Stress and Flexibility | How Chiropractic Can Help

In my last article I discussed a couple conditions that many of my new patients didn’t realize were treatable through proper chiropractic care. You will find two more conditions below.

Anxiety/Stress

The stress that we experience in our everyday lives comes from three main sources. Our bodies produce a certain degree of internal stress as does our emotions. We also face a great deal of stress from the environment itself.

Emotional stress can come from a wide variety of sources. A simple look around the world in which we live will quickly provide ample evidence of this. From ongoing military conflicts, issues surrounding our governing bodies, and untold tragedies and troubles from all over the world bombarding us through our various social media feeds and other Internet sources, these all work to increase our levels of emotional stress.

Environmental stressors are ever-present as well. This can include the traffic we deal with on the way to work, heat and droughts, or all sorts of noise pollution. It can also include the stress of work deadlines and performance standards at work. With as much workplace competition as we face, this can actually be a huge source of environmental stress.

Everything from injury and disease to poor sleep patterns and poor nutrition can feed into body stress. Unfortunately, many illnesses can be linked directly back to these stressors. When under distress, our bodies activate our internal fight or flight reaction which in turn can draw blood away from areas of the body and other systems deemed unnecessary at the time. This blood is then routed to other areas leading to an increase in blood pressure, volume, and heart rate.

When experienced for extended periods, this can lead to issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, infertility, decreased healing, and more.

How can I, as a Doctor of Chiropractic, help you?

  • Through adjustments, as a chiropractor I can help to improve your circulation and reduce irritation of the spinal nerves. This in turn can help to end the fight or flight response and can help facilitate the healing process.
  • Muscle tension is a major contributor to chronic stress. It lends itself to nerve irritation and can also create uneven pressure across your frame. This leads to spinal misalignment. By releasing muscle tension, I can help you to even the pressures on your frame and also help to reduce nerve irritation, bringing your body back into balance.

Limberness

Remember all the things you could do when you were young? Now think about how flexible you had to be to do some of those things. Unfortunately, age and the years of use tend to have a negative effect on how limber we are. Wear and tear adds up over time leading to an overall decrease in range of motion.

How many times have you found one of your joints to be stiff or painful? If you watch, you’ll find that you will tend to favor that joint, avoiding anything that may cause increased pain or discomfort. Doing so however can quickly lead to a decrease in your range of motion.

When you continue to avoid using those muscles and joints affected by the issue, scar tissue and adhesions may form as well. This is where chiropractors like myself come in. We can help you to regain and/or increase your limberness and range of motion.

How can I, as a Doctor of Chiropractic, help you?

  • When you come in on a regular basis, I can help you to address the source of your joint and back pain. This will help you to pick up where you left off with your normal activities.
  • I will work with you to realign your bones and joints through the use of spinal adjustment and other manipulations. This will help to increase your flexibility and restore range of motion. It can also help to reduce pain.
  • Like other chiropractors, I will recommend certain exercises that you can do at home. These will help you to become more limber and stronger so that you can maintain the gains from your adjustments and even begin to build upon them.

My next article will cover one more issue that can be addressed through proper chiropractic care. As always, please be sure to reach out to me here at Lane Chiropractic in Silverdale with questions, comments, or requests!

2017-07-25T13:57:50-07:00