Sports Injury Chiropractor in Denver for Athletes Who Want to Get Back in the Game
When you’re hurt, you don’t just want the pain gone. You want to get back to training, competing and doing what you love, without the injury coming back the moment you push hard again. That’s what sports injury care at Dorsa Health is built for.
Sports care is where our clinic’s roots are, and that experience now shapes how we care for everyone, from competitive athletes to people who just want to keep hiking without a sore knee. Our founder earned his Doctor of Chiropractic with a strong focus on sports medicine and completed advanced postgraduate training in sports chiropractic in 2018, along with certifications in soft tissue treatment, mobility training and movement assessment.
What makes sports injury care different
General care aims to get you out of pain. Sports injury chiropractic aims to get you back to performing. That means looking beyond the sore spot to how you move, where you’re compensating and what your sport asks of your body.
At Dorsa Health, every sports injury plan answers three questions:
- What’s injured, and why? A sore knee may really be a hip or ankle problem.
- What will help it heal fastest? That’s where our treatment options come in.
- What will keep it from coming back? Strength, mobility and a smart return to training.
We spend more one-on-one time with each patient than a typical visit allows, and we use that time to watch you move, test your strength and adjust your plan as you progress. Your first evaluation can be with a chiropractor, a physical therapist or our medical team. If something needs a closer look, your provider will order imaging, such as an X-ray or MRI, before deciding on hands-on care.
The treatments we use for sports injuries
Most chiropractors rely on adjustments alone. As a sports injury chiropractor team, we have more tools, and we combine them based on what your injury needs.
Shockwave therapy
For tendon injuries that won’t heal, like Achilles, patellar, elbow or shoulder tendon pain, focused shockwave sends acoustic pulses deep into the tissue to stimulate repair. It’s one of the most useful tools we have for overuse injuries that keep athletes sidelined. Learn more about shockwave therapy.
Dry needling
Tight muscles and trigger points change how you move and can set you up for the next injury. Dry needling, performed by our chiropractors, releases them quickly and fits into the same visit as your adjustment. See how we use dry needling.
Chiropractic adjustments
Joint restrictions in the spine, hips, shoulders and ankles can throw off your mechanics. Adjustments restore motion so the rest of your plan works better. Read about our chiropractic adjustments.
Hands-on soft tissue work and laser
Manual release techniques loosen restricted muscle and fascia, and infrared laser therapy helps calm irritated tissue between harder training days. Together they help restore smooth, pain-free movement.
Medical care when you need it
Our medical providers work in the same clinic and can treat pain directly when it’s limiting what you can do in rehab, so a rough first week doesn’t stall your whole plan.
Sports injuries we treat
We see athletes of all levels, from weekend warriors to competitive lifters, runners, climbers and golfers. Common injuries include:
- Tendon pain in the Achilles, knee, elbow or shoulder
- Muscle strains in the hamstrings, calves, groin and back
- Shoulder injuries from throwing, lifting, climbing and swimming
- Low back pain from lifting, rotation sports and long training blocks
- Hip and knee pain from running and field sports
- Ankle sprains that left the joint stiff or unstable
- Neck and upper back strain from contact sports, cycling and grappling
Rehab and return to play
Feeling better isn’t the same as being ready. The most common reason athletes get hurt again is returning before the injured area can handle full load. Our physical therapists build a progressive plan that gets you there safely.
Your rehab typically moves through these stages:
- Protect and calm. Reduce pain and inflammation while keeping the rest of your body moving.
- Restore mobility. Get back full range of motion in the injured area.
- Rebuild strength. Progressive loading until the injured side matches the healthy side.
- Sport-specific training. Drills that match the speed, direction and demands of your sport.
- Return to play. A gradual return to full training and competition, with checkpoints along the way.
Every exercise is coached in the clinic before it goes into your home program, so you keep training correctly between sessions. Learn more about our physical therapy.
Recovery support with massage
Massage isn’t just for after the injury heals. Clinical massage helps release the muscle guarding that builds up around an injured area, and it supports recovery during heavy training blocks. Many of our athletes add massage therapy to their plan to stay loose between sessions.
Preventing the next injury
The best sports injury is the one that never happens. Once you’re back to full training, we can help you stay there. Many athletes check in periodically so we can catch tight areas, movement compensations and early tendon irritation before they turn into time off.
Prevention usually comes down to a few things:
- Mobility in the right places, especially hips, ankles and the upper back
- Strength that matches your sport’s demands, including the small stabilizing muscles
- Smart training loads, with rest built in before you’re forced to take it
- Quick attention to early warning signs, like pain that lingers past a day or two after training
Your provider can build a short maintenance routine around your schedule and your sport.
Why athletes choose Dorsa Health
- Everything in one place. Medical, chiropractic, physical therapy, massage and supporting therapies are all under one roof, coordinated by one team.
- Treatments most clinics don’t offer. Focused shockwave and dry needling give us more ways to treat stubborn injuries.
- Time to actually assess you. Longer visits mean better answers.
- Hours that fit training. Open weekdays until 7 PM and Saturdays from 10 AM to 4 PM, with Spanish-speaking staff available.
- A team that understands sport. Our roots are in sports care, and that shows in how we test, treat and return you to play.
Sports injury FAQ
At Dorsa Health, you don’t have to choose, and you can start with either one. Your sports injury plan can include both, along with massage, supporting therapies and medical care, all coordinated by one team.
Often, yes, with modifications. We’ll help you stay as active as possible while the injured area heals, so you lose less fitness.
Wear clothes you can move in, and bring any imaging reports or notes from other providers. If your injury happens during a specific movement, be ready to show us, since watching you move tells us a lot.
That depends on the injury and how you progress through rehab. We use strength and movement checkpoints, not just the calendar, to decide when you’re ready.
Not at all. We treat high school and college athletes, recreational runners, lifters, climbers and people who simply want to keep hiking and playing with their kids. If your body is keeping you from the activity you love, we can help.
Book a Sports Injury Evaluation
Whether you’re dealing with a nagging overuse injury or something new, the sooner we see it, the sooner you’re back. Come see how a coordinated team approaches sports injury care.