Professional athletes routinely undergo rigorous training programs and strenuous activities during the NFL season and in the offseason.
Although the recovery process for professional athletes is quite different from that of everyday gym goers, stretching, warm-ups, and cool-downs are often beneficial for anyone who lifts weights or exercises on a regular basis.
Dr. Mary Teague and Dr. Chad Teague are husband-and-wife chiropractic physicians Located in Cleveland Which helps professional athletes, including Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, prepare for game day, endure grueling training and recover faster from injuries.
“Denzel has been a great patient for us to work with,” Chad told Fox News Digital. “He’s a lot of fun and we try to do as much as we can to keep him from getting hurt, and then make his body bulletproof so he can stay on the field and be as available as possible.”
David Njoku (left) and Denzel Ward are two of the many NFL athletes who visit Dr. Mary and Dr. Chad at Code Chiro in Cleveland. (Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images/Jason Miller/Getty Images/Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
Mary and Chad are the co-founders of Code Chiro. Over the years the couple has worked with a number of well-known professional athletes, including David Njoku, a tight end for the Browns, and Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry when they were part of the Cleveland-based NFL team.
“We have been blessed to work with amazing people,” Chad said.
Chad said he works with Ward twice a week.
“We’ll then do warm-up drills before the game to get his body ready, and also some brain cognitive function exercises to wake up his nervous system and brain to be able to catch and react,” Chad said.
“He’s very active. He’s definitely one of the most active athletes,” Mary said.
Saunas have health benefits, but excessive use is associated with dangerous health risks
When it comes to treatments for professional athletes, each treatment is different, and sometimes the code isn’t even between the walls of a chiro practice.
Over the past few years, Chad has spent a lot of time Traveling with professional athletes and providing roadside assistance.
Chad said, “I’ve traveled a lot with the athletes over the last couple of years, and especially last year, and I’ve been trying to cut that down and focus on having those athletes stay in Cleveland so I don’t have to travel as much, which has been tough for me.”
Dr. Mary Teague (pictured) and her husband, Dr. Chad Teague, are the co-founders of Code Chiro. (Coal Server Media)
“I would say my main goal is to bring them in here and create a routine where we’re doing recovery, being kind of the general manager of every kind of performance,” Chad explained. “So I work directly with their dietitian, I work directly with the team staff, athletic trainers, chefs.”
There are many moving parts to an athlete’s overall health. Working together with various professionals helps both maintain a “cohesive” strategy for the athlete’s overall health and fitness regime.
Workouts from A-list celebrity trainers that you can try at home
Professional athletes regularly have sessions with Mary and Chad, sometimes even daily when an injury occurs.
“If they have an injury, especially in season, I would say almost every day,” Mary said of athletes’ treatment plans.
Chad explained that on average, treatment schedules vary, but two to three times a week is typical. However, recovery and treatment plans vary depending on both the athlete and the sport they play.
Workout and diet tips to increase muscle and reduce fat
“Football will have more concussion or impact injuries,” Chad said. “You get those injuries in basketball and some other sports, but in football you’re going to have a lot more impact. So football requires a lot more lymphatic work, neck strengthening, more exercises to prevent or delay or reduce the impact of head-to-head collisions.”
Chad said basketball players are more likely to suffer tendon-based injuries, including tendinopathy, knee tendons and Achilles tendon issues.
“That’s the biggest difference between tendinopathy and impact injuries in football,” Chad said.
Reactive versus proactive care is sport-specific, Maree said.
Denzel Ward of the Cleveland Browns is a patient at Code Chiro. (Coal Server Media)
Cody Lostroh, 2024 Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductee, on training for the 8-second ride
Code Chiro operates under its tagline “Movement Cure” and movement is at the heart of care.
“The biggest effort in our practice and part of the education is to get people to step away from what they’re doing and improve their movement and biomechanics so they can improve their sport or life goal, and everything is based around movement,” Chad said.
“If it’s an injury, or you’re trying to get back into fitness or a healthier lifestyle, activity is so important to improve blood flow and improve your overall quality of life,” he adds.
Dr. Chad Teague and Dr. Mary Teague listed Odell Beckham Jr. as one of their NFL patients when he was playing for the Cleveland Browns. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Although Mary and Chad are chiropractors, they are also gym goers, parents, and believe in encouraging physical activity in all patients.
Click here to get the Fox News app
“I would say we are more, not even movement coaches, but Performance coach and musculoskeletal specialist,” Mary said. “I would say, a lot of people think of chiropractor as the traditional cracking, getting the crack aspect of things, and don’t get me wrong, that’s really helpful, and adjustments are a very important component of what we do here. However, we also focus a little bit more on movement mechanics, the way your body moves, the dysfunction that you’re going through every day.”
He said 90 per cent of Code Chiro’s patients are active exercisers and want to continue their workouts without having to stop at the gym or feeling pain.
Mary concludes, “I would say that this is the direction chiropractic is moving in, and that’s really good.”
