Greater New Bedford Track Club and has participated in all kinds of road races, from half marathons, 10ks, 5ks, trail runs, and triathlons to Tough Mudders and Spartans. Our chiropractors at Barley Wellness will ensure that your spine is in good alignment and that your nervous system is operating at the highest level to keep you healthy and healed when injured. With services such as massage therapy, cupping and stone massage, customized therapeutic exercise, infrared sauna, and physical therapy modalities like e-stim and ultrasound, we have the means to address nearly any musculoskeletal issue that may arise as a result of your running. If you are looking for a place with all of this under one roof to support your rigorous activity, look no further.
Triathletes
Triathlons are one of the most grueling athletic endeavors one can pursue, hands down. The distances can vary from short triathlons to the hardest of all, the Iron Man competition. Regardless, participating in consecutive swimming, cycling, and running events is a difficult challenge and requires a lot of physical preparation and mental fortitude. Despite its difficulty level, it could arguably be considered the pinnacle of human performance because of the diversity of its activities.
Such diversity, however, opens a lot of doors to possible injury. Swimming can cause shoulder problems like impingement, tendonitis, and muscle strains. Cycling can cause lower back pain, neck pain, and leg stiffness. Running can cause lower extremity injuries. Barley Wellness in Fairhaven, MA is equipped and ready to meet all these challenges and help you navigate your recovery as quickly as possible. Our wide range of services gives us the unique opportunity to provide people with exactly what they need, whether it is chiropractic, rehab, or recovery-based care. If you are a triathlete, you simply must have an office like this in your corner.
Golfers
Golf is a fantastic game because of the wide variety of people it attracts. From young people to retirees, from amateurs to the best of the best on the PGA tour, golf is a game that requires both physical and mental stamina for one to be successful. The golf swing is a complex movement involving many different muscle groups working in unison. Weakness or injury to even one of the muscles can disrupt the rhythm of a swing and take a person out of the game. From a mental standpoint, the amount of focus, precision, and poise necessary to execute a shot requires the nervous system to be on point. To this point, chiropractic and golf go hand in hand.
Chiropractic adjustments can keep the body in good alignment so the nervous system can communicate clearly throughout the body. This improved function can assist with muscle memory and movement patterns that are necessary for the various kinds of golf swings needed. If you sustain an injury in your back, pelvis, hips, or elbows, our team can help you recover quickly and get back on the course playing the game you love.
Soccer Players
A chiropractor helps soccer players improve their performance by increasing their flexibility through certain adjustments. Chiropractors play an essential role in avoiding injury as well as rehabilitation. Speed, agility, endurance, fast reflexes, balance, strength, and coordination play a significant role for the soccer player, and chiropractors can not only improve range of motion with spinal adjustments and muscle therapy they can instruct players on how to avoid injury with at-home therapeutic exercise.
At Barley Wellness, we know soccer. Dr. Barley, once a semi-pro player in Hawaii, played all through college and his elementary school years and still plays today in a competitive league throughout New England.
Our doctors at Barley Wellness can help soccer players with injuries sustained while playing and eliminate injuries before they happen with proper alignment and therapies to improve range of motion, reduce muscle spasms and swelling, and enhance performance.
Baseball Players
Baseball is like golf in that complex movement patterns are required for the various elements of the sport. Whether it is throwing or hitting, multiple muscle groups work in unison to execute the required movement. Also, like golf, baseball is a very mental game that requires a lot of focus, poise, and attention to detail to be successful. Injuries can be widespread in baseball due to the speed with which the game is played. For example, injuries to the elbows, shoulders, and abdominal/oblique muscles are common due to the rotational force placed on these areas during the throwing motion.
Chiropractic is always a good place to start with any type of injury. The body must be in good alignment to properly heal from these injuries. Therapies such as deep tissue massage and infrared sauna often prove highly effective for addressing inflammation and discomfort in joints such as the elbows and shoulders. Our specific soft-tissue muscle therapy, which utilizes a metal tool to work through muscle adhesions, can also help improve range of motion and decrease pain. We are here to help get you back on the field.
CrossFit Athletes
CrossFit is a versatile form of exercise that has become very popular in recent years. The focus is on cross-training the body through various forms of exercise to challenge the body as much as possible. Not only is this a highly effective method of training the body and improving strength and function, but the variability also keeps people engaged and coming back for more, inevitably leading to better health outcomes for these individuals.
Because of the high amount of stress placed on the body through CrossFit, it is natural for injuries to develop from overuse or overexertion. Chiropractic and massage are two fantastic ways to keep your body going strong and have peace of mind that the nervous system is operating exactly as it should. When this is the case, healing is more efficient, and injury is less likely.