How Therapeutic Exercises Help You Heal
Wondering if you really need to do the exercises your chiropractor recommends? Therapeutic exercises are an important part of your treatment plan and help enhance chiropractic care.
The Benefits of Therapeutic Exercises
Getting better as quickly as you can may be your goal, but healing will take longer if you don't stretch and strengthen your muscles. Therapeutic exercises can help you:
The therapeutic exercises your chiropractor suggests will depend on your diagnosis.
If you have low back pain, your chiropractor may recommend exercises that stabilize the back, strengthen your core, decrease pain, and improve your posture. A study published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy evaluated the effects of spinal stabilization exercises versus general exercises for participants with low back pain. After performing planks, side planks, abdominal bracing exercises, and other exercises for eight weeks, the spinal stabilization group reported a significant improvement in functional movement over the general exercise group. Both groups also noticed improvements in pain intensity and disability level.
Therapeutic exercises offer an excellent way to make the most of your chiropractic treatment. Ready to make your next appointment? Give us a call to schedule your visit.
Sources:
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Exercise May Play Role in Reducing Inflammation in Damage Skin Tissue, 11/08/2007
https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/206467
International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy: Effectiveness of Spinal Stabilization Exercises on Movement Performance in Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain, 2/1/2023
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9897033/
SPINE-health: Exercise and Chiropractic Therapy, 3/14/2013
https://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/exercise-and-chiropractic-therapy
Healthline: What Are Lumbar Stabilization Exercises?, 6/21/2018
https://www.healthline.com/health/lumbar-stabilization-exercises
Chiropractic Care Could Ease Your Neuropathy Symptoms
Finding a treatment that keeps your pain under control can be difficult when you have neuropathy. Whether you're experiencing pain, burning, tingling, or numbness, your chiropractor can help relieve your neuropathy symptoms.
What Is Neuropathy?
Neuropathy happens when one or more nerves are damaged due to illnesses, injuries, toxins, or infections. The damage affects the normal transmission of nerve signals between the body and the brain. Neuropathy types include:
Neuropathy Symptoms
Symptoms vary depending on the type of neuropathy but may include:
How Your Chiropractor Can Help
The treatments chiropractors provide relieve pressure on the nerves by keeping your spine and joints properly aligned and reducing tension on soft tissues. If you're experiencing tingling, pain, burning, and weakness in your arm, hand, foot, or leg, a misaligned vertebra, tight muscles or tendons, or a bulging disc could be to blame.
Small bones called vertebrae give structure to your spine, In addition to protecting your spinal cord, the vertebrae make it possible to move, bend, and twist easily. Your vertebrae can become misaligned due to a fall or poor posture. Although your posture may be perfectly fine when you're standing, spending hours hunched over your laptop or a video controller could cause misalignments, also known as subluxations.
A misaligned vertebrae could press on a nerve, triggering neuropathy symptoms. As a result of the subluxation, muscles and tendons can tighten in response and exert pressure on your nerves. A bulging disc in your spine could also be to blame for your neuropathy symptoms.
Your chiropractor offers treatments that relieve pressure on nerves to ease your symptoms. Spinal manipulation treatment restores vertebrae to their normal positions while easing pain, improving circulation and blood flow, and triggering the release of hormones that act as natural painkillers. Realigning spine allows tight muscles and tissues to relax and withdraw from your nerves.
If a bulging disc is the source of your neuropathy symptoms, your chiropractor may recommend flexion-distraction treatment. During the therapy, you'll lie on a segmented table that moves as your chiropractor adjusts your spine. The therapy decompresses your spine, which reduces pressure on spinal discs and nerves. It can also relieve muscle spasms and improve your range of motion.
Massage therapy offers a simple way to loosen tight tissues while reducing pain and improving blood flow. Soft tissue mobilization can help reduce the symptoms of Bell's Palsy. During treatments, your chiropractor gently manipulates the face to improve movement and mobility. In a case study published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine in 2013, chiropractic manipulation and low-level laser therapy improved facial movement by 70 - 80% in a 40-year-old patient. After the second treatment, the patient regained complete control of facial movement.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy, another helpful treatment for neuropathy, involves preventing pain by sending a gentle electrical current through the skin. The current blocks nerve signals from reaching the brain.
Wondering if chiropractic treatment can relieve your neuropathy symptoms? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the chiropractor.
Sources:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Peripheral Neuropathy
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/peripheral-neuropathy
Journal of Chiropractic Medicine: Chiropractic Management of Bell Palsy with Low Level Laser and Manipulation: A Case Report, 12/2013
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3838725/
NCBI: Neuroreport: Spinal Manipulative Therapy Reduces Peripheral Neuropathic Pain in the Rat, 2/7/2018
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363337/
MedlinePlus: Peripheral Neuropathy, 4/25/2022
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000593.htm
Chiropractic Economics: The Extensive Benefits of a Chiropractic Flexion Table, 9/15/16
https://www.chiroeco.com/chiropractic-flexion-distraction-tables/
Treating Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Runner's Knee) with Chiropractic Care
It may be known as "runner's" knee, but you don't have to be a runner to develop patellofemoral pain syndrome. This common knee condition affects more than 22% of Americans every year, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in PLOS One in 2018. Luckily, chiropractic care can help you manage your pain.
What Is Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome?
Patellofemoral pain syndrome affects the front of the knee, including the area in and around the kneecap. The condition may occur due to:
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, you may be more like to develop patellofemoral pain syndrome due to abnormal tracking (movement) of the kneecap or leg alignment issues.
Any type of activity that bends or stresses the knee, like jumping, squatting, running, climbing, or even walking up a flight of stairs can trigger or worsen your knee pain and cause grinding or popping sounds. Pain can also be a problem when sitting due to the stress on the knee. In some cases, the knee can become stiff, weak, or unstable.
Easing Your Pain with Chiropractic Treatment
Chiropractors focus on treating your pain and preventing it from returning. During your visit, you'll receive a thorough examination that will help your chiropractor diagnose the reason for your knee pain. As part of the diagnosis process, you may receive an X-ray or other tests.
Sometimes knee pain has unexpected causes. For example, a misalignment in the vertebrae in your lower spine could trigger an imbalance in your thigh muscles. If your muscles aren't balanced properly, your kneecap may become misaligned. Realigning the vertebrae with spinal manipulation not only relieves pain but may also reverse the imbalance and help improve muscle strength.
Spinal manipulation, one of many helpful treatments your chiropractor offers, restores the alignment of your vertebrae. Adjusting misaligned vertebrae offers many benefits, including natural pain relief, inflammation reduction, improved blood flow, and enhanced flexibility. The treatment only takes seconds and involves moving the vertebrae back into place with quick thrusts of the hand or an activator.
In a research study published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders in 2008, researchers reported that patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome had greater improvements in pain and function after spinal manual therapy (spinal manipulation) over those who only performed exercises.
Other chiropractic treatments that may be part of your patellofemoral pain syndrome treatment plan include:
Ready to say goodbye to patellofemoral pain syndrome? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the chiropractor.
Sources:
PLOS One: Incidence and Prevalence of Patellofemoral Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, 1/11/2018
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5764329/
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, 10/2020
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/patellofemoral-pain-syndrome/
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders: Effectiveness of Local Exercise Therapy Versus Spinal Manual Therapy in Patients with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: Medium Term Follow-Up Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial, 5/15/2021
https://bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12891-021-04310-9
WebMD: Runner’s Knee: What You Need to Know, 12/15/2021
https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/runners-knee
Chiropractic Care for Fibromyalgia
Controlling pain can be a never-ending challenge when you have fibromyalgia. Medications don't always completely relieve symptoms or may cause side effects that make you feel worse. Chiropractic care decreases your pain and may even reduce fatigue and improve headaches.
Fibromyalgia and Pain
Everything hurts when you have fibromyalgia. Pain is hard to treat because you never know where you'll experience it next or how long a flare-up will last. Unfortunately, pain isn't the only symptom of fibromyalgia. If you have the condition, you may also experience:
Although inflammation may seem like a likely reason your joints and muscles hurt, that may not always be the case. In fact, the condition might be related to an issue with the nervous system, according to the American College of Rheumatology.
Pain involves a complex relationship between your brain and your nerves. Your nerves constantly send information to the brain via the spinal cord. Some messages help the brain identify the position of your limbs and keep you from falling. Others make it possible to feel heat from a hot oven and help you avoid a burn.
Nociceptors, nerve cells responsible for pain stimuli, also send signals to the brain. The brain determines if the stimuli are painful and decides how much pain you'll feel. If there's a problem during any part of this complex process, you may feel pain even if you haven't injured yourself.
How Chiropractors Treat Fibromyalgia
Chiropractors commonly treat conditions that affect the nerves and understand how nervous system problems may play a part in fibromyalgia symptoms. Improving the function of your nervous system with chiropractic could help you control and decrease common symptoms.
Pressure on your nerves could be making your fibromyalgia symptoms worse. It's difficult for signals to travel back and forth to the brain when nerves are compressed. If the nerves to your stomach are compressed, you might experience indigestion or other stomach issues. Pressure on the nerves that serve your soft tissues could increase the pain you feel in your muscles.
Tight muscles or tissues or subluxations are possible causes of increased pressure on the nerves. A subluxation occurs when a vertebra in your spinal column becomes misaligned.
Chiropractors offer several treatments that could ease your symptoms, including:
Chiropractic treatments prompt the body to release endorphins and serotonin, hormones that naturally ease pain. The hormones also help you feel relaxed, which could improve sleep quality and duration.
Regular visits to the chiropractor will help you keep your symptoms under control. As part of your treatment plan, your chiropractor may also recommend exercises that will ease pain and stiffness and strengthen your muscles.
Ready to find out if chiropractic can reduce your fibromyalgia symptoms? Contact our office to schedule a visit with the chiropractor.
Sources:
American College of Rheumatology: Fibromyalgia, 2/2023
https://rheumatology.org/patients/fibromyalgia
Chiropractic Journal of Australia: Chiropractic Treatment for Fibromyalgia, 3/13/2018
https://www.cjaonline.com.au/index.php/cja/article/view/193
CDC: Fibromyalgia, 5/25/2022
https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/types/fibromyalgia.htm
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease: Fibromyalgia
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/fibromyalgia
How Your Chiropractor Can Help with Degenerative Disc Disease
Wondering why you have a nagging pain in your back or neck? Your symptoms could be caused by changes in the discs in your spine, the rubbery structures that cushion the your vertebrae. Over time, spinal discs may break down, or degenerate, due to aging or injury. Chiropractic treatment offers an effective way to reduce pain, stiffness, and other degenerative disc disease symptoms.
What Causes Degenerative Disc Disease?
Years of moving, twist, bending, running, and jumping take a toll on your spinal discs and can be a factor in degenerative disc disease. One-third of people aged 40-59 have moderate to severe degenerative disc disease, according to research from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging and Boston Medical Center. Unsurprisingly, this rate increases in people 60 and older.
Water inside the discs helps keep them plump and healthy. As the water content decreases with age, the discs become flatter and don't provide quite as much cushioning when you bend, lift, or move.
Cracks and tears in discs are more likely to happen as discs flatten and dry out. Herniated discs can occur if the inner, jelly-like center of the disc protrudes through a tear in the tougher outer layer. Bulging discs press on nerves, triggering pain.
Aging isn't the only factor in degenerative disc disease. The condition may also be caused by obesity. Excess weight stresses every part of your body, including your spine. Although losing weight is always helpful, the damage may already be done if you were overweight or obese for several years.
Your discs could also degenerate due to an injury or fall, smoking, or your job. If your work requires frequent twisting or heavy lifting, you may be more likely to develop degenerative disc disease. Has a family member of yours been diagnosed with the condition? If so, you may be at increased risk for back or neck pain due to degenerative disc disease.
Degenerative disc disease symptoms range from mild to severe and can come and go. Symptoms may include:
Chiropractic Treatments That Relieve Degenerative Disc Disease Pain
Your chiropractor offers several treatments that will reduce pain and stiffness, including:
Chiropractic care may significantly improve your pain and quality of life, as illustrated by a report in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. The report detailed the effects of chiropractic care on a 74-year-old man with low-back pain and loss of feeling in his legs.
After two weeks of activator-assisted spinal manipulation treatment, the man reported that his back pain was gone. Activator-assisted spinal manipulation treatment involves using a small, handheld activator to realign the vertebrae.
Do you need help with your degenerative disc disease symptoms? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the chiropractor.
Sources:
Hebrew SeniorLife: One-Third of People Aged 40-59 Have Evidence of Degenerative Disc Disease, 5/18/2018
Journal of Chiropractic Medicine: Chiropractic Management of a Veteran with Lower Back Pain Associated with Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hypertrophy and Degenerative Disk Disease, 12/2012
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3706700/
WebMD: What Is Degenerative Disk Disease?, 10/25/2023
https://www.webmd.com/back-pain/degenerative-disk-disease-overview
American Chiropractic Association: Neck Pain
https://www.acatoday.org/patients/neck-pain-and-chiropractic/
Feet Are a Crucial Link in Your Body's Kinetic Chain
Your feet play an essential role in the structure and stability of your body. If they're not strong, you're more likely to develop a variety of aches and pains throughout your body. In fact, feet are one of the most important links in the kinetic chain.
What Is the Kinetic Chain?
A train can derail if just one car starts to wobble on the tracks. Since each car is linked, any unusual movement in one car sets off a chain reaction that affects the other cars in the link.
The body works much the same way. Every body part is part of a linked system called the kinetic chain. The links in the chain work together to provide support and stability and allow easy movement. An issue with one link in the chain can lead to problems that affect other areas.
What Is the Role of the Feet in the Kinetic Chain?
Your feet serve several important roles, including:
A problem with your feet, such as flat feet or high arches, can alter the alignment of the bones in your legs, hips, and back. Excessive pronation, a common foot problem that occurs when your feet turn inward too much, may also be to blame for your aches and pain. Any foot issue may force the other links in the kinetic chain to rearrange themselves to compensate. Unfortunately, this may cause misalignments that affect your posture, balance, and gait.
If you don't correct the problem, you might develop ankle, knee, hip, or back pain. A kinetic chain issue can also cause:
One side of your body may become unusually weak or strong as it struggles to realign itself. This can cause imbalances that pull on muscles and tissues and force the vertebrae in your spine out of alignment.
What You Can Do to Keep Your Feet Strong and Healthy
Protecting the kinetic chain starts with good foot care. Keep your feet in top shape by:
Wondering if your pain could be caused by a kinetic chain issue? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the chiropractor.
Sources:
American Podiatric Medical Association: Avoid a Flip-Flop Fiasco
https://www.apma.org/flipflopFAQ
World Journal of Orthopaedics: Does Orthotics Use Improve Comfort, Speed, and Injury Rate During Running? a Randomised Control Trial, 5/18/2023
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10251264/
National Institute of Health: Focus on Your Feet, 3/2023
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2023/03/focus-your-feet
Harvard Health Publishing: Feet: How Your Feet Work – and Three Steps for Keeping Them Healthy, 8/1/2009
Chiropractic Economics: As a Chiropractor, You Need to Be Supporting the Kinetic Chain, 11/2/2018
https://www.chiroeco.com/kinetic-chain-orthotics/
Ace Fitness: What Is the Kinetic Chain, 1/8/2019
Natural Pain Relief: How Chiropractic Can Help Your Back Pain
Drug manufacturers make billions of dollars selling pain medication, thanks in part to the many Americans who suffer from back pain. Pain remedies don't have to come from the drugstore. Chiropractic treatment eases back pain naturally, without any of the side effects that can occur from taking prescription or over-the-counter medications.
Are You Struggling with Back Pain?
Poor posture, falls, injuries, and aging all take a toll on your back, causing aches and pains that may linger no matter how many remedies and medications you try. At best, pain medication offers temporary relief from symptoms. Unfortunately, some drugs are addictive or cause nausea, dizziness, and other negative side effects.
Back pain happens for a reason. It could be that you have a bulging disc in your spine or a sprained or strained muscle. In some cases, back pain occurs when one of the vertebrae in your spine becomes misaligned. The misalignment, called a subluxation, also affects surrounding tissues, causing tightness and inflammation that make movement painful.
Chiropractic treatment doesn't just address your symptoms. It treats the cause of your pain. Once your chiropractor determines why your back hurts, he or she creates a treatment plan designed to ease your symptoms and prevent your symptoms from returning.
Relieving Back Pain with Spinal Manipulation
Your treatment plan for back pain will probably include spinal manipulation treatment. The therapy realigns the vertebrae in your spine, relieving pain and stiffness and increasing mobility. Although you may have heard people refer to this treatment as "cracking" the back, there's no cracking involved. In fact, the popping sound you may hear is caused by the release of gas bubbles that were trapped in your body's tissues.
During spinal manipulation, your chiropractor uses quick hands-on pressure or an activator to move your vertebrae back into place. Once the natural alignment of the spine is restored, you'll notice a reduction in pain, more freedom of movement, and less stiffness.
Spinal manipulation offers a proven way to treat back pain. The therapy is as effective as medical care and physical therapy, according to Frontiers in Pain Research. Regular spinal manipulation treatments keep your spine aligned and your tissues flexible. This therapy may also prevent imbalances that lead to falls, strains, and sprains.
Beyond Spinal Manipulation: Other Chiropractic Therapies That Treat Back Pain
Wondering what other treatments you can expect to receive at the chiropractor's office? Your visit may start with heat therapy. In addition to feeling good, heat loosens tight tissues and improves blood flow.
Massage is often used in back pain treatment at the chiropractic office. This therapy loosens tight tissues and releases pain-killing hormones, like endorphins and serotonin, that reduce pain while improving your mood.
Another type of hands-on treatment, spinal mobilization, might be used to gently stretch your spine. Spinal mobilization also relieves painful tension in the muscles between your vertebrae.
If your back pain is being caused by a bulging disc, your chiropractor might recommend relieving pressure on the disc with flexion-distraction. The therapy is performed on a special table that moves as your chiropractor manipulates your spine. Flexion-distraction stretches and decompresses the spine, offering an effective, natural pain relief method.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is another good option for back pain relief. Small electrodes placed on your skin deliver a gentle electrical current. The current stops pain signals before they can reach the brain, preventing you from feeling pain.
Depending on your symptoms, your treatment plan may also incorporate cold therapy or ultrasound therapy to heat and relax deep tissues. Your chiropractor can offer tips to improve your posture and recommend exercises and stretches that will help you extend the results of your chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractic treatments offer many benefits, including:
Have you been looking for an effective treatment for your back pain? Chiropractic care may offer the answer. Contact our office to schedule your appointment.
Sources:
NCBI: Frontiers in Pain Research: Clinical Effectiveness of Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation for Spine Pain, 10/25/2021
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8915715/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Back, Lower Limb, and Upper Limb Pain Among US Adults, 7/2021
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db415.htm
HealthCentral: Chiropractic Care and Back Pain: Non-Invasive Treatment for Bulging, Ruptured, or Herniated Discs (Slipped Discs), 5/10/2019
How Wearing High-Heeled Shoes Can Lead to Scoliosis
Aching feet aren't the only downside to wearing high heels. If heels are your go-to shoe, you may be at risk for developing scoliosis, a painful condition that affects the curvature of your spine. Choosing lower-heeled shoes and visiting your chiropractor could lower your scoliosis risk or help ease your pain if you already have the condition.
What Is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis occurs due to an abnormal curvature of the spine. When viewed from behind, a normal spine looks straight, although it actually it has a few curves that support your body. If you're diagnosed with scoliosis, your spine may look like a "C" or "S" instead of a straight line.
The condition is often diagnosed in teenagers, but people of any age can develop scoliosis. Any activity that stresses your spine or the tissues that support it, like wearing high heels, can increase your risk for developing scoliosis.
In addition to a curved spine, one side of the rib cage or one shoulder may protrude more than the other. Additional symptoms include:
How Can High-Heels Cause Scoliosis?
Wearing high heels changes the way you stand and walk and changes your center of gravity. Heels are designed to slope downward, increasing pressure on the front of your feet. The slope may cause foot pain, alter the alignment of your knees, hips, and back, and cause you to arch your back when walking. Muscles and tissues that support your spine may tighten as a result of your new posture. Eventually, the changes could cause spinal misalignments or affect the curvature of your spine.
High heels also stress the tissues and joints in your knees, hips, and back. Frequent high-heel wear could increase your risk for scoliosis and other conditions, like plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, and knee and hip arthritis.
In a study published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, researchers reported that wearing high heels could affect the spinal muscles and the pelvis. An increase in spinal muscle activity may cause muscle overuse and low back problems, while a lower pelvic range of motion tightens tissues in the pelvis and lower back.
European researchers noted women who wore high heels tended to bend their knees and ankles more than normal. In some cases, the changing center of gravity that occurred with high heel wear affected the curvature of the vertebrae in the neck, according to the study, which appeared in the European Spine Journal.
What Can Your Chiropractor Do to Help?
Chiropractic care offers several benefits that could help you avoid scoliosis or reduce painful symptoms. Treatment options may include:
You can also take a few steps to ease your symptoms, including:
Are you struggling with scoliosis pain? Call our office to schedule a convenient appointment with the chiropractor.
Sources:
PubMed: American Journal of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation: The Effect of Walking in High- and Low-Heeled Shoes or Erector Spinae Activity and Pelvis Kinematics During Gait, 5/2012
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22311060/
European Spine Journal: Influence of High-Heeled Shoes on the Sagittal Balance of the Spine and the Whole Body, 11/2016
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27206516/
American Association of Neurological Surgeons: Scoliosis
https://www.aans.org/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Scoliosis
Scientific Research: Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation: Chiropractic Rehabilitation of a Scoliosis Family: Results from a 9-Year Follow-Up, 2/2017
https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=73851
American Osteopathic Association: A Dance Medicine Doctor Tackles High Heel Harm
https://osteopathic.org/what-is-osteopathic-medicine/the-real-harm-in-high-heels/
Not Sure What to Do About Your Hip Pain? Chiropractic Care Could Be the Answer to Your Problem
Gritting your teeth and ignoring the pain aren't the only options available when your hip aches. If hip pain has begun to affect your life, it's time to consider chiropractic care. Your chiropractor offers several treatments designed to improve hip function and reduce aches, pain, and muscle spasms.
What Causes Hip Pain?
Although falls are one cause of hip pain, several other issues can trigger pain as well. Exercise may stress or strain hip flexor muscles and soft tissues, as can a change in your gait or posture. If you've recently taken up running or another sport, you may be more likely to experience muscle spasms or tight, sore muscles around your hips. Thirty to forty percent of adults who play sports have chronic hip pain, according to UpToDate.
Age can be another factor in hip pain, even if you've never fallen. UpToDate estimates that 12 to 15% of adults over 60 experience hip pain.
The type of work you do could be to blame for your pain. British researchers discovered that people who sat or stood for prolonged periods, walked long distances over rough ground, lifted or moved heavy weights, or jumped were more likely to experience hip pain.
In some cases, hip pain occurs due to an issue with the arches in your feet. Your arches support your weight and help keep your ankles, knees, hips, and back properly aligned. If your feet turn too far in or are flat, or you wear shoes that don't support your feet adequately, the alignment of your legs, hips, and back can be affected.
A spinal misalignment, or subluxation, could also be to blame for your hip issues. Subluxations affect the vertebrae, the small bones that make up your spine. Spinal discs between the vertebrae give the spine its flexibility and allow you to bend, twist, and move easily.
Sometimes the vertebrae become misaligned, causing pain that can extend from your back to your hips and pelvis. Subluxations may also affect the ball-and-socket hip joint, causing pain every time you walk or move your hips.
Other causes of hip pain include:
Using Manipulation to Treat Hip Pain
Chiropractors treat the source of pain rather than focusing primarily on symptoms. After a thorough examination that may involve X-rays or other tests, your doctor prepares a treatment plan. The specifics of your plan will depend on the cause and severity of your pain but may include spinal or joint manipulation.
If your hip pain is due to a subluxation in your spine, your chiropractor might recommend spinal manipulation. Using quick thrusts, he or she relieves pain by moving misaligned vertebrae back into their normal position. Manipulation can also be used to realign your hip joints. Joint manipulation relieves pressure and pain on surrounding muscles and tissues while reducing inflammation and irritation, improving blood flow, and restoring normal range of motion.
Dulling Pain with Hot and Cold Therapy
Both heat and cold offer natural pain-relieving properties. Cold packs reduce inflammation and dull pain, while heat soothes sore, tight muscles, taking the edge off pain. These therapies may be used before and after your chiropractic treatment.
Improving Foot Alignment with Orthotics
If your chiropractor determines that an issue with the arches in your feet causes or contributes to your hip pain, orthotics may be recommended. The custom-designed shoe inserts support your feet and keep your legs, hips, and back properly aligned.
Soothing Tight Tissues with Massage Therapy
Massage loosens and relaxes tight muscles and tissues and reduces muscle spasms and stiffness. This therapy, like many other treatments your chiropractor provides, prompts the body to produce natural pain-killing hormones.
Other Therapies
Your treatment plan may also include ultrasound, trigger point, or electrical stimulation therapies. Ultrasound relaxes tight muscles and tissues, boosts blood flow, and improves pain. Trigger point therapy breaks up knots that can cause hip pain, while electric stimulation prevents pain signals from reaching the brain.
Do you suffer from frequent hip pain? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the chiropractor to discuss treatment options.
Sources:
UpToDate: Approach to the Adult with Unspecified Hip Pain, 6/14/2023
https://www.uptodate.com/contents/approach-to-the-adult-with-unspecified-hip-pain
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases: Hip Pain Onset in Relation to Cumulative Workplace and Leisure Time Mechanical Load: A Population- Based Case-Control Study, 4/1/2003
https://ard.bmj.com/content/62/4/322
WebMD: Hip Pain: Causes and Treatment, 3/8/2022
https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/hip-pain-causes-and-treatment
Prevention: How a Chiropractor Can Help Relieve Your Nagging Hip Pain, 11/14/2020
https://www.prevention.com/health/a34285910/chiropractor-for-hip-pain/
Tips for Chiropractic Adjustment Aftercare
You've just arrived home from your visit with the chiropractor and feel wonderful. Your headache is gone, your neck and back feel great, and your limbs are loose and limber. Unfortunately, that amazing post-care treatment feeling tends to fade after a few days. If you'd like to extend your adjustment effects, try a few of these aftercare tips.
Take It Easy
Although you may feel like you could do absolutely anything after your adjustment, participating in strenuous exercise or activities could undo the results of your treatment and delay healing. Strenuous activities, like weightlifting or replacing the toilet in the guest bathroom, could cause misalignments, or subluxations, in the vertebrae in your back. When the vertebrae aren't correctly aligned, stress on your soft tissues and nerves increases, causing pain, stiffness, and reduced range of motion. If you want to maximize the effects of your treatment, it's best to avoid vigorous activity for a day or two. Less stressful forms of exercise, like walking or swimming, are best soon after your treatment.
Do Your Exercises
Your chiropractic treatment plan probably includes exercises and stretches designed to enhance and prolong the effects of your treatment. Stretches keep your muscles, tissues, and joints limber, while exercises strengthen the muscles that support your bones and joints. Performing the stretches and exercises every day is a simple way to prevent or reduce joint and muscle pain. Regular exercise also improves blood flow, prevents scar tissue formation, and could improve your stamina and balance.
Drink Up
Chiropractic adjustments may release toxins that trigger pain and inflammation. Once the toxins are released, they're naturally eliminated from the body. Drinking water speeds the removal of toxins from your body, preventing lingering pain or stiffness. Not sure how much water you should drink? Harvard Health Publishing recommends drinking four to six cups of water per day, although the ideal water intake varies depending on activity level, air temperature, and age.
Focus on Your Movements and Posture
Painting the ceiling, weeding your garden, or other chores that involve holding your body in the same position aren't recommended after a chiropractic adjustment. These types of activities stress the muscles, which then tug on your vertebrae and move them out of alignment. Paying attention to your posture when you're sitting, standing, and walking will help you avoid painful subluxations.
Smooth, fluid movements are important after an adjustment. Jerky or abrupt movements can also lead to strained or stressed tissues, joint pain, or subluxations.
Stay Away from That Comfy Chair
Sitting may seem like the ideal way to take it easy after your chiropractic visit. Unfortunately, the longer you sit, the more likely it is that you'll experience a return of pain. Sitting, particularly if you don't pay attention to your posture, can strain muscles in your neck, upper back, and shoulders, causing subluxations.
Sitting may also shorten the muscles in your pelvis and hips, causing them to tighten and trigger lower back pain. You can reverse the negative effects of sitting by getting up and walking or stretching periodically for a few minutes. Try to stretch or walk every 30 to 60 minutes.
Nurture Your Body with Healthy Food
Chiropractic treatments naturally reduce inflammation, a key factor in pain. After an adjustment, the last thing you'll want to do is eat foods that boost inflammation. According to WebMD, these foods can cause inflammation:
Stick to foods that won't increase inflammation, like fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken, poultry, fish, and lean meat. Substitute whole grain bread and pasta for varieties made with white flour. Reduce or eliminate sugar in your diet, and stick to low-fat, high-fiber foods. Although a piece of birthday cake or sugary soda or fruit drink is fine for an occasional treat, indulging in high-sugar foods on a regular basis keeps inflammation high.
In addition to following aftercare recommendations, scheduling regular chiropractic visits will help you avoid pain and flexibility issues. Get in touch with our office to schedule your appointments.
Sources:
Harvard Health Publishing: How Much Water Should You Drink?, 5/22/2023
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink
Yale Medicine: Why Is Sitting so Bad for Us?, 8/28/2019
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/sitting-health-risks
WebMD: Natural Anti-Inflammatory Diet, 11/24/2022
https://www.webmd.com/diet/anti-inflammatory-diet-road-to-good-health
Mayo Clinic: Why You Should Strengthen Your Core Muscles, 9/22/2022
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/core-exercises/art-20044751
