Sports Injuries Treatment Lynnwood
Sports injuries are frustrating. You want to move, but your body keeps saying no. Sprains, strains, back pain, and tight muscles can slow down your performance and your progress.
At Alderwood Back and Neck Pain in Lynnwood, Dr. Darcy Szigety, DC provides non-invasive, medication-free care for active people and athletes of all levels. Chiropractic adjustments, soft-tissue techniques, and functional rehab work together to support recovery and improve how your body performs.
If you’re searching for a sports injury chiropractor in Lynnwood, this page will show you what to expect from care designed to keep you doing what you love.
Call (425) 775-6767 to schedule your complimentary consultation.
Why Should Athletes See a Chiropractor?
Athletes put extra stress on joints, muscles, and nerves. Training is great, but repetition and impact can slowly change how your body moves. Chiropractic care helps keep that system moving clean.
Dr. Darcy explains chiropractic as a natural, conservative way to keep your spine, joints, muscles, and nervous system working properly. When joints move better, your body can reduce pain and improve overall function.
For athletes, that can mean:
- Quicker recovery after hard sessions.
- Cleaner mechanics and more efficient movement.
- Less chance that a small issue becomes a long term problem.
- Non invasive pain relief without relying on medication.
Dr. Darcy also loves sports personally and understands what it feels like to want back in the game, not just back on the couch. Care is built to support both performance and long term health, not just quick fixes.
What Problems Do Athletes Visit Us For?
Athletes come in with all kinds of injuries and “little things” that will not chill on their own. Common issues include:
- Sprains and strains: Ligaments and muscles get overstretched by awkward landings, quick direction changes, or collisions.
- Low back pain: Lifting, running, or rotation heavy sports can irritate lumbar joints and discs, causing dull or sharp back pain.
- Neck pain and whiplash style injuries: Sudden impacts from sports or car accidents can overstretch neck tissues and sometimes irritate discs.
- Shoulder and rotator cuff irritation: Overhead lifts, throws, or swings can create pinching, weakness, or clicking in the shoulder.
- Knee or hip pain and IT band issues: Repetitive loading and poor mechanics can stress joints and surrounding soft tissues.
- Sciatica or radiating leg pain: Irritated sciatic nerve from disc problems or tight glutes can send pain or tingling down the leg.
- Headaches from training and posture: Neck tension and posture strain can trigger headaches that hit during or after training.
- General overuse and “mystery” aches: Small irritations from repetitive training that never fully clear up without help.
Assessment & Diagnosis
Real talk. If you want back in the game, you need a real diagnosis, not a guess.
Dr. Darcy starts with:
- Patient History: When it started. How it happened. Sport, position, and training volume. What makes it better or worse. Work and daily habits.
- Physical and orthopedic tests: Joint by joint range of motion. Specific orthopedic tests to stress tissues. Functional tests for bending, squatting, and rotating.
- Neurological checks: Strength, sensation, and reflex tests to look for nerve involvement.
- Posture and movement assessment: Checking alignment, balance, and how the body moves overall, not just in one spot.
- Palpation: Hands on assessment of joints and muscles. Chiropractors train for years to feel what is normal and what is not.
- Imaging when needed: X rays to check alignment or rule out fracture and degeneration. MRI referral if X rays are clear but symptoms persist or red flags show up.
Acute injuries are distinguished from long standing overload so your plan actually matches the cause.
What Does the Treatment Plan Look Like?
Your treatment plan at Alderwood Back and Neck Pain is built around your sport, schedule, and goals. No cookie cutter plans.
Core pieces often include:
- Assessment first: History, exam, and imaging if needed to understand whether the injury is acute trauma, overuse, or a mix.
- Chiropractic adjustments: Diversified hands on adjustments, drop table work, and instrument based methods like Activator and ArthroStim to restore joint motion.
- Soft tissue therapy: Massage, myofascial release, and trigger point therapy for tight or overworked muscles around the injury.
- Therapeutic exercise and rehab: Strength, mobility, and stability drills matched to your sport to support long term change and safe return to activity.
- Physio modalities: Cold and heat therapy, cryotherapy style treatments, and class IV laser to decrease pain and support healing when appropriate.
- Lifestyle and coaching: Posture, ergonomics, warm ups, and training load advice so you are not constantly aggravating the same area.
Plans usually start more frequent, then taper as you improve.
At-Home Care & Immediate Relief
Between visits, smart self care can speed things up.
General tips Dr. Darcy often recommends:
- Rest the right way: Avoid movements that clearly spike pain, but keep moving gently within a comfortable range.
- Use ice or heat as advised: Ice for fresh irritation. Heat for tight muscles. Always in short sessions and not directly on bare skin.
- Gentle mobility, not forced stretching: Light movement drills are usually safer than cranking into painful stretches, especially with disc related issues.
- Hydration and nutrition: Your tissues heal better when you are hydrated and fueling your body well.
- Watch posture and load: Desk posture, lifting habits, and training volume all matter. Small tweaks here can lower stress on injured areas.
If pain is intense, spreading, or linked to big trauma, get checked before doing too much on your own.
Equipment & Tools Used
Athletes in Lynnwood are treated with a mix of hands on care and supportive tools.
Common tools include:
- Chiropractic adjusting tables with drop sections: Allow precise, low force adjustments while keeping you comfortable.
- Manual adjusting methods: Diversified technique for specific spinal and extremity corrections.
- Instrument assisted tools: Activator and ArthroStim style instruments for gentle adjustments when lighter force is better.
- Soft tissue tools and hands on techniques: Myofascial release and trigger point therapy for tight or overworked muscles.
- Physiologic modalities: Cold and heat therapy, cryotherapy, and class IV laser as part of heat therapy to support tissue healing and pain control.
- Basic rehab equipment: Bands and simple tools to build strength and stability for return to sport.
Long-Term Consequences of Ignoring Sports Injuries
Ignoring an injury usually means your body will find a workaround. Those workarounds often turn into new problems.
Sudden impacts or sports injuries can overstretch muscles and ligaments or irritate discs. Discogenic injuries often need two to three months to heal and respond best to guided care.
If you keep training through pain:
- Inflammation can become chronic.
- Joints and discs can wear faster.
- Other areas start compensating and get overloaded.
Over time, this can lead to more frequent flare ups and possibly more invasive treatment options. Early, conservative care with an athlete chiropractor in Lynnwood is a much better play.
Real Patient Wins — Case Studies
Case 1: Active adult with low back pain
A patient who lifted and played pickup sports came in with dull, achy low back pain rated six out of ten. Bending forward and long sitting made it worse. Exam showed mild forward lean posture, tight lumbar muscles, decreased flexion and extension, and a positive Kemp’s test. Neurological exam was normal. Diagnosis was lumbar segment dysfunction with sprain strain and myofascial pain. Plan was three visits per week at first, then taper. After about a month, pain improved, active rehab was added, and follow up X rays confirmed progress.
Case 2: Whiplash style neck injury
A patient was rear ended while stopped and pushed into the car ahead, causing a double impact to the neck. They had significant neck pain and wanted to get back to daily activities. Dr. Darcy treated them for three to four months with adjustments, soft tissue therapy, and class IV laser. After one month, improvement was present but slower than expected, so an MRI was ordered. It showed multiple disc bulges in the neck and low back. They were co managed with pain management and physical therapy while continuing chiropractic care. By four months, they felt much better and were discharged.
Case 3: Headaches in an active caregiver
A caregiver who stayed active came in with frequent headaches and neck tension. Imaging showed a very straight cervical curve and significant neck muscle tension. Dr. Darcy provided cervical adjustments and myofascial release. The patient reported immediate headache relief after the first visit and continued improvement with ongoing care. They were able to return to daily activities and exercise with far fewer headache days.
Why Choose Alderwood Back and Neck Pain
If you are searching for an athlete chiropractor in Lynnwood, you want someone who understands both the science and the sport.
Dr. Darcy Szigety, DC has been practicing since 2017 and holds advanced certification in whiplash injury biomechanics and traumatology from the Spine Research Institute of San Diego. Their background in basketball and martial arts means they genuinely get movement and performance.
At Alderwood Back and Neck Pain, care is non-invasive, medication free, and focused on long term function. You get a mix of adjustments, soft tissue work, rehab, and lifestyle coaching, all explained in plain language.
Book An Appointment
Please use the booking tool below to book an appointment or by calling us on (425) 775-6767
FAQs - Sports Injury Treatment
How many sessions will I need to recover?
It depends on the injury type, how long it has been there, and your training load. Some athletes feel changes within a few visits, especially for mild sprains and strains. Disc related or long standing issues often take several weeks or months. Dr. Darcy reassesses regularly and adjusts the plan as you improve.
Is chiropractic safe for athletes?
Chiropractic care is generally considered safe when provided by a licensed chiropractor. Dr. Darcy uses several techniques, from hands on adjustments to gentle instrument assisted care. Force and style are always tailored to your condition, age, and comfort level.
Will I need to stop training?
Not always. Many athletes can keep some form of training with modified volume, intensity, or exercise selection. The goal is to protect the injured area while keeping you as active as safely possible. You will get clear guidelines on what to avoid for now and what is okay.
Do I need a referral from my coach or doctor?
Most people do not need a referral to see Dr. Darcy. Some insurance plans may require one, so it is smart to check. The clinic is happy to coordinate with your primary care doctor, physical therapist, or coach so everyone is on the same page.
Does insurance cover sports injury chiropractic?
Many insurance plans include some coverage for chiropractic care related to pain or injury. Details vary a lot. The team can provide documentation for your visits, and it is best to contact your insurer directly to confirm benefits before starting care.
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