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Youth Athletes

Kid first,
athlete second.

I want to be the chiropractor who knows your kid, knows what sport they play, knows when their next game is, and is cheering for them whether they're on my table or out on the field.

All Sports & Ages Recovery & Resilience Staying in the Game Nervous System First
✓ Practicing since 2019 ✓ PX Certified, Pediatric Chiropractic (Pediatric Experience, 2023) ✓ Webster Certified (ICPA, 2023) ✓ Cranial/Sacral Certified (Peak Potential Institute, 2025)
Common Concerns

What we see
most in young athletes.

Some are acute injuries. Most are patterns that built up slowly until they couldn't be ignored anymore. All of them are worth addressing — ideally before they derail a season.

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Growing Pains & Growth Spurts

Bones often grow faster than muscles can keep up. During those windows, kids can feel achy, tight, or clumsy. Gentle care and good movement habits can help them feel more comfortable while their body catches up.

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Overuse Injuries

Shin splints, IT band, patellar tendinopathy, tennis elbow — these are training load problems as much as structural ones. We address both the tissue and the movement pattern driving the overload.

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Contact Sport Recovery

Football, wrestling, hockey — the physical load of contact sport adds up across a season. Many athletes tell us regular care helps them feel recovered. Any suspected concussion needs a medical evaluation first, always.

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Shoulder & Elbow Pain

Throwing sports and overhead athletes carry significant load in the shoulder complex. Thoracic restriction and poor scapular mechanics are often part of the picture — and get missed when care focuses only on the shoulder itself.

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Ankle & Knee Issues

Old ankle sprains that never quite healed. Knee pain that shows up on heavy training days. Hip and pelvic mechanics often play a role, and looking at them too can help.

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Fatigue, Burnout & Poor Recovery

Always tired, always sore, losing the love for the game. Sometimes that's training load, sleep, or stress, and sometimes it's something medical, and I'll help you figure out which. If it needs your pediatrician, I'll tell you.

For the Parents

You know your
kid better than
anyone. We know that.

Parents are usually the first to notice something's off — before coaches, before teammates, definitely before the athlete admits it. If your gut is telling you something, I want to hear it.

This is a space where parents are partners. Not just schedulers. We'll tell you what we find, explain what it means, and involve you in the plan — because you'll be implementing most of it at home anyway.

And yes, I'll try to make it to the games. I already coach Reese's t-ball. I know what it feels like to be on that sideline. That's the kind of chiropractor I want to be for your kids too.

Signs worth paying attention to
  • Soreness that doesn't go away with rest
  • One-sided muscle tightness
  • Sleep getting worse during the season
  • Mood or energy dipping more than usual
  • Reluctance to play that feels different from normal nerves

These aren't always red flags, but they're always worth a conversation.

See a doctor first if
  • Any suspected concussion
  • Pain that wakes your child at night
  • Swelling or trouble bearing weight
  • A head or neck injury from a hit or fall

When in doubt, call your pediatrician, and I'll help you get there.

What a visit looks like

Real conversation first, then an overall evaluation that includes INSiGHT scans (here's how we evaluate). An adjustment tailored to what we find, and soft tissue work around whatever's going on. Younger athletes are usually surprised by how straightforward, and quick, it is.

You don't need an injury to come in

Plenty of the athletes we see aren't hurt. They're grinding through a long season and starting to feel it add up. Coming in early often makes things easier, faster, and less disruptive than waiting until something breaks. I can't promise it prevents injury, but I'd rather meet them before the problem than after. Sports physicals are available too, and they're a great way to start.

Bring the whole family

If you're bringing one kid in, the rest of the family can be seen the same visit. We're built for whole-family care — not just the one who's loudest about it.

What We're Actually Doing

Not just
performance.
Capacity.

There's a version of sports chiropractic that's entirely about helping athletes perform better. And while that happens — it's not the whole point here.

The goal is to help young athletes handle what their sport asks of them and still have something left for the rest of their lives. Recovery. Sleep. Resilience. The ability to handle stress without breaking down.

Those things matter more than a PR, and they last a lot longer too. Kids who feel good in their bodies tend to enjoy their sport more, and that might be the most underrated outcome of good care: not better stats, but a kid who still loves the game.

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Recovery

Athletes get stronger in recovery, not just in training. Your body does its repair work in rest, digest, and recover mode, and after a hard practice or game, getting back there takes sleep, food, and real rest. Care can be one more piece of that. Athletes tell us they bounce back quicker when they stay on top of it, and I won't promise it for every kid.

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Sleep & Regulation

Sleep is when athletes actually get better. High training loads, school stress, and competition nerves all tax the same body. Many athletes tell us they sleep better once they're getting regular care. Better sleep compounds into everything else, so it's worth paying attention to.

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Injury Prevention

Most sports injuries aren't random. They tend to show up when an athlete is under-recovered, compensating for something, or pushing through signals they shouldn't ignore. We look for those patterns and help you deal with them early. Nobody can promise to prevent an injury, but catching things early gives a kid a better chance.

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Mental & Emotional Load

Competition pressure, expectations, and being "the athlete" in the family. That's a lot for a kid to carry. We talk about it. We take it seriously. We support the whole athlete, not just the physical version. If it's more than I'm the right fit for, I'll help you find someone who is.

Why I Care About This

I was a
multi-sport kid.
This is personal.

Growing up, I played just about everything: football, wrestling, basketball, track, baseball, and golf whenever I could sneak it in. Football took me all the way through college, where I was a three-year starting running back at Coe. I carry what that asked of my body into how I think about every athlete I work with.

When an injury started to keep me off the football field in seventh grade, my dad's chiropractor took care of me. Seeing what good care actually looked like planted the seed for everything I've built since.

I know what it's like to be a young athlete who just wants to get back on the field, and to push through when you probably shouldn't. That's what I want to be for the athletes who come through NSCo: the person who shows up at the games, asks how the season's going, and remembers the answer next time. I want your kid to feel like they've got someone in their corner, on and off the field.

Dr. Sam Lahr
Dr. Samuel Lahr, D.C.
More about Dr. Sam →
"My goal isn't just to help kids perform better. It's to help them become healthier, more capable humans — through sport and way beyond it."
— Dr. Sam Lahr, D.C.
7th
grade, when an injury started keeping me off the football field and led me to chiropractic care
5
sports growing up: football through college, wrestling, track, and baseball through high school, and basketball through middle school. Golf is still going.
Kid first
athlete second. That's how I think about every young athlete who comes through our door.

Let's help your
athlete thrive.

In-season, recovering from something, or just starting to feel the grind of a long year — come in when it makes sense. I'd genuinely love to meet them. Chiropractic care isn't a substitute for medical care. If something needs your doctor or another provider, I'll tell you and help you get there.

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