Sports Injuries

Whether you're training for a marathon, swinging a club at the country club, putting your kids through a hockey season, or just trying to get back to the lake without your knee acting up, sports injuries don't have to be the thing that sidelines you. The right care can shorten recovery, prevent the injury from coming back, and often improve how your body moves overall — so you don't just heal, you come back stronger.

Who we work with

The Lake Minnetonka area is one of the most active communities in Minnesota — and we treat the full range of it. Patients come to Empower Chiropractic for help with:

  • Running injuries — knee pain, IT band syndrome, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, hip pain

  • Golf-related pain — lower back, hip, shoulder, and elbow issues

  • Hockey injuries — hip pain, lower back strain, groin and hip flexor issues, post-collision recovery

  • Cycling and triathlon training — knee, hip, neck, and lower back pain from long miles in the saddle

  • Skiing and snowboarding injuries — knee, hip, lower back, and shoulder

  • Lake sports — water skiing, wakeboarding, paddleboarding (shoulder, lower back)

  • CrossFit and weight training — shoulder, hip, lumbar, and overhead movement issues

  • Pickleball and tennis — elbow, shoulder, and rotator cuff pain

  • Youth athletes — growing bodies in high-demand sports often need help with hip flexibility, posture, and injury recovery

  • Weekend warriors and active adults — anyone whose body is no longer keeping up with what they want to do

If your sport isn't listed here, you're still in the right place. Most of what we treat applies across any active body.

Common sports injuries we treat

  • Runner's knee and IT band syndrome

  • Plantar fasciitis

  • Shoulder pain and rotator cuff issues

  • Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow

  • Hip flexor strains and labral irritation

  • Hamstring and quad strains

  • Ankle sprains and instability

  • Lower back strains from lifting, twisting, or overuse

  • Neck and upper back strain from cycling, swimming, or contact sports

  • Sciatica that flares with running or sitting in a saddle

If any of these are limiting what you want to do, the next step is a thorough exam to figure out what's actually causing the problem — not just where it hurts.

What causes most sports injuries

A surprising amount of sports pain isn't from the sport itself. It's from underlying movement patterns and compensations that have been there for months or years before the injury showed up. The most common contributors:

  • Compensatory patterns from old, untreated injuries

  • Asymmetries in hip, shoulder, or pelvic mobility

  • Weakness in stabilizing muscles — glutes, deep core, rotator cuff

  • Tight tissue along the kinetic chain — calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, lats

  • Poor footwear or worn-out gear

  • Training errors — too much volume too fast, not enough recovery

  • Postural patterns from desk work that show up under athletic load

This is why a quick adjustment usually isn't enough for sports injuries. The injury is often the symptom — the cause is upstream.

How we treat sports injuries

Our approach is comprehensive and tailored to your specific sport, injury, and goals. Treatment typically includes:

  • Chiropractic adjustments — including extremity adjustments for shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, and wrists, not just the spine

  • Soft tissue work — cupping, manual therapy, and trigger point release for tight muscles and adhesions

  • Therapeutic exercise and rehab — sport-specific corrective exercises that address the underlying weakness or asymmetry

  • Modalities — compression boots for recovery, decompression for disc-related sciatica or low back pain, e-stim for inflammation

  • Custom orthotics — for runners, hockey players, golfers, and anyone whose foot mechanics are contributing to pain

  • Movement assessment — to find the upstream causes that will keep the injury from coming back

  • Personalized at-home rehab plan — exercises and mobility work that fit into your training schedule

Most acute sports injuries respond well within 4–8 visits. For chronic or recurring issues, we typically recommend a Foundation Care Plan of about 12 visits over 8–12 weeks to rebuild proper movement patterns and strength.

Contact Us

Empower Chiropractic & Wellness Center | Excelsior, MN | Serving Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, Minnetonka, Shorewood, and the surrounding area.