How Moving Helps Your Injuries Heal

Although taking it easy might seem like the best strategy after an injury, spending too much time on the couch may be a bad idea. In fact, inactivity could actually make your symptoms worse and prolong your recovery time. Movement triggers your body's natural healing response and reduces your risk of chronic pain.

The Benefits of Moving

When you injure yourself, your body immediately activates its self-repair function. White blood cells flood the injured area and begin repairing the damaged tissues and cells. Increased blood flow causes inflammation and is the reason that you may notice swelling, stiffness, or redness around your injury.

At this point, rest is a priority. Resting gives your body the time it needs to begin the healing process, but too much rest can slow healing, increase stiffness, and other symptoms.

In most cases, you can begin moving one to two days after your injury, depending on the type and severity of the injury. While it's not a good idea to participate in high-impact or vigorous activity, gentle exercises and stretches can be an important part of the healing process.

Incorporating movement in your recovery will:

• Reduce Inflammation. Although inflammation is essential when an injury first occurs, it can cause lingering stiffness and pain when you move your joints. Movement relieves inflammation naturally, helping you to return to your normal activities faster.
• Break Up Scar Tissue. Your body produces scar tissues to repair muscles, tissues, ligaments, and tendons. Unfortunately, your body may make more tissue than you need to heal your injury. Scar tissue build-up restricts the movement of muscles and joints, which causes pain and reduced range of motion.
• Improve Blood Flow. Injuries can restrict blood flow, depriving your tissues of the oxygen and nutrients they need to heal. Movement improves blood circulation and promotes healing.
• Lubricate Your Joints. Fluid surrounding your joints lubricates the bones and helps nutrients penetrate the tissues. Activity keeps the fluid flowing and helps you avoid painful, creaky joints.
• Help Avoid Chronic Pain. Being inactive may increase your risk of long-term pain, stiffness, or mobility problems.

How Your Chiropractor Can Help You Get Moving

Moving can be difficult if you're experiencing stiffness, pain, and inflammation. Pain relievers and muscle relaxants only offer short-term relief of your symptoms, while chiropractic treatment targets the source of the problem. Spinal manipulation, massage, soft tissue mobilization, traction, ultrasound therapy, and other treatments your chiropractor offers help by:

• Breaking apart scar tissue
• Realigning your spine
• Easing pressure on nerves, muscles, tendons, and ligaments
• Improving flexibility and range of motion
• Decreasing inflammation
• Relaxing tight muscles
• Releasing endorphins - your body's natural painkillers

Chiropractic treatment offers an effective way to manage pain and could help you increase your activity level. In a study published in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in May 2018, researchers revealed that spinal manipulation combined with other therapies improved low back pain intensity and disability in active-duty military personnel.

The treatment is effective for treating many types of injuries, including sprains and strains, whiplash, tendonitis, bursitis, rotator cuff injuries, knee conditions, concussions, herniated discs, shin splints, and dislocations.

Chiropractic treatment will ease your pain and get you moving again. Contact us to schedule a convenient appointment.

Sources:

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Effect of Usual Medical Care Plus Chiropractic Care vs Usual Medical Care Alone on Pain and Disability Among US Service Members With Low Back Pain, May 2018

Healthline: Why Scar Tissue Pain Occurs and What You Can Do About It, 3/7/19

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 4/8/10

Chiropractic Economics: The Latest Research on Chiropractic Care for Faster Injury Recovery, 3/6/20

What You Need to Know About Neck Spasms

When a neck spasm hits, even the slightest movement can cause intense pain. Although the spasms are usually short-lived, they can become a chronic problem in some cases. If you suffer from frequent neck spasms, understanding the cause can help you avoid future bouts of pain.

Why Neck Spasms Happen

Have you ever turned your head quickly and felt a tight, painful sensation in your neck? The pain occurs when the muscles in your neck spasm or tighten unexpectedly. Spasms can last several minutes or linger for days or weeks. Chronic or frequent spasms can cause pain and headaches that interfere with your usual activities. Even if the spasm goes away quickly, you may still experience pain due to sore muscles.

Neck pain and spasms are common problems for many of us. In fact, 20 to 70 percent of Americans will experience neck pain that interferes with their usual activities at some point in their lives, according to Practical Pain Management.

Neck Spasms can be caused by:

• Poor Posture. Slouching strains your neck, shoulders, and upper back muscles, increasing your risk of spasms. In addition to spasms, you may also develop headaches due to poor posture.
• Using Digital Devices. Looking downward to use smartphones, tablets, and other digital devices can cause a condition called tech neck. Holding your head in a downward position stresses the muscles in your neck, triggering spasms. Eventually, tech neck can cause spinal misalignments, early-onset arthritis, and muscle or nerve damage.
• Holding Your Head in an Uncomfortable Position. Spasms can be a problem if you're a mechanic, plumber, or work in another type of job that requires you to twist or turn your head.
• Stress. Stress can tighten the neck, shoulder, and upper back muscles, causing spasms.
• Your Sleep Habits. Sleeping on a pillow or mattress that doesn't adequately support your body may mean that you wake up with an aching neck.
• Sprain or Strain. An injury to the muscles or ligaments in your neck could also be to blame for your spasms.

What You Can Do About Neck Spasms

Do you reach for a bottle of ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) when you have neck spasms? Although many people believe taking an NSAID can be useful in treating your symptoms, long-term or frequent use of NSAIDs can cause upset stomachs, ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, or even liver damage in some cases. Luckily, trying a few of these recommendations will help relax your muscles and ease your pain naturally:

• Ice and Heat. Ice packs reduce inflammation and relieve pain. (Don't use ice packs for more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time, as frostbite could occur.) A heating pad, hot water bottle, or a stream of hot water from a showerhead will help loosen and relax tight muscles.
• Massage. Do-it-yourself or professional massages relax tight muscles and prompt your body to produce endorphins, chemicals that act like natural painkillers.
• Stretches. Slowly dropping your head toward your shoulder and other gentle neck exercises may help stretch the muscles and put an end to the spasm.

If you still have spasms, it's a good idea to call the chiropractor. Your chiropractor will develop a treatment plan based on your symptoms and your physical exam. The plan may include:

• Spinal manipulation. This hands-on therapy realigns the vertebrae in your neck and decreases muscle tension.
• Massage. In addition to loosening muscles, massage also improves circulation, which can speed healing.
• Trigger Point Therapy. Trigger point therapy relaxes muscle fibers that cause knots in your neck and may reduce your spasms.
• Ultrasound Therapy. Ultrasound waves relax and warm muscles, relieving pain.
• Soft Tissue Manipulation. Your chiropractor uses handheld tools to find the source of your pain and loosen tight tissues.
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS). A gentle electrical current prevents pain signals from reaching the brain.
• Traction. This treatment relieves pain and loosens muscles by gently increasing the space between your vertebrae
• Exercises. Your chiropractor can teach you exercises that improve your posture and strengthen the muscles that support your neck and core.

Could a visit to the chiropractor ease your neck spasms? Get in touch with us if you're ready to schedule your appointment.

Sources:

Practical Pain Management: About Back/Neck, Spine and Shoulder Pain - The Statistics, 7/29/19

SPINE-Health: How to Relieve a Neck Muscle Spasm, 11/19/19

MedlinePlus: Neck Pain or Spasms – Self-Care, 7/11/19

Spine Universe: Chiropractic Care for Neck Pain

4 Tips to Help You Strengthen Your Joints

Are your joints as strong as they could be? Joint weakness can lead to a variety of problems ranging from injuries to pain to stiffness. Making a few changes in your life, in addition to visiting the chiropractor on a regular basis, will help you keep your joints strong and flexible.

The Consequences of Weak Joints

Falls, arthritis, wear and tear, poor muscle tone, and even posture issues can cause weak joints. Unfortunately, once a joint is weak, you're more likely to develop injuries, including dislocations, fractures, strained muscles, and sprains. Weak joints may also affect your balance and increase your risk of falls. Fortunately, improving your joint health can be as simple as exercising more often, changing your diet, or losing weight.

1. Make Exercise a Priority

Exercise keeps joints limber, improves blood flow, and strengthens the muscles that support your joints. When your muscles are strong, you're less likely to injure yourself or suffer from joint pain. Your exercise routine should include:

• Aerobic Exercise. Aerobic exercise is any type of exercise that increases your heart rate, including running, walking, dancing, aerobics, skiing, swimming, riding a bike, or playing sports. This type of exercise keeps your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints strong and flexible and lowers your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. If you have arthritis or another joint condition, high-impact activity, like running, tennis, or high-impact aerobics, could worsen your symptoms. Walking, swimming, riding a stationary bicycle, or performing low-impact aerobics are better choices.
• Strengthening Exercises. Strengthening exercises improve balance, flexibility, coordination, and bone strength and density, in addition to increasing and strengthening muscle mass. Exercises can be performed using weights, resistance bands, or weight machines. Push-ups, lunges, squats, planks, and other types of resistance exercises also strengthen bones and muscles.
• Stretching. Start and end every exercise session with a 5 to 10-minute stretching session. Stretching increases blood flow to muscles and tissues, improves flexibility, and keeps your muscles loose after you finish your workout.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults participate in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, in addition to at least two weekly sessions of strengthening exercises that work all the major muscle groups.

2. Improve Your Diet

Avoid processed, greasy, fried, fatty, sugary, or high-carbohydrate foods. A diet that includes fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, low-fat dairy products, chicken, fish, and lean meats is ideal for joint and muscle health.

3. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Carrying extra pounds stresses your joints, increasing your risk of injuries, osteoarthritis, and joint pain. Being obese or overweight is particularly hard on the joints in your knees. Losing weight can reduce the need for knee replacement surgery in obese patients with knee osteoarthritis by 31 percent, according to the American College of Rheumatology.

4. See Your Chiropractor

Regular visits to the chiropractor help keep your joints flexible and improve your range of motion. Subluxations, misalignments in your spine or other parts of your body, increase your risk of joint injuries and pain. These misalignments can be caused by falls, injuries, poor posture, gait problems, and even spending too much time using your digital devices. Luckily, your chiropractor can correct subluxations with adjustments and other treatments that realign your joints and reduce tension on your muscles, tendons, soft tissues, and ligaments. Treatments also address imbalances that could increase your risk of joint injuries.

Scheduling periodic visits with the chiropractic is a simple way to protect your joints. Give us a call if you're ready to make your next appointment.

Sources:

PubMed: American College of Rheumatology: Obesity and the Relative Risk of Knee Replacement Surgery in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis 4/16

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition

WebMD: Chiropractic Care for Joint Problems: What to Know, 10/1/20

Cleveland Clinic: 5 Best Ways to Safeguard Your Joints as You Age, 7/13/20

How Massage Therapy and Chiropractic Work Together for a Healthier You

Is massage therapy part of your chiropractic treatment plan? Combining massages with chiropractic treatment enhances the effects of the treatments and may even help you reduce your risk of illness.

7 Benefits of Mixing Chiropractic and Massage Therapy

When you receive a massage before or after your chiropractic treatments, you'll enjoy these advantages:

1. Increased Flexibility. Problems with flexibility, stiffness, and reduced range of motion can be caused by subluxation, a process that occurs when the vertebrae in your spine become misaligned. Subluxations increase pressure on the muscles, joints, and ligaments in your back and can cause imbalances throughout your entire body. Although spinal manipulation treatment realigns the vertebrae in your spine, your muscles and tissues may remain tight even after the adjustment. Loosening muscles and tissues with massage therapy make it easier to move without stiffness. It also breaks apart scar tissue that can restrict joint movement.

2. Pain Relief. Have you ever wondered why you feel so good when you leave the chiropractic office? Chiropractic treatments flood your body with endorphins, chemicals that improve your mood and relieve pain naturally and effectively. Both massage therapy and chiropractic treatments trigger the release of these chemicals. Thanks to your treatments, you may be able to reduce the amount of pain medication you take or even stop taking painkillers completely.

3. Better Circulation. Restricted blood flow, a common problem after an injury, makes it difficult for white blood cells to reach the damaged area. White cells repair damaged cells and are essential for healing. The combination of chiropractic treatment and massages improves blood circulation, which helps you feel better sooner.

4. Fewer Headaches. Do headaches interfere with your work, hobbies, or family life? Headaches can be caused by subluxations in the vertebrae in your neck. Spinal manipulation realigns the vertebrae while massages soothe tight, painful muscles in your neck, head, and shoulders. Chiropractic treatment and massages are effective in treating many types of headaches, including tension, cluster, and migraine headaches.

5. Less Stress. Stress is a common complaint of workers throughout the world. In fact, 43% of employees reported feeling stressed in Gallup's 2021 State of the Global Workforce report. Luckily, a visit to the chiropractor offers an all-natural solution to stress. Chiropractic treatments loosen joints and muscles tightened by stress, while massages relax the muscles even further. Once your muscle pain eases, you're bound to feel less stressed. Treatments also reset your nervous system, trigger endorphin production, and decrease the "fight or flight" adrenaline response that happens when you're stressed.

6. A Natural Treatment for Insomnia. Sleeping well is difficult if your back hurts or you're struggling with stress or anxiety. Chiropractic treatments and massages ease pain and stress, helping you sleep better. Massages also prompt your body to release serotonin, a hormone that controls your moods and helps you feel calm and relaxed.

7. Less Inflammation. Inflammation slows healing and could be the reason that an injury is taking longer than expected to heal. It also plays a part in many general health conditions and diseases, including arthritis, asthma, allergies, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. Spinal manipulation, massages, and other therapies your chiropractor offers can decrease inflammation and may reduce your risk of serious health issues.

Are you ready to improve your health with a visit to the chiropractor? Contact us to schedule a convenient appointment.

Sources:

Gallup: State of the Global Workplace, 2021

American Massage Therapy Association: 25 Reasons to Get a Massage

Mayo Clinic: Massage: Get in Touch with Its Many Benefits, 1/12/21

Time: You Asked: Do Massages Have Real Health Benefits?, 1/3/18

Harvard Health Publishing: What Is Inflammation, and Why Is It Dangerous, 3/1/20

Could Your Sedentary Lifestyle Be Harming Your Health?

If walking around the grocery store is the most exercise you get in a week, you may be putting your health at risk. Inactivity is a factor in many health conditions, ranging from cancer to high blood pressure to osteoporosis. Fortunately, it's never too late to improve your health by becoming more active.

Are You a Couch Potato? You May Be More Likely To Experience These Health Issues

Only 25% of Americans are active enough to satisfy current exercise recommendations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Adults should participate in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week, according to the recommendations.

Lack of exercise can increase your risk of:

• Cardiovascular Problems. You're more likely to develop heart disease, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol if you don't move enough. In fact, a sedentary lifestyle doubles your risk of cardiovascular disease and death, according to the World Health Organization. Regular aerobic exercise strengthens your heart and improves blood flow to the brain, heart, lungs, and other organs. Aerobic exercise is any activity that raises your heart rate, such as swimming, walking, riding a bike, or playing tennis.
• Obesity. Exercise helps you burn calories and improves your metabolism, the rate at which you burn those calories. If you've been struggling to lose weight, exercising more, in addition to following a healthy diet, could help you shed a few extra pounds.
• Type 2 Diabetes. Inactivity may also increase your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects more than 34 million Americans, according to the CDC. If you're sedentary, you may develop insulin resistance, a condition that affects your body's ability to use glucose (blood sugar) to provide energy to your cells. Glucose builds up in your blood if you're insulin resistant, making it more likely that you'll develop pre-diabetes or diabetes. Researchers in Korea discovered being inactive for 10 hours or more daily increased insulin resistance values in people who didn't have diabetes.
• Weak Bones. Weight-bearing activities, like walking, strength training, dancing, or running, keep your bones strong. These activities increase bone density and improve the range of motion in your joints. Weight-bearing exercise is particularly important as you get older. Exercise can help you lower your risk of developing osteoporosis, a disease that weakens the bones and increases your risk of fractures.
• Cancer. Skipping exercise can also raise your cancer risk. Inactivity raises the risk of uterine, colon, and breast cancers, according to Medline Plus.
• Mental Health Issues. Staying active may also help you avoid depression and anxiety or reduce the symptoms of these conditions. Exercise improves nerve cell growth in the part of the brain that controls moods and triggers the release of endorphins, natural chemicals that improve your mood, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
• Joint and Muscle Pain. Without regular exercise, your joints and muscles may become stiff and painful. Does your job involve plenty of sitting? When you sit too much, the core muscles that support your back begin to weaken. When the muscles are weak, you're more likely to experience strained muscles, muscle spasms, and knots in your muscles. Muscle imbalances due to lack of exercise can pull your spine out of alignment, causing chronic back pain and reduced range of motion.

How Your Chiropractor Can Help You Stay Healthy

Your chiropractor can recommend exercises that will strengthen and support your body and help you stay healthy. If pain is keeping you from exercising, your chiropractor offers a variety of treatments designed to improve spinal alignment and decrease pressure and tension on your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves. Thanks to your visits to the chiropractor, you'll be able to make exercising a priority.

Has it been a while since you've seen the chiropractor? Give us a call and we'll help you schedule your next appointment.

Sources:

America's Health Rankings: Physical Inactivity

Harvard Health Publishing: Exercise Is An All-Natural Way to Fight Depression, 2/2/21

World Health Organization: Physical Inactivity a Leading Cause of Disease and Disability, Warns Who, 4/4/02

Medline Plus: Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle

Korean Journal of Family Medicine: Sedentary Lifestyle: Overview of Updated Evidence of Potential Health Risks, 11/19/20

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Lack of Physical Activity, 9/25/19

Chiropractic Care Offers Important Benefits for Older People

Staying fit and healthy becomes more challenging as you get older. Joints begin to ache as a result of years of wear and tear, while reduced muscle mass can lead to balance problems. Fortunately, chiropractic care can help you address age-related aging changes and protect your health.

Tired of Living with Pain? Chiropractic Treatment Offers an All-Natural Solution

As your muscle mass shrinks, your tendons and ligaments become stiffer, increasing your risk of strains, sprains, and muscle spasms. At the same time, you may be dealing with pain and inflammation in your joints due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. You may also be struggling with a herniated disc or neck or back pain.

In many cases, joint or muscle pain can be caused or worsened by misaligned vertebrae in your spine. Spinal misalignments stress your joints, trigger pain, and may increase inflammation and pressure on muscles, nerves, ligaments, and tendons. Spinal manipulations, commonly called adjustments, realign your spine and ease tension on your soft tissues and nerves, decreasing pain. Your chiropractor uses hands-on pressure or a small activating device to move your vertebrae back into their normal positions.

Spinal manipulation can be very helpful in easing neck pain, a common complaint among older people. In a study that appeared in The Spine Journal, participants 65 and older who received spinal manipulation therapy had 10 percent less pain than a control group that only performed exercises at home.

Your spine can become misaligned due to falls, posture issues, poor exercise techniques, and even stress. When you see your chiropractor on a regular basis, misalignments can be quickly corrected before they trigger painful inflammation. If you're currently taking pain medication for arthritis or another condition, you may be able to stop taking it or reduce your dosage thanks to regular chiropractic treatments.

Chiropractic Treatment Helps You Remain Active

Staying active is essential for your good health. Regular physical activity improves mental health, delays dementia, and helps protect against stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer, according to BioMed Research International. Unfortunately, it's difficult to get enough exercise if you have stiff, painful joints.

In addition to spinal manipulation, your chiropractor offers other helpful treatments, including massage and soft tissue mobilization and manipulation. These therapies relieve pain and loosen tight muscles and tissues. After a few visits to the chiropractor, you may notice that your flexibility and range of motion increase. Thanks to your chiropractic treatments, you'll be able to participate in your favorite activities once again.

Your Risk of Falling May Decrease

Falls are particularly dangerous when you're older. Even a minor fall can cause broken bones and other injuries that may affect your mobility and independence. Spinal misalignments can trigger imbalances throughout your entire body. As a result, you may be unable to react quickly if you start to slip. It's much easier to keep your balance when your vertebrae are properly aligned and your muscles and tissues are flexible.

Treatments Can Help You Sleep Better

Getting a good night's sleep becomes increasingly difficult as you get older. In fact, 50 percent of older people report having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep in a 2018 review published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Pain and stress can be contributing factors if you have insomnia. Chiropractic treatment not only reduces pain but may also help you feel more relaxed. Treatments increase your body's production of endorphins and serotonin, hormones that decrease pain and improve your mood.

Are you struggling with pain, balance issues, or other age-related problems? Chiropractic treatment can help you enjoy a healthier, more comfortable life. Contact our office to schedule your appointment.

Source:

NCBI: BioMed Research International: The Importance of Physical Activities Exercise Among Older People, 12/5/18

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine: Insomnia in the Elderly: A Review, 6/15/18

Chiropractic & Manual Therapies: The Role of Chiropractic Care in Older Adults, 2/21/12

PubMed: The Spine Journal: Spinal Manipulative Therapy and Exercise for Seniors with Chronic Neck Pain, 09/1/14

BMC Geriatrics: The Profile of Older Adults Seeking Chiropractic Care: A Secondary Analysis, 4/23/21

Will Chiropractic Treatment Stop Your Muscle Spasms?

Do you often experience back spasms, Charley horses, or other types of muscle spasms? Although occasional spasms may not be a cause for concern, painful muscle cramps can disrupt your life if they become a regular occurrence. Luckily, your chiropractor can find out why you keep getting muscle spasms and offer treatments that will relieve your pain.

What Causes Muscle Spasms?

Every time you move, your muscles contract or tighten, then relax again. Spasms occur when a muscle tightens involuntarily and remains stuck in the contraction phase for seconds or minutes. If you touch your muscle in the middle of a severe spasm, you may notice that it feels hard. Mild spasms may only cause twitching sensations in the muscle and are much less painful. Spasms can affect any muscle but are most common in the calf, thigh, back, hand, arm, foot, abdominal, and rib muscles.

Muscle spasms can be caused by:

• Dehydration: Dehydration occurs due to a decrease in the amount of fluid in your body. When you're dehydrated, your body reroutes available fluids to your heart and other crucial organs. As a result, your muscles don't receive the fluids they need and begin to cramp. Dehydration can be caused by a strenuous workout, high temperatures or humidity, not drinking enough, diarrhea, or excessive sweating.
• Overuse: You're more likely to experience spasms when your muscles are tired. This can happen when you're playing sports, painting your house, or removing snow from your driveway.
• Inactivity: Did your spasms start after you decided you needed more exercise? Your muscles may be more likely to cramp if you begin a vigorous fitness routine after weeks or months of inactivity.
• Poor Posture: Slouching or spending too much time in one position can strain your muscles. When muscles are strained, any movement can cause a spasm. In fact, bending down to reach a dropped pen could trigger painful spasms in your back or shoulder.
• Subluxations: Subluxations occur when the vertebrae, the small bones that make up your spine, become misaligned. When this happens, the muscles attached to the vertebrae tighten, making them more likely to spasm.
• Medication Side Effects: Some medications can increase your risk of muscle spasms. Drugs that may cause cramps include those used to treat high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, Alzheimer's disease, myasthenia gravis, osteoporosis, and Parkinson's disease, according to WebMD.
• Getting Older: Your muscles become smaller as you age. When you move, the muscles must work harder, which increases your risk of spasms.
• Other Causes: Muscle spasms can also be caused by poor circulation, pinched nerves, pregnancy, herniated discs, hypothyroidism, kidney or liver disease, or low calcium, potassium, and magnesium levels.

How Do Chiropractors Treat Muscle Spasms?

Before your chiropractor can treat your spasms, they must determine why you are getting these painful cramps. For example, if the spasms happen when you work out or play sports, not drinking enough water or failing to stretch before you exercise could be the reason for the cramps.

No matter what the cause, trying these chiropractic treatments may ease your pain and reduce the number of spasms you get:

• Hot and Cold Therapy: Heat loosens tight muscles, while ice reduces pain.
• Massage Therapy: Massages relax both you and your muscles. In addition to loosening your muscles, massage therapy also decreases pressures on nerves, which may lessen your pain. Massage prompts your body to produce endorphins, hormones that ease pain naturally and help you feel calm and relaxed. In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in July 2011, researchers reported that massage improves function and reduces pain as long as six months after the last massage session.
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation: This therapy relaxes tight muscles and relieves pain by preventing pain signals from reaching the brain. During the treatment, electrodes attached to your skin produce a gentle electrical current.
• Spinal Manipulation: Pressure on muscles, nerves, and tendons decreases when your chiropractor realigns your vertebrae with spinal manipulation. Your doctor their hands or an activator to apply quick thrusts that improve the alignment of your spine. Once the muscles and vertebrae are properly aligned, blood circulation, flexibility, and range of motion also improve.

If you struggle with muscle spasms, contact our office to schedule an appointment with our chiropractor now.

Sources:

WebMD: Charley Horse, 3/17/20

Cleveland Clinic: Muscle Cramps, 12/10/19

Merck Manual: Muscle Cramps, 8/21

Annals of Internal Medicine: A Comparison of the Effects of 2 Types of Massage and Usual Care on Chronic Low Back Pain, 7/5/2011

Chiropractic Economics: Prevention and How to Stop a Muscle Spasm, 1/21/20

The Health Benefits of Stretching

Do you greet the morning with a satisfying stretch? Stretching loosens your muscles after a long night in bed and helps you feel alert and ready to face the day. But, if you only stretch first thing in the morning, you may be missing out on the many benefits stretching offers.

9 Reasons You Should Stretch More

Adding a few short stretching sessions to your day is a simple way to stay fit and healthy. When you stretch regularly, you'll enjoy these benefits:

• Less Back Pain. You may be at risk of developing back pain even if your job doesn't require anything more strenuous than sitting at a desk. Remaining in the same position most of the day can lead to back pain, particularly if the muscles in your thighs or pelvis become too tight and pull on your back. Stretching every day is a simple way to reduce or prevent an aching back.
• Straighter Posture. Slouching when you sit or stand increases tension on your muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments, causing headaches, along with aches and pains. If your muscles and ligaments become too tight, they can even cause misalignments in the vertebrae in your spine.
• Better Range of Motion and Flexibility. Flexibility declines as you get older, as does your ability to move your joints through their full range of motion. Luckily, stretching can help you keep your muscles and joints loose and limber.
• Fewer Injuries. You're more likely to get hurt if you happen to fall when your muscles and joints are tight. If you play sports, warming up with a few stretches before you start the activity will reduce your risk of torn or strained muscles, bursitis, tendonitis, and other injuries.
• Improved Balance. Your balance also tends to get worse with age. If you're more flexible, you'll be able to better keep your balance and avoid dangerous falls. Balance time improved by 11.4% for participants who performed 30 minutes of stretching exercises in a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
• No More Aches and Pains. Aches and pains are an unavoidable part of life, but stretching may make them a little easier to handle. Stretching your legs, arms, back, hips, and neck can work out kinks and soothe your sore muscles.
• Less Stress. Increased muscle tension, one of the uncomfortable symptoms of stress, can cause headaches and restrict your range of motion. Stretching can help relieve some of the tightness and may help you feel more relaxed.
• Better Circulation. Oxygen and nutrients reach your body's cells via your bloodstream. If your circulation is sluggish, your health can suffer. Luckily, stretching gets your blood flowing and helps you stay healthier.
• Reduced Risk of Certain Diseases. Stretching could help you avoid heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other serious health problems. Researchers at the University of Milan discovered that improving circulation with leg stretches could prevent the arteries from stiffening and help keep them open.

Taking yoga or exercise classes will help you stay limber, but you don't need to sign up for a class to enjoy the benefits of stretching. In fact, you can stretch any time you have a few moments to spare. Make sure you use slow, gentle movements when you stretch, and make stretching a daily priority.

Are your muscles and joints tight and painful because you haven't been stretching? A visit to the chiropractor will loosen your tight muscles, ease your joint pain, and realign your spine. Give us a call if you'd like to schedule an appointment for chiropractic care.

Sources:

Science Daily: Stretching Your Legs May Help Prevent Diseases Such as Heart Disease and Diabetes, 7/2/20

Harvard Health Publishing: The Importance of Stretching, 9/25/19

Self: Benefits of Stretching That Will Make Anyone Want to Move Their Body, 9/25/19

PubMed: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Acute Stretching Increases Postural Stability in Nonbalance Trained Individuals, 11/2012

How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help with Recovery Time

Pain, stiffness, and other symptoms often continue for days or weeks after an injury, even if the injury was fairly minor. Chiropractic care can shorten your recovery period and help you to return to your normal activities much sooner.

Ways Chiropractic Treatment Speeds Up Recovery

Let's say your back or neck begins to hurt soon after you lift a heavy box or spend 12 hours in the car during a road trip. After resting for days or weeks, you're still in pain, plus your joints have become stiff and inflexible.

Whether your pain is caused by a strained muscle, misaligned vertebrae in your spine, scar tissue, or another problem, chiropractic treatment offers a simple, drug-free solution.

Some of your pain may be due to subluxations. Subluxations happen when the vertebrae in your spine move out of alignment. Misaligned vertebrae can be caused by injuries, but may also occur due to poor posture or even the stress and strain of sitting in the same position for hours.

Subluxations not only cause pain but may also affect your muscles, ligaments, and tendons, causing them to tighten or become inflamed. In addition to treating back and neck pain, chiropractors also offer natural treatments for sprained ankles, shoulder injuries, leg, and arm pain, sciatica, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, text neck, and other conditions.

Chiropractic treatment can help:

• Ease Pain Naturally. Pain medications and muscle relaxants help temporarily but don't address the source of your pain. Restoring the natural alignment of your spine with spinal manipulation treatment starts the healing process, decreasing your reliance on medication. Your doctor uses gentle manual pressure to re-position your vertebrae during spinal manipulation. Once your vertebrae are properly aligned, your muscles begin to loosen, and painful pressure on your nerves decreases.
• Soothe Sore Muscles. It's difficult to play with your kids or do yard work if you're suffering from muscle spasms or tenderness. Massage, ultrasound therapy, and other chiropractic treatments relax tight muscles, ligaments and tendons, promote healing, and break up scar tissue or adhesions that can be a factor in pain.
• Restore Range of Motion and Flexibility. Once your vertebrae and joints are properly aligned and your muscles, tendons, and ligaments are loose, you'll probably notice that it's easier to move your body. Treatments also help decrease inflammation, another factor that contributes to pain and poor range of motion.
• Improve Blood Flow. After an injury, your body sends white blood cells and nutrients to the injured area to heal it. Unfortunately, some injuries can restrict the flow of blood. After normal blood flow is restored with chiropractic treatments, healing tends to happen much more quickly.
• Reduce Headaches. Neck and head injuries may cause painful headaches that last for days. Correcting spinal misalignments and relaxing your muscles with chiropractic care offers real relief for post-injury headaches.

Chiropractic treatment can also help you recover more quickly after a particularly grueling workout, improve your athletic performance or play without pain. In a case study published in the June 2014 issue of the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, a patient who developed lateral epicondylitis, commonly called "tennis elbow," was pain-free after just three weeks of active release technique (ART) treatment.

The hands-on treatment breaks up adhesions in muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and tissue. Adhesions not only restrict movement but may cause pain, numbness, and tingling.

Are your muscles and joints painful and stiff? Chiropractic treatment offers an effective way to ease your pain. Contact our office to schedule an appointment.

Sources:

Journal of Chiropractic Medicine: Chiropractic Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis: A Case Report Utilizing Active Release Technique, 6/14

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Spinal Manipulation: What You Need to Know

Spine Universe: Sprains - Strains - Soft Tissue Injuries

A Guide to the Functionality of Your Spine

The movements we take for granted wouldn't be possible without a healthy spine. Thanks to your strong backbone, you can jump over a puddle, bend to pick up your dropped keys, or twist to reach your lunch in the backseat of your car.

The Parts of the Spine and What They Do

The spine is made up of small bones called the vertebrae that protect the spinal cord, support your body and help you move easily. Each vertebra contains a rounded section, known as the vertebral body, and finger-like projections called processes. The muscles in your back are attached to these processes with bands of connective tissues called tendons. Ligaments connect the vertebrae together and help keep your spine stable when you move.

The spinal cord, a thick bundle of nerve fibers that transmit impulses from the brain, passes through a hollow area in the middle of the vertebra. These impulses keep your organs and immune system functioning properly, tell your muscles to contract when you move, and control breathing and other bodily functions. Nerves branch out from the spinal cord and travel to the various parts of your body.

Vertebrae also contain facet joints, sections of cartilage where two vertebrae meet. Facet joints are responsible for the flexibility and stability of your spine and help you turn, twist and bend. Small rubbery discs between each vertebra cushion your spine and absorb shock.

Your spine isn't perfectly straight but forms an "S" shape. This shape keeps your weight evenly distributed, enhances flexibility, and reduces pressure on your back.

The 33 vertebrae in your spine are divided into these five sections:

• Cervical Spine: The cervical spine starts at the base of your head and contains seven vertebrae. These vertebrae support your head and neck and make it possible to turn your head.
• Thoracic Spine: The 12 thoracic vertebrae start at the bottom of your neck. They connect to your ribs and help support your chest and torso.
• Lumbar Spine: Five lumbar vertebrae make up your lower back. Since this area supports most of your body's weight, it's the most frequently injured part of the back.
• Sacrum: The sacrum is a triangular piece of bone formed of five vertebrae fused together. The sacrum connects to the hips and doesn't move, unlike your other vertebrae. It supports your pelvis and keeps it stable.
• Coccyx (Tailbone): Your tailbone is actually made up of four vertebrae fused together. Although this part of the spine also doesn't move, it provides an anchoring point for ligaments and muscles in your pelvis.

Common Causes of Back Pain

Pain in your spine can occur for many reasons, including:

• Problems with Discs: Disc herniation, a problem that occurs when the soft inner core of the disk protrudes through the tough outer covering, can cause pain, numbness, and tingling. Herniated discs can occur due to injuries or aging.
• Arthritis: Arthritis can affect any joint in your body, including the facet joints in your back.
• Subluxations: Subluxations occur when the vertebrae become misaligned. Injuries can cause subluxations, they can also occur if you sit for long hours or have poor posture.
• Tight Muscles: Muscle tension can cause backaches and may be related to subluxations. Misaligned vertebrae tend to pull on muscles, causing pain and tension.
• Sprains and Strains: Strains or sprains in the muscles and ligaments in your back can happen if you lift a heavy object or twist your back too far.
• Pinched Nerves: Misaligned vertebrae, tight muscles, or herniated discs may press against the nerves in your back, triggering pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness.
• Scoliosis: Scoliosis, a condition usually diagnosed during childhood, occurs when the spine curves sideways. Back pain and muscle spasms can be related to scoliosis. You may also notice that one shoulder is higher than the other.

As much as we rely on our spines, it's not surprising that back pain is a common complaint. In fact, 80% of Americans can expect to experience back pain at some point in their lives, according to statistics from the American Chiropractic Association.

Chiropractic treats the source of back pain and helps keep your spine properly aligned. Are you frustrated by nagging back pain? Give us a call and we'll help you make an appointment with a chiropractor.

Sources:

American Chiropractic Association: Back Pain Facts and Statistics

National Center for Biotechnology Information: How Does the Spine Work? 2/14/19

University of Maryland Medical Center: A Patient’s Guide to Anatomy and Function of the Spine

Cleveland Clinic: Spine Structure and Function