Friday 11th March is a big day for Reading Chiropractor Andy Green as he prepares to go to the Madejski Stadium to watch the FA Cup quarter final between Reading
Dr Andy Green – Doctor of Chiropractic
FC and Crystal Palace FC. This is because he has had foot in both camps this season by providing sports chiropractic care to both teams! Andy has worked several times with the Reading players both at their Hogwood training base as well as at his own Reflex Chiropractic Clinic in Caversham. He has though been going down more regularly to Crystal Palace’s training ground in Beckenham every couple of weeks. A passionate sports chiropractor, Andy was also one of only 16 sports chiropractors selected to work at the London 2012 Olympics and has worked with elite athletes from many sports including Rowing, Canoeing, Swimming, Cycling, Triathlon and Equestrian Sports and holds the post graduate qualification of International Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner (ICCSP).
Why do teams use a Sports Chiropractor?
Clearly in the world of professional football each clubs medical department is run by either the Head Physiotherapist of Club Medical Doctor. However, there are a team of supporting Physio’s and skilled Sports Massage Therapists working alongside and players will see this team on a daily basis for either soft tissue work or to have strapping applied prior to training. The team will of course monitor and support any player who is recovering and rehabilitating from an sports injury. However, in addition to this core team the majority of top tier football clubs now have ancillary team members such as Sports Chiropractors, Yoga teachers and Pilates instructors to complement their team.
Chiropractors look at the body functionally performing a lot of muscle testing, neurological testing as well as assessing the biomechanics of the whole body, rather than only assessing and treating the symptomatic area. As Andy Green says,”Teams use a Sports Chiropractor to complement their current team. Also within any squad there are some players who have always used sports chiropractic as an important part of keeping them fit whilst a few others use it much less. However, the majority of the players i see are not being adjusted for injuries that are preventing them from playing, although clearly there are some, but rather to improve their sporting performance and function. I have had several footballers tell me that they clearly recognise when they feel ‘switched on’ as both their stability and shooting power improve.”
A Sports Chiropractor is NOT just for Elite Sport!
The vast majority of people who consult a sports chiropractor are not at the top of elite sport, but may include anyone from keen runners to weekend warriors, from golfers looking to complete their round pain free, to cyclists preparing for Ride London, or of course the many rowers or Crossfitters who are pounding away in their gyms early in the morning.
So, what does Andy Green think about the result on Friday night? “Well… Despite living and working in Reading i was originally a South London boy, so fingers crossed for Palace to squeeze through. However, i have never been to the new Wembley so it will be great either way, and this FA Cup run has been a great lift for both of these football clubs.”