Fitness young woman with neck pain over gray background
We never seem to realize just how dependent we are on certain parts of the body until they start to hurt.
Injuring your back or neck will make it obvious just how important of a role they play in everything you do that involves movement from brushing your hair, to cooking, driving, or even sitting in front of your TV. Pain in the back or neck can range from debilitating to just annoying.
Chiropractic care is a highly respected treatment for back and neck pain as a preventative and healing course of action. To find out whether the treatment is right for you, consider visiting a local chiropractor.
The chiropractor will work to ensure that your discomfort is eased and help you understand why you are in pain as well as come up with a customized treatment plan based on your lifestyle. Chiropractic treatment aims to help the body heal itself by correcting subluxations in the spine that prevent the body from sending signals to the brain that healing is needed, or to relax tense muscles that may be holding your spine unnaturally.
Chiropractic treatment for back and neck pain may include traditional manual adjustments, or even innovative technology such as spinal decompression therapy that uses a special table for providing adjustments to the spine for the purpose of rehydrating herniated discs, as well as laser therapy for harnessing photobiomodulation for promoting circulation and allowing the body to heal.
Dr. Jason Wilson of Family Chiropractic Guelph suggests some ideas for you to try to keep your back pain in check whenever possible.
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If you practice proper posture, when standing or sitting, the spine and back work as they were designed: to keep you upright in a comfortable way. Hunching your shoulders, slouching, and staring down at the phone on and off throughout the day can make the ligaments and muscles strain at angles that they were not designed for. Keep your shoulders back and let your core muscles support your proper posture. When you find yourself starting to lean forward at the desk, catch yourself, take breaks during long car rides to walk around for several minutes, and don’t forget to look up from the phone every few minutes.
Your core supports the back in all ways and this fact is often not obvious until the back hurts. You can prevent back pain if you strengthen the abdominal and surrounding muscles. The best thing is to add a core workout to your regular exercise regime since it can help with your newfound correct posture. Simple adjustments in your routine can make a difference too when not working out. Don’t lean on the counter when washing the dishes or on walls when waiting for a friend outside the coffee shop. Tighten your abdominal muscles gently when walking from the desk to the car or when on hold with tech support.
If you have a mattress that’s too soft, too hard, or has a dip, it could be time for looking for a new one. You spend a minimum of 6 hours sleeping each night, and that’s quite a long period for your body to stay in one spot. The back requires support that complements your sleep style. Your sleep should ideally be as aligned during sleep as it would when practicing proper posture: relatively straight from the neck down to the curve at the lower spine. Sleep on a mattress as well as pillow capable of supporting the spine whether you starfish in the middle or prefer huddling up on the right side. Placing a pillow between your needs sometimes gives you just the right amount of lift to ease the strain.
The right footwear can have a massive impact on your overall health. The back plays a critical role when it comes to keeping your balance, and balance typically starts with your gait. How you stand and walk affect the back’s counterbalance, and if you wear worn out shoes that lean to one side or heels that are too high you overcompensate your posture to stay upright and the back can become strained. The ideal shoes are those with a very slight heel, close-toed, and don’t let your foot slide around when you walk.
Helpful Resources:
1. Top 5 Tips for Treating Knee Pain Without Medication
3. Best Exercises For A Complete Back Workout
4. TMJ Pain
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