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Sports Performance Competitive Anxiety: Tension Release Chiropractor

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Athletes train and practice constantly to prepare their mind and bodies for the big games, matches, etc. When the game is on, it is normal/natural to feel anxious and nervous, especially at the beginning, but then the athlete settles in and relaxes, letting their training take over. However, for some athletes, the anxiousness and nervousness don’t go away but intensify, the heart starts racing, and the individual can’t stop thinking about choking, failing, and losing. This is known as sports performance anxiety, or competitive anxiety, and is common.

Competitive Anxiety

Research shows that 30 to 60 percent of athletes experience the disorder. Doctors divide the signs and symptoms into mental and physical categories.

Physical Symptoms

Rapid Heartbeat

  • The stress can cause overproduction of adrenaline and cortisol, making the heart beat rapidly.

Muscle Tension

  • The muscles can tighten up, become painful, and cause tension and pain in the head.

Trembling

  • The hands could shake while holding the ball, bat, racket, or foot twitching could present.

Hyperventilation

  • Individuals report a sensation of choking or being unable to catch their breath.

Digestion Issues

  • The stress can cause foods to be quickly digested, causing cramping and/or the sudden urge to use the bathroom.

Mental Symptoms

Fear of Failing

  • The athlete imagines themselves losing all the time.
  • Worrying about letting the coach and team down or the audience or other athletes criticizing and laughing at your performance.

Unable to Focus

  • The athlete may have concentration issues and become absorbed in how others react to their performance.

Overthinking

  • The athlete can temporarily forget how to perform specific actions that are typically automatic.

Self-confidence issues

  • The athlete can start doubting their abilities.

Stress and Anxiety

The Yerkes-Dodson law explains how stress, anxiety, and arousal levels affect performance and how stress levels must be maintained within a range to perform well.

Low Arousal

  • It could be the athlete is not as into the sport as when they began, so they do not put forth the total effort.

High Arousal

  • This means the sport could be causing so much stress that the athlete panics or freezes up.
  • Competitive anxiety sets in.

Optimal Arousal

  • This means the athlete is fully engaged in pushing themselves to the fullest.
  • This can be applied to any performing task like play rehearsals to a tennis match.
  • Individuals have different optimal levels of stress.

Recommended Steps

Some recommended steps can be taken to handle and prevent sports competitive anxiety when trying to overcome those overwhelming feelings of nervousness and tension.

Positive self-talk

  • Self-talk is having a positive conversation with yourself.

Athletes who practiced positive self-talk reported:

  • Improved self-confidence
  • Reduced physical anxiety symptoms
  • Improved sports performance

Listen to Music

  • When anxious before a meet, game, match, etc., consider listening to some favorite or relaxing music.

Meditation

  • Meditation has been found to reduce all types of anxiety, including sports.

Chiropractic

Chiropractic treatment specializes in the musculoskeletal system and can realign the body and release any muscle tension and restriction through hands-on manipulation techniques and mechanical decompression. Treatment involves manipulating the muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia, and soft tissues to relieve pain through therapeutic muscle therapies that include:

  • Massage
  • Myofascial release
  • Trigger point therapy
  • Chiropractic adjustments
  • Spinal decompression

One or a combination of therapies can alleviate symptoms related to muscle spasms, delayed onset muscle soreness, fascia restrictions, soft tissue injuries, and pain and dysfunction throughout the body, restoring function, movement, and strength.


Using The DRX9000 For Spinal Decompression


References

Elliott, Dave, et al. “The effects of relaxing music for anxiety control on competitive sport anxiety.” European journal of sports science vol. 14 Suppl 1 (2014): S296-301. doi:10.1080/17461391.2012.693952

Ford, Jessica L et al. “Sport-related anxiety: current insights.” Open access journal of sports medicine vol. 8 205-212. 27 Oct. 2017, doi:10.2147/OAJSM.S125845

Rice, Simon M et al. “Determinants of anxiety in elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” British journal of sports medicine vol. 53,11 (2019): 722-730. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2019-100620

Rowland, David L, and Jacques J D M van Lankveld. “Anxiety and Performance in Sex, Sport, and Stage: Identifying Common Ground.” Frontiers in psychology vol. 10 1615. 16 Jul. 2019, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01615

Walter N, et al. (2019). Effects of self-talk training on competitive anxiety, self-efficacy, volitional skills, and performance: An intervention study with junior sub-elite athletes. mdpi.com/2075-4663/7/6/148

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Specialties: Stopping the PAIN! We Specialize in Treating Severe Sciatica, Neck-Back Pain, Whiplash, Headaches, Knee Injuries, Sports Injuries, Dizziness, Poor Sleep, Arthritis. We use advanced proven therapies focused on optimal Mobility, Posture Control, Deep Health Instruction, Integrative & Functional Medicine, Functional Fitness, Chronic Degenerative Disorder Treatment Protocols, and Structural Conditioning. We also integrate Wellness Nutrition, Wellness Detoxification Protocols and Functional Medicine for chronic musculoskeletal disorders. We use effective "Patient Focused Diet Plans", Specialized Chiropractic Techniques, Mobility-Agility Training, Cross-Fit Protocols, and the Premier "PUSH Functional Fitness System" to treat patients suffering from various injuries and health problems. Ultimately, I am here to serve my patients and community as a Chiropractor passionately restoring functional life and facilitating living through increased mobility. Purpose & Passions: I am a Doctor of Chiropractic specializing in progressive cutting-edge therapies and functional rehabilitation procedures focused on clinical physiology, total health, functional strength training, functional medicine, and complete conditioning. We focus on restoring normal body functions after neck, back, spinal and soft tissue injuries. We use Specialized Chiropractic Protocols, Wellness Programs, Functional & Integrative Nutrition, Agility & Mobility Fitness Training and Cross-Fit Rehabilitation Systems for all ages. As an extension to dynamic rehabilitation, we too offer our patients, disabled veterans, athletes, young and elder a diverse portfolio of strength equipment, high-performance exercises and advanced agility treatment options. We have teamed up with the cities' premier doctors, therapist and trainers in order to provide high-level competitive athletes the options to push themselves to their highest abilities within our facilities. We've been blessed to use our methods with thousands of El Pasoans over the last 3 decades allowing us to restore our patients' health and fitness while implementing researched non-surgical methods and functional wellness programs. Our programs are natural and use the body's ability to achieve specific measured goals, rather than introducing harmful chemicals, controversial hormone replacement, un-wanted surgeries, or addictive drugs. We want you to live a functional life that is fulfilled with more energy, a positive attitude, better sleep, and less pain. Our goal is to ultimately empower our patients to maintain the healthiest way of living. With a bit of work, we can achieve optimal health together, no matter the age, ability or disability.

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