Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world, being played in more than 200 countries. Approximately 250 million people of all ages participate in soccer on a regular basis. For many of these athletes, Chiropractic plays an important role in their training to achieve peak performance levels. Doctors of Chiropractic focus on the entire structure of the body rather than just the obviously injured part. For this reason, they can often detect and help to prevent an injury that might normally be overlooked or ignored.

Soccer players who regularly “head” soccer balls, speed up degenerative arthritis in their neck by as much as twenty years.

EUROPEAN SPINE JOURNAL A. Kartal, İ. Yıldıran, A. Şenköylü Soccer causes degenerative changes in the cervical spine. Eur Spine J. 2004 Feb; 13

It is widely recognised that proprioceptive input from muscles, joints and other receptors is necessary for the accurate control of movement and posture. Loss of proprioception results in large systematic errors in multi-joint movements attributed, at least in part, to impaired motor programming.

JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY Saiburg, R. Poinzer, H. Ghez, C. Loss of Proprioception Produces Deficits in Interjoint Coordination Vol. 70, No. 5, November 1993

A landmark research study evaluated the effects Chiropractic adjustments may have on reaction times. There was a marked improvement for the group that received adjustments over the group that received nothing but rest. The group that got only a rest period did show an average decrease in reaction time of 58 milliseconds, an 8% faster reaction time. The group that received Chiropractic adjustments showed a decrease in reaction time of 97 milliseconds, representing a 14.8% faster reaction time.

Kelly DD, Murphy BA, Backhouse DP, J Manipulative Physiologic Therapeutics 2000 May

Researchers found that adding Chiropractic care to traditional therapy protocols significantly decreased the number of leg injuries and missed games among Australian football players, a sport that closely mirrors soccer in stress and impact

Hoskins, W. Pollard H. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2020

“The use of Chiropractic helps the joints, the extremities, and particularly the ankle and knee in soccer.”

JORGE ESPINOSA Professional Soccer Coach

Dr. Ryno Tope is a Doctor of Chiropractic, a member of the New Zealand Chiropractic Association, and owner of Structural Chiropractic in Hastings, Hawke’s Bay. Dr. Tope focuses on an area of chiropractic called Structural Correction and has been in practice for 6 years. You can reach Dr. Tope at drryno@structuralchiro.co.nz or 06•651•1004. You can also follow the Structural Chiropractic Facebook page (www.facebook.com/StructuralChiropracticHB).