Sports Injuries

At Unity Chiropractic & Wellness Center, Dr. Justin Jelen specializes in everyday and sports injuries, and he has a treatment philosophy that everyone is an athlete in their own way, sport, lifestyle, and/or activity. This includes individuals just getting started on their path to optimal health, weekend warriors staying active between their rigorous work weeks, professional athletes training for a personal record or competition victory, and everyone in between.

As an athlete constantly pushing his own body in weight lifting, running, high intensity interval training (HIIT), and yoga, Dr. Jelen understands and relates just how painful, frustrating, and difficult it can be to suffer from injuries sustained during physical activities, such as sports, running, and hiking the outdoors in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

The predominant reason most athletes become injured is due to repetitive stress or strain on tissue, also known as cumulative microtrauma or simply “wear and tear.” Over time, these tissues and body regions become tight, imbalanced, weakened, and susceptible to even more significant injuries. After a sports injury, scar tissue is often laid down as a way for your body to repair the strained or injured tissue. This is initially protective in nature, but unfortunately can lead to a cascade of new problems (including pain, inflammation, and limited range of motion) and perhaps even compensation by a different area of the body.

Many of the techniques utilized by Dr. Jelen—including Active Release Technique (A.R.T.), Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM), Graston Technique, myofascial release, low level laser therapy (LLLT), and cupping therapy—can be very beneficial at breaking up and reducing this problematic scar tissue, thereby decreasing one’s pain and improving their mobility and functional levels. Once this scar tissue is removed, more blood flow and oxygen is brought to the healing tissues, ultimately leading to increased flexibility and improved performance.

Dr. Jelen treats athletes with all types of injuries—nagging old injuries, new/acute debilitating injuries, or issues that seem to be gradually building up and just won’t go away. He has extensive sports injury experience and he is well-equipped to accurately diagnose, manage, and treat your condition. Dr. Jelen treats with various approaches—including effective chiropractic adjustments, myofascial release, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM), individualized exercise rehabilitation, and nutritional counseling—and it is often this multidimensional technique approach that gets patients out of pain and back to their sport.

Relevant sports injuries coursework in which Dr. Jelen has been trained:

  • Active Release Technique (A.R.T.)
  • Graston Technique
  • StrongFirst Kettlebell
  • Addressing Concussions in Sports Among Kids and Teens
  • The Movement Fix
  • American Chiropractic Association Sports Council (ACASC) General
  • Symposium
  • Relevant sports settings at which Dr. Jelen treated athletes:
  • Oregon CrossFit Games
  • Portland Marathon
  • Portland FIT
  • Pacific Crest Triathlon/Duathlon/Marathon
  • Nike Special Olympics Med Fest
  • Columbia Star Ball Ballroom Dancing
  • Portland Shamrock Run
  • Bridge to Brew Run
  • CrossFit Deadlifting workshop
  • CrossFit Overhead Squat Mobility workshop
  • CrossFit General Mobility workshop
  • BurnCycle Mobility workshop

Sports Injuries FAQ

What are common sports injuries that Dr. Jelen treats?

Dr. Jelen has extensive experience treating countless sports injuries and conditions, including but not limited to the following conditions:

  • Neck pain/whiplash/strains/sprains
  • Mid back pain/strains/sprains
  • Headaches (tension-related, cervicogenic, and migraines)
  • Low back pain/strains/sprains
  • Pelvic and sacroiliac joint pain/sprains
  • Disc herniations and bulges
  • Hip pain/strains/sprains
  • Hamstring strains
  • Rib Cage pain/strains/sprains
  • Shoulder pain/strains/sprains/bursitis/rotator cuff tears/tendinosis/itis
  • Elbow pain/strains/sprains/tennis elbow/golfer’s elbow
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Wrist pain/strains/sprains
  • Knee pain/strains/sprains/tendinitis/bursitis/patellofemoral disorders
  • Runner’s or jumper’s knee
  • Osgood Schlatter’s disease
  • Ankle strains/sprains
  • Leg pain (sciatica)
  • Achilles tendinosis/itis
  • Numbness or tingling in arms/legs
  • Heel pain (plantar fasciitis)
  • Muscle tightness, spasms, imbalances and fascial adhesions
  • Scar tissue buildup
  • Concussions/dizziness/vertigo
  • Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) strains/sprains/disorders
  • Fatigue/low energy

What techniques does Dr. Jelen utilize to treat sports injuries?

Dr. Jelen treats sports injuries with a variety of treatment techniques, including effective chiropractic adjustments, myofascial release, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM), low level laser therapy (LLLT), targeted exercise rehabilitation, and nutritional counseling. He has successfully utilized this approach with countless athletes, from pediatrics and adolescents to professional athletes and Olympians.

Can Dr. Jelen treat both acute or chronic (long lasting) injuries?

Scar tissue limits range of motion because it negatively affects sensory motor firing rates and frequencies, which then impacts the nervous system, making it more sensitive, painful, and dysfunctional when one attempts to use certain muscles and control movement. This can have direct negative effects on one’s ability to perform at their sport. Dr. Jelen’s treatments can help interrupt and break this vicious cycle of pain, limitations, and dysfunctional movement patterns.

Is scar tissue different than normal tissue?

When scar tissues forms in an area, it often develops in a dense, fibrotic, and haphazard manner; this irregular orientation of the tissues results in painful, dysfunctional, and stiff/limited range of motion. In contrast, normal, non-injured tissue is generally more organized and allows smoother, more comfortable, more efficient, and more functional bodily movements.

What can I expect from an appointment session with Dr. Jelen?

After a thorough history and examination, Dr. Jelen will diagnose your condition, and explain your individualized treatment plan. Treatment begins on the initial appointment and includes a combination of chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue work, low level laser therapy (LLLT), and individualized exercises and stretches. Most patients report that the actual treatment approaches feel “tender but good” and “what my body is craving.” After treatment, the majority of patients report feeling looser, more mobile, and in less pain, with an improved ability to return to their sport.

Contact Unity Chiropractic & Wellness Today!

If you or your child is an athlete, looking to improve performance, prevent injury, or heal, stop by or call to learn more about the benefits of chiropractic care for athletic performance. Using holistic methods, our pediatric chiropractor, Dr. Justin Jelen helps children grow into well-balanced athletes and assists adults at every level of athleticism to maintain physiological balance, the range of motion, and optimal wellness to enhance their natural athletic abilities.

Schedule an athletic chiropractic consultation at (503) 747-3388 today. If your sports performance appointment will be your first with Unity Chiropractic & Wellness, be sure to ask about free consultations for new patients.

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