Major League Baseball Pitchers Depend on Chiropractic

As baseball season begins, more Major League Baseball players are turning to chiropractic to help their game. One such story released April 9, 2016, in the Duluth News Tribune carries the headline, "Twins pitchers now well-adjusted: Gibson, May opt for chiropractic care to remain ready for the mound."

The article centers on Minnesota Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson, and begins by describing what he will do after the opening game of the season, "...the durable young right-hander will connect with perhaps the most important member of his support team this year: his chiropractor."

The article goes on to explain that even though the 28-year-old is in the prime of his career, he suffered some back problems toward the end of last season. Gibson described the problem by saying, "There were a couple starts where I didn't sit down in between innings because if I sat down, my hips just got tight."

The article also reported that the Twins 26-year-old relief pitcher, Trevor May, also suffered back problems. At first, May only sporadically went to the chiropractor with limited results. However, upon getting more regular adjustments, May's condition improved. He commented, "We found that baseball players get skeletally out of line. They do one motion one way much harder (than most people), and my hips were really, really out of line. Seeing a chiropractor consistently has helped me make sure I'm getting readjusted and staying in line as much as possible."

The Twins are not the only MLB team with pitchers who see chiropractors. The Florida Marlins pitchers Adam Conley, Jarred Cosart, and Wei-Yin Chen also receive chiropractic care to improve their game. Chen, who just signed an 80 million dollar contract with the Marlins commented how chiropractic helps him by saying that he "...noticed a huge difference in recovery time between pitching days."

"A properly functioning nervous system is essential for pitchers to perform at their highest level," says Dr Lucas Matlock, president of the Florida Chiropractic Society and a chiropractor who cares for the trio of Marlin's pitchers. "Chiropractic care removes interference from the nervous system, through specific adjustments of subluxations, which then allows athletes to perform at their highest level." Dr. Matlock continued, "For some, chiropractic care could make the difference in their career."

A comment from Dr. Matlock on social media posed the question, "What does the Miami Marlins pitcher Adam Conley and his beautiful family do immediately after he pitches a 5 inning, 81 pitch, 2 hitter you ask? Go right to their chiropractor of course, to ensure his body will recover as quickly and completely as possible."