It’s the middle of the season. Your athlete comes off the field limping a little, stretches it out, says they’re fine, and plays Friday. Two weeks later they’re still favoring that side.

Most parents in Spartanburg have lived some version of this. The hard part isn’t caring about your kid — it’s knowing where the line sits between sore and hurt. Push through the wrong one and a two-week problem becomes a season.

Here’s how we help families sort it out.

Why this one is personal for Dr. Rody

Dr. Christy Rody didn’t find chiropractic through a textbook. She found it in high school, with back pain from cheerleading and gymnastics that wasn’t going away on its own. Getting adjusted is what let her keep competing — and what she carried into college athletics at the University of Oklahoma while earning a degree in Health and Exercise Sciences.

That’s the lens she brings to every young athlete who walks into our office on East Main: someone who remembers being the kid who didn’t want to tell the coach.

Soreness vs. injury: the 72-hour check

Normal training soreness (delayed onset muscle soreness) follows a predictable pattern. It shows up 12 to 24 hours after hard work, peaks around 24 to 72 hours, spreads across a whole muscle group rather than one specific spot, and eases as the athlete warms up.

Pain that behaves differently deserves a look. Use these four questions:

1. Can they point to it with one finger? Diffuse ache across the quads after leg day is soreness. A spot the size of a quarter — especially over bone — is not.

2. Are they moving differently? Limping, a shortened stride, a shoulder that drops during serves, a swing or throw that suddenly looks “off.” Compensation is the body protecting something. Coaches often spot this before parents do.

3. Does it get worse as they warm up, not better? Soreness fades with activity. Injuries usually don’t.

4. Is it still there after 72 hours of reduced load? If they’ve backed off for three days and the pain hasn’t meaningfully changed, that’s your signal to get it evaluated rather than wait it out.

One more, specific to teenagers: night pain and morning stiffness in a growing athlete are never routine. Pain that wakes a kid up or that’s worst before they’ve done anything is worth a professional exam.

The five injuries we see most in Spartanburg fall sports

1. Low back pain in extension athletes

Football linemen, cheerleaders, volleyball hitters, and gymnasts all live in spinal extension — arching backward, repeatedly, under load. Adolescent spines aren’t just small adult spines; the growth areas in the vertebrae are still developing and can be vulnerable to repetitive stress.

This is the one we take most seriously. Persistent low back pain in a teenage athlete that lasts more than two weeks should be properly examined and, when clinically indicated, imaged — not stretched and ignored. A stress reaction in the low back caught early is a manageable problem. Caught late, it’s months.

2. Shoulder pain in overhead athletes

Volleyball, quarterbacks, swimmers. Overhead sport shoulder pain is rarely a shoulder problem alone. It usually traces back to some mix of thoracic spine stiffness, scapular control, and hip mobility — the shoulder is just where it hurts.

This is why we assess the whole chain. Dr. Rody’s extremity training means we evaluate and adjust the shoulder, elbow, and wrist as joints in their own right, not just the spine.

3. Neck strain and stingers

Contact athletes get “burners” — a sharp, electric pain down one arm after a hit, usually resolving in seconds to minutes. One brief episode that fully clears is common. Symptoms in both arms, weakness that lingers, or repeat stingers in the same season need medical evaluation before returning to contact.

4. Ankle and lower-leg complaints in runners

Cross country season in the Upstate means high mileage on hard surfaces in lingering September heat. Shin splints, Achilles irritation, and heel pain (common in growing runners) show up in clusters this time of year. Gait, foot mechanics, and hip stability are all part of the picture.

5. Knee pain in jumpers and cutters

Basketball tryouts overlap with volleyball and soccer season. Anterior knee pain and pain right below the kneecap are extremely common in growing athletes and often respond well to load management plus addressing hip and ankle mobility above and below the joint.

Why “just rest it” often isn’t the answer

Rest removes the irritation. It doesn’t address why the tissue got overloaded in the first place.

An athlete with a stiff mid-back will keep loading the shoulder. An athlete with restricted hip rotation will keep dumping force into the low back. Take two weeks off, come back, and the same mechanics reproduce the same injury — usually right around playoffs.

The goal of sports injury care in Spartanburg is finding the restriction that’s forcing the compensation, restoring motion there, and giving the athlete corrective work so the pattern doesn’t reset the moment they return.

What a first visit actually looks like

We know parents are fitting this between practice, homework, and dinner. Here’s the whole thing:

History. Sport, position, when it started, what makes it worse, training load, growth spurts, prior injuries.

Exam. Orthopedic and neurological testing, range of motion, posture assessment, and a look at how the athlete actually moves — not just how they sit on the table.

Digital X-ray if clinically indicated. We have digital imaging on site. We use it when the exam points to a reason for it, not as a routine step for every young athlete.

Care plan. Specific, low-force adjustments appropriate to age and size, extremity work where needed, and corrective exercises that don’t require a gym.

Cold laser therapy where appropriate. Our Erchonia low-level laser can be used alongside adjustments to support tissue recovery and comfort. It’s painless and takes minutes, which matters when you’re trying to get a teenager back out the door.

When we send you somewhere else

Trust is built on knowing the limits. We refer out — same day — for:

• Suspected fracture or dislocation
• Any suspected concussion or head injury
• Loss of bowel or bladder control, or progressive weakness or numbness
• Significant joint instability, obvious deformity, or inability to bear weight
• Severe swelling, redness, or fever with joint pain

Concussion management belongs with your physician or a concussion specialist. If there’s any question about a head injury, your athlete does not return to play that day, and we’ll help you get to the right provider.

Can my athlete keep playing?

Sometimes yes, sometimes with modified load, sometimes not for a stretch. That answer depends entirely on what’s actually wrong — which is the argument for getting it examined rather than guessing in the stands.

What we can tell you is that the athletes who lose the most time are almost never the ones who came in early. They’re the ones who waited until they physically couldn’t finish a practice.

Frequently asked questions

Should a teenager see a chiropractor for a sports injury? Yes. Chiropractic care for adolescents uses techniques and force levels scaled to a young, growing body. Dr. Rody has specific training in pediatric and extremity care, and she’s a Webster-certified chiropractor who treats patients of every age. The exam also serves a screening purpose — part of the visit is determining whether the problem is something we should be treating at all.

Is chiropractic care safe for kids and teens? Adjustments for young athletes are gentle and low-force, and very different from what adults picture. Every visit starts with an exam to confirm care is appropriate. If it isn’t, we say so and point you to the right provider.

How long before my athlete can return to play? It depends on the tissue and the severity. Muscle strains and joint restrictions often improve within one to three weeks. Bone stress injuries take considerably longer and require a formal timeline. We’ll give you a realistic estimate after the exam rather than a number before it.

Do you take X-rays of young athletes? Only when the history and exam give us a clinical reason. Digital X-ray is available on site, and we use it purposefully.

My athlete’s back has hurt for a month but they say it’s fine. Should I bring them in? Yes. Low back pain lasting more than two weeks in a growing athlete is the single complaint we most want to see early.

Does insurance cover this? Many plans cover chiropractic care. Call our office at (864) 699-9990 and our team will walk you through your specific coverage before your first visit.

Get your athlete checked in Spartanburg

We’re at 711 E. Main St., Spartanburg, SC 29302, with morning and afternoon appointment times that work around practice schedules. Whether your athlete plays at Dorman, Byrnes, Spartanburg High, Boiling Springs, Broome, or a club program, we’d rather look at it now than in November.

Request an appointment or call (864) 699-9990.

This article is for general education and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. If your athlete has sustained a head injury or you suspect a fracture, seek immediate medical attention.