The National Geographic recently published an article delving into the intense recovery routine that Linebacker James Harrison undergoes throughout the season.
For more than two decades, James Harrison has been delivering and receiving crushing blows on football fields. There is no doubt that the physical demand takes a toll, suffering with a serious back injury that resulted in multiple surgeries. Despite this, Harrison stepped onto the field for the Super Bowl LII as the oldest defensive player in professional football. He was asked what his secret is for playing such a brutal game at such a high level for so long; Harrison exclaimed “Ain’t no damn secret, man. HARD WORK, lots of hard work!”. Harrison also divulged that he spends approximately $350,000 a year employing a team of specialists, including massage therapists, acupuncturists, and chiropractors, who help manage the punishment his body endures. His interest in alternative treatments goes back to his childhood.
“I was in a car accident when I was about eight or nine. It messed something up, knocked me out of alignment. My father’s boss’s brother was a chiropractor, and I started going to see him. I’ve seen a chiropractor from that point through the rest of my life.” Over the years he’s tried several different chiropractors. “I can tell as soon as a new guy puts his hands on me if he knows what’s he’s doing,” said Harrison.
PHOTOGRAPH BY FRITZ HOFFMANN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
His current chiropractor lives in Denver and his acupuncturist lives in New York and Harrison flies them in twice a week during the season for treatments. The combination of all the different treatments, Harrison said, reduces muscle soreness and allows his body to bounce back quicker from his intense workouts and practice sessions. Harrison says he is aware that scientists are skeptical about chiropractic treatments, cupping, and some of the other therapies he uses but says
“All I know is before I get treated, I HURT, and after, I feel better.”
The Spinal Centre Comment:
Sports chiropractors practice at many highlevel athletic events, and there is good evidence to suggest why we are effective providers. Athletes cannot perform at their best if they feel pain. Pain causes a reflex that shuts down muscles. Limping after straining a knee or spraining an ankle is an example. To perform optimally, athletes need to exert themselves with strength, stability and a full range of motion. Research shows that skilled joint manipulation improves joint motion and reduces pain, and it has a host of neurophysiologic attributes, including turning off reflex inhibition. Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars flying Doctors from all over the country; you have access to ALL of this at The Spinal Centre. You have access to the most advanced form of Chiropractic care, Acupuncture and Spinal Rehabilitation. We provide a thorough musculoskeletal examination and a diagnosis and then deliver expert hands on procedures that athletes need and desire.
While Harrison is using alternative measures such as cupping, acupuncture and massage; from a young age, James Harrison was seeing a chiropractor and it has continued to be his primary source of care. Whether it’s providing immediate care after injury or maintenance care to ensure you’re keeping your alignment and health in check – Chiropractic needs to be a part of your regime!
Full article: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2018/february/james-harrison-nfl-cupping-therapy-football/
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