Episode 4: Peak Performance & Sports

Sports Chiropractic: Gaining a Competitive Edge in Rockford

Welcome back to Ask the Chiropractor. I am Dr. Brant Hulsebus. If you joined us last week, we decoded the neurological causes of chronic headaches. Today, we are shifting our focus from pain relief to peak performance, specifically looking at how athletes use chiropractic care to gain a competitive edge.

While I see many patients at my clinic on Daimler Road in Rockford, Illinois, I also run a second clinic inside the Rockford IceHogs Arena. Since 2004, I have had the privilege of serving as the team chiropractor for the Rockford IceHogs. Over the years, I’ve also worked with the Rockford Lightning (basketball), the Rockford Rampage (indoor soccer), and various local baseball teams, alongside numerous Olympic and collegiate athletes.

Why Pro Athletes Rely on Chiropractic

Chiropractic and sports go hand-in-hand. With the exception of one team, every single franchise in the NHL, the AHL, and the ECHL employs a team chiropractor. Why?

For a professional athlete—or a high school student pushing for a college scholarship—their body is their ultimate product. They don’t just want to “feel okay”; they want to move quicker, react faster, and prevent injuries before they happen. In chiropractic, our primary goal is keeping healthy people healthy.

Before the Game vs. After the Game

A common misconception is that I spend my time at the IceHogs arena putting players back together after they get smashed into the boards. In reality, the vast majority of my work happens before the puck drops.

I often tell my golfers: “You can see me once before you play, or six times after.” It is always easier to tune the body for performance than it is to play hurt and try to repair the damage later.

However, the way a sports chiropractor adjusts you depends entirely on when you are competing:

• Pre-Game Adjustments: Before an athlete hits the ice or the field, they do not want to feel “loose” or sloppy. They need to feel strong, compact, and explosive. We use specific techniques to align the spine, remove subluxations, and secure their frame without over-stretching their ligaments.
• Post-Game Adjustments: After the game, we focus on recovery. This is when we might use techniques that involve more twisting and turning to stretch out exhausted receptors and restore flexibility, much like how we would adjust a desk worker who is stiff from sitting all day.

The Biomechanics of Different Sports

Different sports create different physical demands, which lead to predictable patterns of structural stress:

• Hockey & Lacrosse: Holding the stick creates a permanent “high shoulder, low shoulder” posture.
• Soccer: Relying on a dominant kicking leg creates imbalances in the hips and pelvis.
• Golf & Bowling: These athletes perform the exact same repetitive torque on the exact same joints, hundreds of times a week.

Because of these repetitive stresses, an athlete’s care requires a team approach. I frequently co-manage patients with local strength and conditioning coaches (like our friends at Movement Fitness in Rockford). If I notice an athlete isn’t holding their adjustment, I will call their coach and ask them to work on specific hip flexors or trap muscles. When the chiropractor, the strength coach, and the skills coach all communicate, the athlete wins.

Finding the Right Sports Chiropractor

If you are an athlete dealing with recurring issues that physical therapy or orthopedics haven’t resolved, it is time to consult a chiropractor. Look for someone with specific sports training.

As a board member of the International Chiropractic Association’s (ICA) Sports and Fitness Science Council and a member of the Pro Hockey Chiropractic Society, I understand the unique biomechanical needs of athletes. Just as taking care of a pregnant woman is different from taking care of a 70-year-old, taking care of an athlete requires a specific, specialized approach.

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Whether you are an elite athlete or a weekend warrior, we want to help you stay in the game. Contact our Rockford clinic today to see how sports chiropractic can give you the edge.