Hardin Sports Medicine Chiropractic and Performance

Hardin Sports Medicine Chiropractic and Performance Gulfport Chiropractic Sports Medicine Clinic specializing in Sports Medicine and General Chiropractic care.

We offer a wide range of services and guarantee an unrivaled experience.

Big goals. Big energy. 🔥Just submitted my abstract to the American College of Surgeons for the QSCC 2026—and I’m fired u...
04/13/2026

Big goals. Big energy. 🔥

Just submitted my abstract to the American College of Surgeons for the QSCC 2026—and I’m fired up about the opportunity to present.

This one means a lot.

We’re diving into robotic inguinal hernia repair and how implementing an ERAS protocol can dramatically reduce opioid use while still delivering elite-level patient outcomes. This is bigger than just surgery—it’s about changing the way we think about recovery, performance, and patient care.

From the clinic to the OR…this is exactly why I’m on this path.

Grateful for the mentors, the patients, and the process. Now we wait—but we’re just getting started.

HerniaRepair SportsMedicine MedicalStudentJourney HardinMD OpioidStewardship SurgicalInnovation

04/04/2026

“Your knee pain might NOT be a knee problem…” 👇

Let’s talk real medicine for a second.

Too often, someone walks into a clinic with knee pain and walks out with:
➡️ NSAIDs
➡️ Pain meds
➡️ “Rest and see how it goes”

And yeah… sometimes that helps symptoms.

But here’s the problem:
👉 We treated the pain… not the cause.

⸻

💡 What if your knee isn’t actually the issue?

The knee is a middle joint — it’s stuck between the hip and the ankle.
That means it takes the hit when something above or below isn’t working right.

🔥 Common REAL causes I see every single week:
• Tight, overactive hamstrings pulling on the back of the knee
• Weak or inhibited quads → poor patellar tracking
• Poor hip stability → knee collapsing inward (valgus stress)
• Limited ankle mobility → forces shifting straight to the knee

⸻

⚠️ So what happens?

You take anti-inflammatories…
Pain goes down…
You go back to activity…

➡️ And the SAME faulty mechanics are still there
➡️ So the pain comes right back

⸻

💥 This is where most systems fall short

Traditional model:
🩺 Treat symptoms → move on

Performance-based medicine:
🏋️‍♂️ Identify dysfunction → correct movement → rebuild strength → restore function

⸻

🎯 What SHOULD be done?

At our level, we’re asking:
• Why is that knee overloaded?
• What muscle isn’t doing its job?
• What joint isn’t moving correctly?

Then we fix it:
✔️ Soft tissue work (quads, hammys, surrounding tissue)
✔️ Restore mobility
✔️ Build stability (single-leg control is HUGE)
✔️ Strengthen properly
✔️ Return to function (sport/life)

⸻

💬 Bottom line:

Pain is a signal — not a diagnosis.

If you only chase the pain…
you’ll keep chasing it forever.

If you fix the cause…
you fix the problem.

⸻

📍If your knee has been “nagging” and never fully goes away…
It’s time to stop guessing and actually fix it.

03/28/2026

Gratitude is my attitude!

14 years on the Gulf Coast… and somehow y’all still trusted me to treat you, rehab you, and remind you (multiple times) to actually do your exercises 😅

And let’s be honest… about 50% of you still didn’t do them 😂

But seriously—this journey has been wild.

I’ve officially finished the first TWO years of medical school 🙌 and now I’m heading into the final stretch. Couldn’t have done it without this community that’s supported me from day one.

From early morning athletes… to weekend warriors… to the OG patients who’ve been rocking with me since the beginning—you guys are the real MVPs.

And don’t worry—I’m STILL here, still practicing, still treating, and still taking care of my people 💪

I’d love to catch up—come by the office, say what’s up, and tell me your favorite story from back in the early days on the Gulf Coast… I KNOW there are some good ones 😂

Appreciate every single one of you for being part of this ride.

Let’s keep building 👊



— Dr. Brandon Hardin

03/20/2026

That ankle sprain that doesn’t bounce back in a week?
Yeah… that’s probably not a normal sprain.

This is a high ankle sprain — and it’s a completely different problem.

What actually happens:
Instead of stretching the outside ligaments, this injury hits the syndesmosis — the ligaments that hold your tibia and fibula together.

This gets stressed when your foot is planted and your leg rotates outward.
Think football pile-ups, awkward cuts, or getting rolled on.

Why it’s worse:
This joint stabilizes your entire ankle under load.
So every time you walk, run, or cut — it gets stressed.

That’s why this one lingers for weeks… sometimes months.

What it feels like:
• Pain ABOVE the ankle (not just the side)
• Pain with walking, especially pushing off
• Pain when you rotate your foot outward
• Feels unstable or weak when cutting
• Slow recovery compared to a typical sprain

Big mistake athletes make:
They treat it like a regular ankle sprain.

Tape it. Ice it. Back in a week.
→ And then it keeps coming back… or never fully heals.

What you should actually do:
• Limit rotation + cutting early
• Control inflammation, but don’t rely on rest alone
• Restore ankle + lower leg stability
• Build strength through full range (not just straight-line)
• Progress back with cutting + rotational control drills

When to get checked out:
If your “ankle sprain” is still hurting after 7–10 days,
or pain is higher up above the joint — don’t ignore it.

This is one of the most mismanaged injuries in sports.

Real talk:
If you rush this one, it will humble you later in the season.

Fix it right the first time.

03/13/2026

Day 15 – Labral Tears

If you feel a deep clicking, catching, or locking sensation in your hip or shoulder during workouts… this might be why.

You could be dealing with a labral tear.

The labrum is a ring of cartilage that lines the joint and helps stabilize the shoulder and hip.

Athletes who commonly deal with this:
• Baseball players
• Weightlifters
• Gymnasts
• CrossFit athletes
• Runners with hip instability

Common signs of a labral injury:
• Clicking or popping in the joint
• Deep joint pain (not surface muscle pain)
• Loss of strength or stability
• Pain with rotation or overhead movements

Here’s the mistake most athletes make 👇

They think it’s just a muscle strain and try to push through it.

But if the joint isn’t stable, the surrounding muscles start overworking to protect it.

That leads to:
• Rotator cuff issues
• Hip flexor problems
• Chronic inflammation

Treatment usually involves:
✔ Stabilizing the joint
✔ Strengthening surrounding muscles
✔ Restoring proper biomechanics
✔ Gradual return to sport

Not every labral tear needs surgery — but ignoring it almost always makes it worse.

If your joint clicks, locks, or feels unstable, get it evaluated.

Your body is telling you something.

📍 Hardin Sports Medicine & Performance

03/10/2026

Day 12 – Sports Injury Series

Topic: IT Band Syndrome

If the outside of your knee hurts when you run… it might not actually be your knee.

One of the most common mistakes athletes make is assuming every knee pain problem is a knee injury.

A lot of the time, especially in runners, cyclists, and field sport athletes, the real issue is IT Band Syndrome.

Your iliotibial (IT) band is a thick band of tissue that runs from your hip all the way down the outside of your knee. When the surrounding muscles get tight or weak, that band starts rubbing against the outside of the knee joint.

That friction = pain on the outside of the knee.

🚩 Signs it might be IT Band Syndrome:

• Pain on the outside of the knee
• Pain that gets worse during running
• Pain when going downhill or downstairs
• Tightness along the outer thigh

The mistake most athletes make:

They spend 30 minutes foam rolling the IT band.

The IT band itself doesn’t stretch much. The real issue is usually hip weakness and poor biomechanics.

What actually helps:

✔️ Strengthening the glutes and hip stabilizers
✔️ Improving hip mobility
✔️ Correcting running mechanics
✔️ Reducing inflammation early
✔️ Proper soft tissue work around the surrounding muscles

In the clinic we focus on mobility, stability, strength, and function so athletes can get back to sport pain-free.

Bottom line:
If the outside of your knee hurts every time you run… your knee might not be the problem.

🎥 Follow for Day 13 of the Sports Injury Series tomorrow.

Address

419 Security Square
Gulfport, MS
39507

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 12pm

Telephone

+12282411000

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