Athletes at every level push their bodies hard, and when something goes wrong, getting back to full performance matters. At Freehold Chiropractic, our sports and performance chiropractic care goes beyond injury treatment. We help athletes throughout Monmouth County move better, recover more comfortably, and lower their risk of the injuries that sideline them. As someone who played competitive soccer for 28 years and dealt with my own share of sports injuries, I understand what it takes to stay in the game.
Why Athletes Need Chiropractic Care
Sport puts repetitive, high-demand stress on joints and muscles. Over time, even without a major injury, that stress builds up in ways that affect performance. Joints stiffen, mobility decreases, and movement patterns compensate around old injuries.
Most athletes don’t notice these changes until they cause a problem, and by then the underlying issue has often been building for months or even years.
Chiropractic care aims to address these issues before they become injuries and to support recovery when injuries do happen. That’s the difference between reactive care and proactive performance care. If you’re new to the idea, my post on what sports chiropractic is explains the basics.
Common Sports Injuries We Treat
We work with athletes across a wide range of sports and activity levels, from youth athletes and weekend warriors to competitive adults. Some of the most common injuries we treat at our Freehold practice include:
Sprains and Strains
Ankle sprains, hamstring strains, groin pulls, and rotator cuff strains are among the most frequent sports injuries. Chiropractic care, soft tissue work, and rehab help restore joint motion and address the muscle imbalances that contributed to the injury. Without treating those underlying factors, the same injury tends to come back.
Back and Neck Pain from Athletic Activity
Spinal injuries are very common in sports that involve contact, rotation, or repetitive loading. Football, soccer, golf, baseball, and even swimming place significant demands on the spine, and back pain is one of the leading causes of lost training time in athletes of all ages.
Shoulder Injuries
Rotator cuff injuries, shoulder impingement, and AC joint sprains are especially common in overhead athletes, including swimmers, baseball players, tennis players, and volleyball players. Our extremity care addresses the shoulder joint itself along with the neck and upper back, which directly influence shoulder mechanics.
Elbow Pain
Racquet sports, throwing, and golf all load the elbow tendons. I cover one of the most common examples in my post on tennis elbow.
Knee Injuries and Overuse
Patellar tendonitis (jumper’s knee), IT band syndrome, and ligament sprains are common in running sports, basketball, soccer, and court sports. We assess the full lower body chain, including hip mechanics and foot mechanics, to understand what’s driving the knee problem rather than only treating the pain locally.
Hip Flexor and Groin Injuries
Hip flexor strains and groin injuries are common in sports that involve sprinting, kicking, and quick direction changes. These injuries often leave lingering tightness that affects stride and performance long after the acute pain fades, so fully addressing the hip and surrounding tissues is key to complete recovery.
Shin Splints, Achilles, and Foot Issues
Lower leg problems like shin splints and Achilles tendinopathy are common in runners and jumping sports. They often have a mechanical root in foot mechanics, ankle mobility, or hip weakness, and custom orthotics are frequently part of the plan. Shin pain that’s sharp, focused on one spot, or worse at night can signal a stress fracture and needs medical evaluation. For heel pain, see my post on plantar fasciitis.
Beyond Injury Treatment: Supporting Athletic Performance
Most athletes know that chiropractors treat injuries. Fewer realize that regular care can also support athletes who aren’t injured at all.
Better Joint Mobility and Range of Motion
When joints move freely through their full range, athletes can move more efficiently and rely less on the compensation patterns that lead to injury. Regular adjustments help keep joints mobile and ease the stiffness that builds up from training.
More Comfortable Recovery
Hard training breaks tissue down. Adjustments, soft tissue work, and stretching can help ease muscle tension and keep joints moving between sessions, and many athletes who get regular care during heavy training report less soreness and better readiness to train the next day. Sleep, nutrition, and rest days remain the foundation of recovery.
Coordination and Body Awareness
Athletic performance depends on how well your body senses its position and coordinates movement. When joints move well and muscles are balanced, many athletes report feeling more coordinated and in control.
Correcting Imbalances Before They Become Injuries
Every athlete develops movement asymmetries over time. A soccer player favors the dominant kicking leg, a golfer rotates harder in one direction, and a runner may pronate more on one foot. These patterns aren’t usually a problem in the short term, but over thousands of repetitions they can create uneven wear that leads to injury.
Regular evaluation helps catch these patterns early. I cover the full prevention approach in my post on sports injury prevention for Freehold athletes.
Chiropractic Care Across Ages and Levels
Over my 27 years of practice in Monmouth County, I’ve worked with athletes from a wide range of sports and backgrounds. The specific demands vary, but the principles are consistent.
Youth Athletes
Young athletes are still developing. Early sport specialization, heavy training loads, and growth spurts all stress developing joints and spines. Gentle, age-appropriate care helps young athletes build healthy movement patterns and lowers the risk of overuse injuries.
Competitive Adult Athletes
For competitive adults, the ability to train consistently matters most. Regular maintenance care helps keep the body moving well, supports recovery between sessions, and helps athletes stay in the game longer.
Masters Athletes and Weekend Warriors
As we age, recovery slows and the body is less forgiving of poor mechanics. For athletes in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who want to keep running, playing, and competing, chiropractic care can be a valuable part of managing the demands of sport on an aging body. For more on how care helps athletes at each level, see my post on how athletes benefit from sports chiropractic.
What a Sports Chiropractic Evaluation Looks Like at Our Practice
When an athlete comes in, I’m not just looking at the spot that hurts. I want to understand your sport, your training load, your injury history, and how your body moves as a whole. From there, I do a thorough hands-on evaluation that includes joint mobility testing, strength and balance assessment, posture analysis, and, when relevant, gait analysis.
For athletes dealing with lower body issues, our 3D foot scan is often part of the picture. Custom Foot Levelers orthotics can support the foundation that influences every joint from the ankle up.
The goal isn’t just to get you out of pain. It’s to help you perform at the level you’re capable of and keep doing what you love for as long as possible.
When an Injury Needs Medical Care First
See a doctor or go to urgent care right away for a suspected broken bone, a deformed or dislocated joint, an injury you can’t put weight on, a knee that gives way or swells quickly, or any head injury with headache, confusion, dizziness, or vomiting. Concussions need medical evaluation and clearance before returning to play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I see a chiropractor before or after a sports injury?
Ideally, both. Care before an injury helps catch the mechanical risk factors that make injuries more likely, and care after an injury, once serious injuries are ruled out, supports a smoother recovery.
How often should athletes get chiropractic adjustments?
It depends on your sport, training volume, and goals. Some athletes benefit from weekly care during heavy competition seasons, while others do well with monthly maintenance in the off-season.
Ready to Train Smarter and Recover Better?
Whether you’re rehabbing an injury or looking to perform at your best, sports chiropractic care at Freehold Chiropractic can help. Call our Freehold office at (732) 780-0044 or schedule your appointment online. New patients can take advantage of our $49 comprehensive evaluation, which includes a full orthopedic and chiropractic exam, a Myovision spinal stress scan, and a 3D foot scan.
Dr. Russell Brokstein is a lifelong Freehold resident and a seasoned chiropractor dedicated to helping patients achieve optimal health through holistic, drug-free care. With a Biology degree from Penn State and a Doctor of Chiropractic from Life Chiropractic College West, Dr. Brokstein’s passion for chiropractic began when his own recurring bronchial issues and a sports-related back injury were resolved through chiropractic adjustments. This transformative experience inspired him to focus on full-body treatments, therapeutic stretching, nutritional counseling, and stress reduction therapies to help others recover faster and perform better. Recognized as one of America’s Best Chiropractors, he leads Freehold Chiropractic with a patient-centered approach that emphasizes thorough evaluations, minimal wait times, and personalized care for athletes and families in Freehold, NJ.
