High school athletes train hard, compete hard, and often feel pressure to get back quickly after an injury. For parents, the priority is different: understand what happened, make sure a more serious injury is not being missed, and help their athlete return safely and confidently.
At Better Chiropractic in Gilbert, AZ, we evaluate musculoskeletal sports injuries in high school athletes and build individualized care plans around the athlete's injury, sport, position, training demands, stage of growth, and goals.
Sports Injuries We Commonly Evaluate in High School Athletes
Student-athletes can develop injuries from a single play, repeated training, rapid increases in workload, or the changing demands of a growing body. Problems we commonly evaluate include:
- Ankle and foot injuries: sprains, tendon-related pain, heel pain, and activity-related foot symptoms
- Knee injuries: sprains, patellofemoral pain, tendon-related pain, Osgood-Schlatter symptoms, and screening for injuries that may require orthopedic evaluation
- Hip and thigh injuries: muscle strains, overuse symptoms, and activity-related hip pain
- Shoulder and elbow injuries: including throwing- and overhead-sport complaints in baseball, softball, volleyball, swimming, and similar sports
- Back and neck pain: symptoms related to contact, lifting, repetitive loading, or sport-specific demands
- Muscle strains and overuse injuries: including hamstring, quadriceps, calf, and other soft-tissue complaints
High school athletes are not simply smaller adults. Some adolescents still have open growth plates, and growth-related conditions and bone stress injuries can look different from routine muscle soreness. That is one reason the examination matters before deciding how an athlete should train or return to competition.
When a Sports Injury Needs More Than Conservative Care
Not every injury belongs in a chiropractic or rehabilitation office. We pay close attention to findings that may require imaging, orthopedic evaluation, urgent medical care, or emergency care.
Prompt evaluation is especially important after major trauma, obvious deformity, inability to bear weight, rapidly increasing swelling, suspected fracture or dislocation, significant loss of strength, persistent numbness, or severe or worsening pain. If the history or examination suggests an injury outside our scope, we recommend the appropriate next step rather than trying to treat through it.
Concussion: No Same-Day Return to Play
A suspected concussion is different from a routine musculoskeletal injury. If an athlete develops concussion symptoms after a blow or jolt to the head or body, they should be removed from sports participation immediately. They should not return to play the same day and should be evaluated and cleared by an appropriate healthcare provider before progressing back to sport.
Confusion, worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizure, loss of consciousness, unusual behavior, increasing drowsiness, weakness or numbness, or other concerning neurologic changes require urgent medical attention. We do not use spinal manipulation as a substitute for appropriate concussion evaluation.
What We Look at During a Sports Injury Evaluation
The goal is to understand both the injury and the demands the athlete needs to return to. Depending on the complaint, an evaluation may consider:
- How and when the injury occurred
- Pain location, swelling, strength, range of motion, and joint stability
- Recent changes in practices, games, lifting, conditioning, or tournament volume
- Previous injuries and whether the athlete fully returned to prior function
- Growth-related considerations and possible bone or growth-plate involvement
- Sport, position, practice schedule, and upcoming competition demands
- Whether imaging, medical referral, or orthopedic evaluation is appropriate
For athletes in soccer, running, football, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, baseball, softball, track and field, swimming, and other school sports, the return-to-play demands can be very different. A useful plan has to reflect those differences.
High School Sports Injury Treatment in Gilbert
When conservative care is appropriate, treatment is based on the examination rather than a one-size-fits-all protocol. A plan may include:
- Temporary activity or training modification
- Progressive strengthening and corrective exercise
- Mobility and soft-tissue treatment
- Joint-focused or chiropractic care when clinically appropriate
- Gradual reloading of the injured area
- Sport-specific progression toward running, cutting, jumping, throwing, lifting, or contact
Our Sports Rehabilitation / Sports Medicine approach is designed to connect the clinical evaluation with the physical demands of returning to activity. Dry Needling may also be considered for selected musculoskeletal problems when appropriate, as one part of a broader plan.
Return to Sport Is More Than “Does It Still Hurt?”
Feeling better is important, but pain alone does not tell us whether an athlete is ready for full-speed practice or competition. Depending on the injury, progression may also consider strength, motion, balance, jumping or landing tolerance, sprinting, cutting, throwing, fatigue, and sport-specific skills.
There is no responsible universal return-to-play timeline. The goal is to build back the capacity the athlete needs and coordinate with the athlete's parent, physician, athletic trainer, coach, or other providers when appropriate.
Sports-Focused Care With Dr. Brennan Bates
Dr. Brennan Bates is a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP) and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). That combination helps connect musculoskeletal evaluation with strength, conditioning, and the real demands of athletic participation.
Better Chiropractic serves student-athletes and active families throughout Gilbert and the East Valley. We also have sport-specific resources for Youth Soccer Injuries and Running Injuries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should my high school athlete play through pain?
It depends on the cause and severity. Mild soreness after training is different from pain that changes movement, worsens during activity, causes swelling or weakness, or persists despite reduced training. When the cause is unclear or function is changing, an evaluation is more useful than simply telling an athlete to push through it.
Do you treat ACL tears or fractures?
Suspected fractures, major ligament injuries, dislocations, and other significant structural injuries may require imaging and orthopedic or medical care. We can help identify when those concerns are present and, when appropriate, participate in rehabilitation after the diagnosis and treatment plan are established.
Can you help an athlete who has already seen an orthopedist?
Often, yes. If the athlete has already been evaluated and conservative rehabilitation is appropriate, we can work within those recommendations and focus on restoring strength, motion, load tolerance, and sport-specific function.
What if my athlete has a concussion?
A suspected concussion requires appropriate medical evaluation and a structured return-to-sport process. The athlete should not return to play on the day of the injury. If there are concussion danger signs, seek emergency medical care.
Do you only work with school-team athletes?
No. We evaluate adolescent athletes who participate through high schools, clubs, academies, recreational leagues, and independent training programs. The plan is based on the athlete, the injury, and the demands of the sport.
Help Your Athlete Return With a Plan
If your high school athlete is dealing with a new injury, recurring pain, or a problem that keeps limiting practice or competition, let’s start by figuring out what is going on and whether conservative sports care is appropriate.
Schedule an appointment at Better Chiropractic in Gilbert or call 480-802-0692.
References
For parent and athlete guidance, see the CDC HEADS UP information on responding to a sports-related concussion and returning to sports, along with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' overview of high school sports injuries.
