CrossFit and Chiropractic Care: A Practical Guide
Updated: 2 days ago
CrossFit asks for olympic lifting, gymnastics and conditioning inside the same hour, usually against a clock. That combination builds genuinely capable people. It also concentrates load into a small number of joints, and it rewards pushing on when technique is already slipping. Here is where things tend to go wrong, what usually sits behind it, and how to keep training while you sort it out.
I competed in CrossFit for a number of years myself, so what follows is not theoretical.
What CrossFit actually asks of your body
Three demands land at once. Technical barbell work at speed. Overhead and hanging load through the shoulders. And fatigue, deliberately applied.
Fatigue is the part that matters most. Technique that holds perfectly in a warm up set will quietly fall apart in the last round, and the athlete is usually the last person in the room to notice. That is not a criticism of the sport. It is just the thing to plan around.
Where CrossFit injuries tend to show up
Across the systematic reviews of CrossFit injury data, the same three regions come up again and again: the shoulder, the lower back and the knee. That matches what we see in the clinic.
Shoulder
Overhead pressing and the catch position in snatch and jerk
Kipping and butterfly pull ups, toes to bar and muscle ups
High volume in a single week rather than a single bad rep
Lower back
Deadlifts and cleans where position is lost under fatigue
Wall balls, thrusters and kettlebell swings late in a metcon
Going straight from a desk into heavy hinging with no real warm up
Knee
Squat volume stacked across consecutive days
Box jumps, particularly the landing rather than the jump
Running added into metcons by someone who does not otherwise run
What usually sits behind it
In most cases it is not one movement being dangerous. It is a mismatch between what was asked and what the body was currently ready for.
Volume stepped up faster than tissue could adapt, often after a comp was announced
Limited ankle, hip or mid back range, so the load gets taken somewhere it should not be
Technique that holds under control but not under a clock
A niggle that was trained through for weeks before anyone looked at it
What an assessment looks like here
We want to see the movement that is causing the problem, not just the sore joint.
We watch you perform the lift or the gymnastics skill in question
We check range joint by joint, including the ones above and below the painful area
We load the area to find out what it currently tolerates
We use adjustments and soft tissue work where the assessment points that way
You leave with specific loading work and a plan for what you can keep training
That last point is the one people care about most. More on how we approach this on our sports injuries page, and more on how we work with lifters and CrossFit athletes on our CrossFit chiropractor Perth page.
Training around a niggle instead of stopping
Full rest is rarely the answer and it is rarely what an athlete will actually do. Scaling the movement while keeping the session is usually more realistic.
Swap kipping for strict work while a shoulder is irritable
Use dumbbells overhead instead of a barbell to change the demand
Replace a barbell hinge with a trap bar or a loaded carry
Keep the engine work going with a bike or a ski erg while a lower limb settles
Tell your coach what you are working around, so the programming can account for it
If shoulders are the issue, our guide to shoulder mobility and what actually helps is a good place to start between sessions.
Choosing a chiropractor if you train CrossFit
Not every clinic is set up for barbell athletes. A few things worth asking about before you book.
They are registered with Ahpra, which you can check yourself on the public register in under a minute
They will actually watch you lift rather than assessing you only on a table
They send you away with loading work, not just passive treatment
They are willing to talk to your coach about programming
They are a member of a professional body such as the Australian Chiropractic Association
Under Australian law nobody in this field can promise you an outcome, and you should be wary of anyone who does. What you can reasonably expect is a clear explanation of what was found, what is being done, and how you will know whether it is working.
Why North Fremantle Chiropractic
We are a performance focused clinic on Queen Victoria Street, five minutes from Fremantle. We work with lifters, CrossFitters, runners, tradies and FIFO crews. We assess movement rather than just the sore spot, we explain what we find without the jargon, and we expect you to keep training wherever that is sensible.
Book an appointment
Book online or call 0414 316 261. No referral needed. We are at Unit 1, 210 Queen Victoria Street, North Fremantle.
Opening hours
Monday 7am to 11am and 2pm to 6pm
Tuesday 2pm to 6pm
Wednesday 7am to 11am and 2pm to 6pm
Thursday 2pm to 6pm
Friday 7am to 11am
Saturday and Sunday closed
Frequently asked questions
Should I stop CrossFit if my shoulder hurts?
Usually not entirely. Most people can keep training with the irritating movement scaled or swapped out while the shoulder is assessed and loaded properly. Stopping everything tends to mean losing fitness and then returning to the same problem.
Is kipping bad for your shoulders?
Kipping is not inherently harmful. It becomes a problem when the volume jumps quickly, or when an athlete has not yet built the strict strength and overhead range the movement assumes. The issue is usually dose and readiness rather than the movement itself.
How soon after a session should I get something looked at?
Normal training soreness settles within two to three days. Something sharp during a lift, or an ache that turns up in the same place every week, is worth assessing rather than waiting out.
Do you actually watch people lift?
Yes. If the problem shows up in a snatch, a deadlift or a pull up, we want to see that movement. A table assessment alone misses the thing that is causing it.
Do I need a referral?
No. Chiropractors in Australia are primary contact practitioners, so you can book directly.
How long is a first appointment and what does it cost?
Your first visit runs 45 minutes and is $150. That covers the history, a movement assessment, treatment where appropriate and a plan to take away.
About the author
Dr Nathan Bridger is a chiropractor and strength and conditioning coach, and the owner of North Fremantle Chiropractic. He has over a decade of experience across both fields, has practised internationally, and has worked as a clinical supervisor in chiropractic education. He is registered with the Chiropractic Board of Australia through Ahpra and practises in North Fremantle, Western Australia.
