Chiropractic care is designed to alleviate pain and restore the body to its natural balance. For chiropractors, injury prevention is key for a healthy body. Good practices combined with solid exercises creates toned muscles that protect the body and spine from harm. While each patient receives exercise instructions for their specific condition, the following exercise tips for chiropractic patients apply to everyone. Take Time To Warm Up Before Exercising Before starting any exercises, it's important to warm up. A series of dynamic moves will boost your heart rate and heat up the muscles that you will be using during your work out. Select whole body movements such as leg lunges paired with arm motion or walk in place while raising and lowering your arms. Once you've warmed up, you can safely stretch without risk of injury. Introduce Ergonomics Into Your Home And Work Space One of the most important exercise tips for chiropractic patients is to take steps to keep your body in alignment as you move through your day. In the workplace, check with an ergonomics consultant to ensure proper positioning, especially if you spend most of the day seated or doing repetitive tasks. A comfortable chair reduces muscle strain and prevents injury. Make sure that your feet sit firmly on the floor and that lumbar support is in place. At home, you should have a good mattress and supportive furniture. Choose The Right Shoes Before you buy your next pair of shoes, check for stability, flexibility, and comfort. During your test drive, make sure that the shoes feel firmly in place as you move through your entire range of motion for a stable gait during wear. Footwear should be flexible enough to give easily at the base of the toe for a smooth gait, and there should be cushioning at all the right places with plenty of room for the toes to move. Shoes that properly fit your feet means that your walk will be more natural and healthy during exercise and in daily motion. Sit And Stand With Posture In Mind Perhaps the biggest reason that these exercise tips for chiropractic patients are so important is that strong and flexible muscles will help you have good posture. Be mindful of the following as you move through your day: When sitting, your feet should be on the floor, your shoulders should be relaxed, and your forearms should remain parallel with the ground. If you will be standing for a time, make sure that you maintain posture by tucking your stomach muscles in. When standing for an especially long period of time, be sure to shift your weight from one foot to the other and from the heels to the toes and back again. These simple tips for maintaining good posture will passively work your muscles and result in a healthier spine. Passive Stretches For Large Muscles Finally, it is important to target large muscle groups with passive exercises. Use your weight to slowly stretch your hamstrings, your piriformis, and your entire back. Passive stretching is gentle and relieves stress points that cause back pain. These gentle exercises provide a great deal of relief and are easily adjusted to suit your current ability. Your chiropractor will work with you to design an exercise program that is optimal for you. Be sure to follow through with the plan and include these tips in your regular work out to experience the joy of healing from chiropractic care. Running is one of Americans' favorite forms of exercise. The reasons for its popularity are simple; it can be done almost anywhere, takes no special equipment, and burns lots of calories. Running also offers many health benefits such as weight control, decreased blood pressure and cholesterol, and relief from stress. Everything with running is fabulous, right up until the time you hear a snap, crack, or pop. The downside of all the wonderful benefits is that running causes its share of injuries to the body. The Ohio State Chiropractic Association presents an alarming statistic that two-thirds of runners will be injured in some way. Tendonitis, shin splints, ankle sprains, hip pain, and knee strains are a few of the many injuries brought on or exacerbated by a regular running routine. What is a runner to do? It's important to take common sense precautions to not get injured in the first place. Purchasing high quality shoes and respecting the body's limits are two excellent choices. Another great choice is committing to chiropractic care. Regular runners can reap many positive results from visiting a chiropractor. Three big benefits chiropractic care offers for runners are the following: Increased Range of Motion Loose and relaxed joints allow for greater flexibility and movement, all of which benefit a runner's gait and time. A study published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine found evidence that a chiropractic treatment regimen increased mobility in the hips over time. While chiropractic care does not guarantee an individual will experience an increase in speed, unrestricted joints and better range of motion will definitely help a person move more freely and stand a better chance of avoiding running injuries. Decreased Healing Time for Injuries Unfortunately, runners frequently deal with injuries, some of which take weeks or months to heal. For dedicated runners, a serious injury is terrible news. The first action for runners after they have been injured is to stop running so it can heal. Most runners do not want to risk losing the stamina that interrupting their routine brings on. Chiropractors can work with runners who have injured themselves from the repetitive motion of running regularly. By using chiropractic adjustments, chiropractors can promote healing in the body as a whole. Runners love this because they want to get back to hoofing it as quickly as possible. Minimized Instances of Becoming Injured A spine out of alignment can cause other parts of the body to be weaker and more susceptible to injury. One part of the body compensating for another that is off kilter is one common way runners end up hurt. Chiropractic treatment helps to keep the spine in alignment, which can have a ripple effect through the body. Regular adjustments can reduce the negative impact the jarring motion of running has on a person's body, and help avoid running-relating injuries on the front end. Running is a popular exercise routine for many, and yields a multitude of positive results to a person's health and well-being. By taking proper steps to minimize the chance of injury, runners can enjoy the good points running brings to the table and steer clear of the bad. Chiropractic care can be an effective part of making certain your body is in prime running condition and resistant to injury. If a person ends up dealing with an injury, chiropractic treatment may be able to boost healing time. Ready! Set! Go! If you are a runner and would like to talk further about the benefits chiropractic care offers you, contact us today for a consultation. Do you suffer with back pain? Well, you’re not alone. According to the American Chiropractic Association, back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work, and the second most common reason for visiting a doctor (only behind upper respiratory infections). Why is back pain so common? There is more than one answer to that question. A large number of back pain patients suffer because of the following three reasons. They have suffered a back injury Individuals can hurt their backs by lifting heavy objects, overexerting themselves, or moving the wrong way. The muscles and ligaments in the back can be twisted and damaged. Back pain that is the result of a recent injury is called acute pain, meaning it comes on suddenly. Acute pain is usually temporary, so when the injury heals, the pain lessens or disappears completely. Over the counter medications such as analgesics, topical creams, and anti-inflammatory drugs help manage back pain caused from an injury but don’t necessary fix the problem. Chiropractic care is another way to lessen acute pain and feel more comfortable. By adjusting the spine, chiropractors can relax the muscles, and relieve acute pain faster than simply "suffering through" the injury. They battle a medical condition or illness Unfortunately, there are several illnesses that can cause back pain. Fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, inflammatory diseases of the joints, and scoliosis are some of the common conditions that cause back pain. Because the conditions create pain that lasts longer periods of time, this type of pain is considered to be chronic pain. Chronic pain is an entirely different animal than acute pain, and patients who suffer with it often look for options outside of traditional medication. Chiropractic care is an excellent choice in dealing with chronic back pain. Adjustments to the spine can promote healing in all areas of a person's body, as well as provide relief from the pain. Chiropractic care for medical conditions sometimes takes a bit longer to show results, so the patient must be committed to the treatment plan the chiropractor suggests in order to enjoy the maximum benefits of chiropractic. They have made poor lifestyle choices Decisions we make can affect our health, either negatively or positively. Being overweight, avoiding an exercise routine, and smoking can result in health issues that cause back pain.
Chiropractic care can assist in lessening a patients back pain, which then hopefully leads to better lifestyle choices. Feeling better often prompts patients to embark on a fitness routine, eat healthier, and quit smoking. Exercise regimens that include strength training can positively impact a person's health in a number of ways, including back pain reduction. Millions of people struggle with back pain on a daily basis. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to treat both the symptoms and the underlying causes. Chiropractic care either by itself or in a combination with other treatments is one of the best choices available today. |
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June 2018
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