Fall Sports Prep in Detroit Lakes
Your guide to performing your best and staying pain-free this upcoming sport season!
Jordan Gregoire DC, with Tom Truedson AT
8/7/20265 min read
Fall Sports Prep in Detroit Lakes:
Performance & Pain-Free Sidelines
The MSHSL fall sports season is coming up fast! Are you ready to handle two-a-day practices, compete in tryouts, and survive the temperature changes as these hot summer days fade away?
The Quick Playbook (30-Second Summary):
For High School Athletes:
MSHSL sport physicals are required to play, and yearly check-ins are a great way to make sure you are ready to perform at your best.
Stay loose while sitting in class to be sure you are ready for the evening games.
Injury prevention starts with physically preparing your body and good recovery!
For Sideline Parents:
Combat that sore back and long away-game drives with simple halftime movement resets.
From Lake Life to Friday Night Lights in Detroit Lakes
Summer in the Lakes Area makes it easy to stay active. Between spending time outdoors, getting on the lake, going to sports camps, and enjoying local events around Detroit Lakes, keeping the body moving comes naturally.
We tend to think this active summer means we’re 100% ready for sports and relaxing in the stands. But as the hot days start to fade, cool mornings become more frequent, car rides to away games get longer, practices get more physical, and those metal bleachers start feeling like solid pavement, we quickly remember this is a completely different physical season.
If we want to get off to a strong start and stay feeling our best, we need to make sure our bodies are prepared for this shift.
High School Athletes:
Why Yearly MSHSL Sports Physicals Matter
The start of the fall sports season also means the start of another school year. (Try to contain your excitement!!)
For student-athletes, this means spending a lot more time sitting in classroom chairs as you ace your tests. For parents, it means making sure your athlete's MSHSL sports physical is up to date and on file with the school before practice begins.
The MSHSL requires an official sports physical prior to participating in any practices or games starting in 7th grade. These physicals are valid for 3 years in Minnesota, meaning they are most commonly completed prior to 7th and 10th grade.
However, at Edge Chiropractic & Performance, we strongly recommend yearly check-ups for high school athletes. A lot of physical growth and joint changes happen in 12 months. A yearly 30-minute 1-on-1 evaluation gives us valuable insight into movement restrictions or lingering aches we can address before the season starts.
Classroom Posture & Movement Strategies for Athletes
While we can't stop the increase in sitting time during school or studying, we can be proactive! Being deliberate about our movement and posture throughout the school day is the best place to start.
Remember: There is no single "perfect" posture. The issue only happens when we can't move out of a posture.
So don’t beat yourself up if you catch yourself slouching in a desk chair. Instead, pat yourself on the back for noticing and find a different position to sit in for a while. Get up and move whenever appropriate! If we already know from an evaluation what joints tend to get stiff, we can spend extra time keeping those specific areas moving throughout the day.
Pre-Season Training & Recovery with Athletic Trainer Tom Truedson
In order to prevent injury, athletes should start preparing for their sport in the weeks leading up to their first team practice. This allows your body to adapt to the increased demands placed on it, and avoid issues like delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). A proper pre-season training program will include not only speed & strength components, but also plyometrics & power exercises to increase explosiveness. Various agility drills can help improve movement patterns and develop game speed quickness and reaction time. Proper recovery starts with workload management. You can prevent overuse injuries with a gradual increase in activity. Recovery also involves frequent hydration breaks, superior nutrition to refuel your body, and making adequate sleep a top priority.
At TSP we provide this type of high level, sport specific training for numerous athletes. From middle school athletes, to high school, amateur, collegiate, and professional athletes. We have in-season & off-season programs available. In-person and online options are available.
For the Sideline Parents:
Surviving Bleachers & Away-Game Drives
Our youth athletes get most of the attention during the sports season—and rightfully so, as they are the ones training hard and competing on the field. But let's not ignore the physical demands this season places on our amazing parents!
Managing schedules, driving to practice, cheering loudly, sitting on backless bleachers, and taking long car rides to away games takes a real toll on your body.
To stay on top of your game and actually enjoy the season pain-free, be sure to add short movement breaks into your routine. Taking a bit of time to move around during halftime and timeouts, or adding a short stop during the road trips to away games is an easy way to start taking care of your body. Give these two movements a try to keep your back and neck feeling good!
Standing extension and rotation: Stand up, place your feet under your hips and your hands on your lower back, then tip backward. It is normal to feel soreness or stiffness in our back during this, especially if we have been sitting for a while, but we want to avoid sharp pain and stop if the soreness increases. Ideally, we are expecting that sore/stiff feeling in the low back to improve the more reps we do! Shoot for 10 reps at a time
Chin tucks: Sitting or standing tall, we are going to pull our chin straight backward (making a double chin) until we feel slight stiffness or soreness in our lower neck. If we are not feeling symptoms or want more of a stretch, take 2 fingers and push your chin back further. Again, we want that sore/stiff feeling to subside while doing this exercise, while avoiding sharp pain in the neck. Shoot for 10 reps at a time!
The options for movements are endless! Watch the short video at the end of the blog for a demo on the exercises described above, and a short bonus exercise for the mid-back!
Don't Let Small Aches Turn Into Season-Ending Injuries
The best recommendation we can give is to get a comprehensive evaluation to determine what your body needs. Generic advice works for some, but everyone has unique movement patterns. At Edge Chiropractic & Performance, we take the time to listen to your goals and assess the exact biomechanical factors needed to get you there.
Whether you're an athlete competing on the field or a parent supporting them from the stands, staying healthy this fall is essential. Don't brush off the little aches early in August that could keep you from performing your best in October and November.
Ready for a Pain-Free Fall Season?
[Book your New Patient Appointment or $50 MSHSL Sports Physical online today!]
We will assess how your body functions as a whole, address any nagging symptoms, and develop a personalized plan to keep you competing at the top level!
Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for weekly movement tips throughout the season!
Contact us
Clinic hours
info@edgechiroperform.com
701-347-1266
Monday - Friday
8am - 6pm