The start of the new year brings a wave of patients eager to get back into their sport, return to the gym, or finally address that nagging injury they pushed through all last season. I love seeing this commitment to people’s goals and ultimately, their health. Something powerful happens when people commit to moving and feeling better in 2026.
But I also see the other side. The soccer player who rested all winter and now feels “off” when they start training again. The golfer who booked an early spring trip and realizes their back is not ready. The avid gym goer who overdid it in the first week of January is now limping into my office.
I want to give an honest picture of what I’ve seen regarding sports injuries at Clarity Wellness Chiropractic. Not a clinical guide or a list of conditions. Just a simple explanation on what I observe, week after week, caring for athletes and active people who continue to seek a solution to their problem, rather than accepting the commonly given advice to ” rest it” as a long-term answer.
Why Sports Injuries Are So Common in Etobicoke
Etobicoke is considered one of the most active communities in the Greater Toronto Area. We have soccer leagues that run from spring through fall at Centennial Park, baseball diamonds that become packed on summer evenings, football and rugby clubs with players ranging from teenagers to adults in their fifties, and golf courses like St. George’s and Islington that are always busy.
This is not a sedentary neighbourhood. What that means is that I usually see a particular kind of patient: someone motivated to heal because they genuinely love their sport and cannot imagine giving it up.
The sports injuries I see the most in my clinic often fall into four main categories:
- Rotator cuff injuries from repetitive overhead movements
- Shoulder impingement that develops gradually and then suddenly limits motion
- Lower back and hip pain from rotational stress and impact
- Neck pain connected to posture, contact, and referred tension from the shoulders
Each of these health issues shows up differently depending on the sport, the patient’s age, and how long they waited before seeking help.
How Different Sports Create Different Injury Patterns
Every sport has a specific “injury pattern” that can occur in an athlete, depending on the movements, posture, and positions assumed during a game or routine practice. These are some of the most common injuries and complaints that can be seen in the following sports:
| Sport | Common Injury Areas | Typical Patient Description |
| Soccer | Hips, lower back, groin | “My hip catches when I plant to kick” |
| Baseball | Shoulders, neck, rotator cuff | “There is a pinch when I throw” |
| Football | Lower back, neck, hips | “Everything tightens up after contact” |
| Rugby | Spine compression, shoulders | “I feel stuck and cannot rotate” |
| Golf | Lower back, thoracic spine | “I get a twinge at the top of my backswing” |
Let’s walk through what I observe with each sport.
Soccer Players and Hip Dysfunction
Soccer is a sport that involves constant single-leg stability. Planting, cutting, kicking, and defending in a low stance. All of that rotational force travels through the pelvis and lumbar spine.
There was a patient I saw last year, a man in his early forties, who plays in a competitive adult league in Etobicoke. He came in saying his groin had been “off” for weeks. When I assessed him, the issue was not his groin at all. It was a hip joint restriction/subluxation causing referred pain. Upon analysis, his pelvis was found to be slightly rotated, due to repetitive kicking with his dominant leg, and his body had been compensating ever since.
After a few Chiropractic adjustments focused on pelvic and overall spinal alignment, combined with targeted exercises and stretches for his hip flexors and glutes, he was back on the field! More importantly, he understood why the problem developed and what to do to prevent it from returning.
Baseball and Rotator Cuff Stress
Baseball places significant stress on the shoulder/rotator cuff complex. Pitchers, catchers, and outfielders all perform repetitive overhead throwing, which can stress the rotator cuff muscles and lead to shoulder impingement over time.
I remember working with a teenage pitcher from a local Etobicoke league. His parents brought him in because his velocity had dropped, and he complained of a “grinding” sensation when he wound up to throw. This is a classic sign of rotator cuff irritation.
The most significant finding during his examination was restricted neck movement. His upper trapezius felt like steel cables, pulling his shoulder mechanics out of alignment. For his care, we focused on:
- Cervical spine mobility to release the neck tension
- A/C Joint mobility to release shoulder tension
- Postural correction to address how he held his throwing arm at rest
Within six weeks, he was throwing pain-free. His coach noticed the difference before he did.
Football and Rugby: The Impact of Sports
Football and rugby athletes are in a whole other category. Seeing that these are high-contact sports, the types of injuries and concussions they sustain reflect that reality. Lower back compression from tackles. Neck stiffness from collisions. Hip restrictions from explosive acceleration and sudden stops.
These patients tend to be tougher about pain, which is not always helpful. They play through discomfort longer than they should, and by the time they see me, the problem has been building for weeks or months.
One rugby player I worked with had been dealing with persistent lower back pain for an entire season. He described it as a “deep ache” that never fully went away, even on rest days. Assessment revealed multiple segments of his cervical and lumbar spine had restricted mobility, likely from repeated compression during scrums and tackles.
His recovery took longer than he wanted. We needed consistent Chiropractic care over several months, combined with core stabilization exercises and modifications to his training load. But he finished the following season without missing a game.
Golfers and Rotational Strain
Golf is another sport where one can progressively injure oneself over time. From the outside, it looks gentle as it is a no-contact, no-running, no-jumping sport. However, the rotational demands on the spine are significant, and I see plenty of lower back and hip issues among golfers who play multiple rounds a week.
The golf swing is asymmetrical. One side of the body works much harder than the other, and over time, that imbalance can lead to problems. Golfers often describe a “twinge” at the top of their backswing or stiffness the morning after a round.
A patient I treated recently, a retired executive who golfs four times a week, came in frustrated that his back pain was affecting his game. He had lost distance on his drives and felt like he could not complete his follow-through.
The problem was stiffness in his thoracic spine (mid-back area). His mid-back had lost the rotational mobility needed for a full swing, so his lower back compensated during his golf swings. His Chiropractic care focused on:
- Thoracic mobilization to restore rotation
- Hip flexibility to allow proper weight transfer
- A simple pre-round warm-up routine he could do in five minutes
It’s amazing because he sent me a message a month later saying he had played his best round in two years!
How Patients Describe Their Pain (And What It Tells Me)
The words people use tell me how the injury is affecting their lives, not just their bodies.
Shoulder and rotator cuff pain often sounds like:
- “My shoulder feels crunchy when I lift my arm”
- “There is a grinding sensation when I reach overhead”
- “It is fine until I try to throw, and then something blocks me”
Lower back and hip pain are described as:
- “It locks up when I bend over”
- “I cannot sit for long without it aching”
- “There is this deep pain I cannot quite locate”
- “My groin hurts but I did not pull anything”
Neck pain tends to come with additional symptoms:
- Headaches that start at the base of the skull
- Tightness across the upper shoulders and trapezius
- Difficulty turning the head fully in one direction
- Fatigue and tension that builds throughout the day
Each description points me toward a different area to address. The “locking” usually means joint restriction. Sitting discomfort often relates to disc sensitivity. A deep ache in the hip region is commonly referred pain from the hip joint itself.
How I Approach Care for Athletes
Care for every athlete is different depending on their movement, needs, and goals for the season they are in.
My approach at Clarity Wellness Chiropractic includes:
- Thorough assessment first. It is always important to understand not only the nature of the injury, but also the person. What sport do you play? How often? What are your goals? What does your week look like?
- Individualized care plans. A soccer player with hip dysfunction needs different care than a baseball player with shoulder impingement.
- Manual therapy and adjustments. Chiropractic adjustments restore joint mobility. Soft tissue may also be used to address muscle tension and adhesions.
- Movement and rehabilitation. Simple, effective exercises are taught to my patients to do at home as part of their care. This often results in greater progress for their issues.
- Realistic timelines. Often, chronic injuries like shoulder impingement will not resolve in two visits. I generally work with my patients and athletes over a longer period of time to fully address the issue.
The Goal Is Movement, Not Just Pain Relief
The point is not to make the pain go away temporarily, but to help you move well again so it does not become a recurring issue.
This takes longer than people sometimes expect. Quick fixes rarely hold. But what I love seeing is when someone comes back after a few weeks and tells me they played a full game without thinking about their injury. Or they finished a round of golf and woke up the next morning feeling normal.
That is the real progress. Not just less pain, but better function.
Getting Back to What You Love
Most of my patients are not professional athletes. They are:
- Parents who play in recreational soccer leagues
- People who golf with friends on weekends
- Former high school football players who still love the game
- Adults who picked up rugby in their thirties and play recreationally with their friends
Sports are an integral part of how they connect with others, manage stress, and take care of themselves. When an injury threatens to take that away, I take that seriously. My job is to help people in Etobicoke return to the activities that matter to them, safely and sustainably. What that means is being honest about what is going on, setting realistic expectations and timelines, and being present through the process.
When to Seek Chiropractic Care for a Sports Injury
If you are wondering whether it is time to get help, these are some signs to consider:
- Pain that does not improve with rest after a week or two
- Discomfort that changes how you move or play
- Stiffness that limits your range of motion
- Recurring injuries in the same area
- A feeling that something is “off,” even if the pain is mild
You do not need to wait until an injury is full-blown to address it. Seeking help earlier leads to a faster recovery and less disruption to your training or season.
Final Thoughts
Sports injuries are common, but that doesn’t mean that you have to bear the burden of the lingering pain that can plague your life.
If you are dealing with a sports injury and wondering whether Chiropractic care might help, I encourage you to come in and talk about it. I am here to help!
