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Gentle, effective chiropractic care to help young athletes recover faster and perform at their best.
Youth sports participation continues to grow across the country, with more than 45 million children and adolescents competing in organized athletics each year. While sports offer tremendous benefits for physical fitness, teamwork, and personal development, they also carry a real risk of injury. Young athletes are especially vulnerable because their bodies are still growing. Growth plates, developing bones, and maturing ligaments are all more susceptible to damage than their adult counterparts, which means injuries that might be minor for an adult can have lasting consequences for a child if not properly evaluated and treated.
One of the most common mistakes in youth athletics is encouraging young players to push through pain. While grit and determination are admirable qualities, playing through an injury often leads to compensation patterns, chronic pain, and more severe damage over time. At Advanced Wellness Chiropractic in Bridgeton, MO, we take a different approach. Our sports chiropractic team understands the unique demands placed on young athletes and provides age-appropriate treatment designed to resolve the root cause of pain, not just mask the symptoms so your child can get back on the field prematurely.
Whether your child is dealing with an acute injury from a collision or fall, or a chronic overuse condition from repetitive training, our goal is to restore proper function, reduce pain, and build a foundation for long-term athletic health. We work with athletes of all ages and skill levels, from recreational league participants to competitive travel team players, providing personalized care plans that respect each child's growth stage and athletic goals.
Most youth sports injuries respond well to conservative chiropractic treatment, but certain warning signs mean your athlete should be evaluated in an urgent care or emergency room before seeing a chiropractor:
Children and teens do not always communicate pain the way adults do. Watch for these signs that your young athlete may be dealing with an injury that needs professional attention and a thorough evaluation.
These are quick screens parents and coaches can use before deciding whether an athlete needs evaluation. None of them replace a proper exam, but if any one is clearly positive, hold your athlete out of play and schedule an evaluation. Stop any test that causes sharp pain or sudden weakness.
How to do it
Have your athlete move the injured joint through its normal directions of motion, then repeat the same motion with the healthy side. Watch both sides at the same time, not just the injured one.
What to watch for
Meaningful differences in how far the injured side moves, hesitation or guarding partway through the motion, or pain at specific points in the range.
What a positive test suggests
A real injury rather than normal post-practice soreness. Any meaningful asymmetry deserves evaluation before the next practice or game.
How to do it
Have the athlete perform a simple version of a sport-specific movement at low intensity. A jog for a runner, a light throw for a pitcher, a shallow squat for a soccer or basketball player, or a grip squeeze for a gymnast.
What to watch for
Pain, weakness, or a noticeable change in mechanics at light effort. If low intensity already reproduces symptoms, full intensity will make things worse.
What a positive test suggests
The athlete is not ready to return to play. A pain-free, full-effort sport-specific movement is one of the requirements before clearing any young athlete back to competition.
How to do it
Stand on one leg with arms crossed, eyes open for 30 seconds, then repeat with eyes closed for 30 seconds. Test both sides and compare.
What to watch for
Excessive sway, frequent touchdowns of the other foot, or a clear difference between the two sides. Eyes-closed balance is where most deficits show up.
What a positive test suggests
Lingering effects from a concussion or lower-body injury. Balance deficits are one of the most common and most overlooked post-injury findings in young athletes.
If any of these checks is clearly positive, hold your athlete out of the next practice or game and schedule an evaluation. Returning to play before the deficits clear is one of the most common causes of re-injury in youth sports.
Chiropractic care for young athletes focuses on restoring proper alignment, improving joint mobility, and addressing the soft tissue dysfunction that accompanies most sports injuries. Our gentle, age-appropriate adjustments help ensure that the spine and extremities are moving correctly, which reduces strain on muscles, tendons, and ligaments. When the body is properly aligned, it moves more efficiently, heals faster, and is far less likely to develop the compensatory patterns that lead to recurring injuries.
In addition to spinal adjustments, we utilize Pin & Stretch Therapy to break up adhesions and scar tissue in overworked muscles and tendons. This hands-on soft tissue method is highly effective for conditions like tendinitis, muscle strains, and repetitive motion injuries that are common in young athletes who train intensively. We also incorporate shockwave therapy when appropriate, using acoustic wave technology to reduce inflammation, accelerate tissue repair, and help young athletes recover more quickly from both acute injuries and chronic overuse conditions.
Beyond treating the immediate injury, we place a strong emphasis on correcting the underlying biomechanical issues that contributed to the problem in the first place. This may include addressing muscle imbalances, improving flexibility and stability, and providing sport-specific guidance on movement patterns and training habits. Our goal is not just to get your young athlete back in the game, but to help them compete with better mechanics and a lower risk of future injury.
Every young athlete receives a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan that considers their sport, position, training load, and growth stage. Our approach to treating youth sports injuries includes:
A thorough evaluation of your child's injury, movement patterns, and biomechanics, taking into account the specific demands of their sport and position.
Age-appropriate chiropractic adjustments to restore proper alignment and joint function, using techniques calibrated to your child's size and development.
Targeted exercises and stretches to rebuild strength, correct muscle imbalances, and improve flexibility so your child can return to play with confidence.
A structured, gradual plan for safely returning to full athletic activity, with clear benchmarks and ongoing monitoring to prevent re-injury.
These are the drills Dr. JC sends home with most youth sports injury patients. They build the movement quality, balance, and core stability that protect young athletes from recurring injury. The full routine takes about ten minutes and works best three to four times per week on non-practice days. Stop any exercise that causes sharp pain.
Static stretching before practice has fallen out of favor for a reason. Dynamic warmup primes the nervous system, improves ranges of motion, and reduces the injury risk on the first few sprints, throws, or jumps of the session.
Dosage: Complete once before every practice, game, or training session.
Youth athletes with weak core stability overload their backs, hips, and knees. A simple plank and dead bug combination builds the control that protects every other joint in the body.
Dosage: Hold each plank 20 to 30 seconds for 2 sets. 8 dead bugs per side for 2 sets. 3 times per week.
One of the best ankle and knee injury-prevention drills in the research. Easy to progress from static balance to reaching patterns to mini hops as the athlete recovers.
Dosage: 2 sets per leg, 3 times per week. Progress to the next level only once the current level is clean and pain-free.
Swimmers, throwers, and any athlete with rounded posture from school and phone use benefits from a daily dose of upper-back extension. Cheap insurance against shoulder and neck overuse.
Dosage: 8 to 10 slow extensions at 3 levels of the mid-back, once daily.
Home exercises are powerful, but they are one piece of a larger plan. Most young athletes with a nagging injury also have restrictions at the spine, hips, or ankles that these drills alone will not resolve. If symptoms are not clearly improving after two weeks of consistent home work, come in for an evaluation before the problem becomes chronic.
Certain sports and schedules drive the majority of youth sports injuries we treat at Advanced Wellness Chiropractic. If you recognize your athlete in one of these groups, you are not alone, and conservative chiropractic care combined with smart programming is often all that is needed.
The year-round select soccer schedule across North County drives ankle sprains, groin strains, and knee overuse. Multi-team athletes flare first.
Pitchers especially, with shoulder and elbow overuse from year-round throwing. Early-specialization arms are the most at-risk group in youth sports.
Jumper's knee, ankle sprains, and low back irritation from the jumping and cutting volume of school and AAU seasons stacked together.
Position-specific injuries from Pop Warner through high school football. Linemen, skill players, and defensive backs each tend to show different patterns.
Wrist, low back, and ankle overuse from hours of training in hyperextended positions. Early identification of growth plate irritation is critical here.
High volume freestyle and butterfly stroke counts overload the rotator cuff. We address the thoracic spine, scapula, and cuff together.
Shin splints, hip flexor strains, and stress-reaction warning signs. Running-form and mileage conversations are part of the visit.
Neck, shoulder, and knee injuries from mat work. Weight-cutting combined with heavy training can also drive nagging overuse complaints.
Competitive cheer tumblers with chronic back and wrist irritation, plus multisport athletes playing year-round without an off-season to recover.
Dr. JC coordinates with your athlete's coach, athletic trainer, or pediatrician when needed to align on return-to-play decisions. We see young athletes from Bridgeton, Maryland Heights, Hazelwood, Florissant, St. Ann, Creve Coeur, and across North County St. Louis.
Children can benefit from chiropractic care at any age, including infancy. For youth athletes, we commonly begin seeing patients as young as five or six years old, when organized sports participation often begins. The techniques we use are always adapted to the child's age, size, and developmental stage. Younger children receive gentler, lower-force adjustments, while teenagers may receive care more similar to what an adult would experience.
We frequently treat ankle sprains, knee pain, shin splints, shoulder injuries from throwing sports, lower back pain, growth plate irritation, Osgood-Schlatter disease, Little Leaguer's elbow, and overuse injuries such as stress reactions and tendinitis. We also see many young athletes dealing with muscle strains, postural imbalances from sport-specific training, and joint dysfunction that limits their performance and comfort.
Recovery time varies depending on the type and severity of the injury. Minor sprains and strains often improve within two to four weeks with consistent care. Overuse injuries and growth-plate-related conditions may require six to eight weeks or longer, especially if the athlete needs to modify their activity level during healing. We create a clear timeline during your child's first visit and update it as they progress through treatment.
Yes, regular chiropractic care can play an important role in injury prevention. By maintaining proper spinal alignment and joint mobility, we help young athletes move more efficiently and reduce the compensatory movement patterns that often lead to injury. We also assess biomechanics, identify muscle imbalances early, and provide targeted exercises to strengthen vulnerable areas before problems develop.
Absolutely. We believe in a team approach to youth athlete care. With your permission, we are happy to communicate with your child's coach, athletic trainer, or pediatrician to coordinate return-to-play decisions and ensure everyone is aligned on the recovery plan. This collaborative approach helps your young athlete return to competition safely and confidently.
“Best chiropractor in the greater St. Louis area”
Dr. Bordeaux is hands down the best chiropractor in the greater St. Louis area. He takes the time to understand and treat your specific issue. You'll leave feeling like a million bucks.
“A million times better after one visit”
JC is totally amazing and will make you feel so comfortable and relaxed. I left feeling a million times better after one visit!
Comprehensive chiropractic care tailored for athletes of all ages and competition levels.
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