Regular visits to the chiropractor help keep your spine healthy and aligned, but stretching in between sessions is a way of ensuring that your back pain doesn’t return or get worse. Back pain is often caused by tight muscles that pull the spine out of alignment. Stretching regularly is a vital part of not only your back health, but the health of your entire musco-skeletal system. Today’s blog will outline the benefits stretching has on your back health.
When you schedule an appointment at Revelations Chiropractic in Fort Collins, we’ll work with you to identify the causes of your back pain and provide you with stretches that you can try on your own to help alleviate back pain between sessions. Continue reading to learn more and if you have any additional questions after reading this blog post or want to schedule a consultation, feel free to get in touch!
Why Stretching Is Important
Stretching keeps your muscles strong and flexible, and that strength and flexibility is exactly what we need to move pain-free! Without stretching, our muscles become sore, tight, and weak, causing pain all over your body, from your neck to your hips. Tight muscles also put you at risk for joint pain, strains, and tears. Injured muscles have a hard time supporting joints and your spine, which can cause injury and balance issues. Visiting a chiropractor can help relieve back pain, and stretching can keep it from returning.
Stretching for Pain Relief
Stretching regularly and following a stretching routine helps keep your whole body aligned, from your neck all the way to your ankles! When your body is properly aligned, joint pain is reduced and mobility increases. You will also feel less stiff and wake up with less pain. Improving your flexibility can also decrease your likelihood for injury.
Stretches to Improve Movement
If you sit at a desk all day, you’ll need to get up and stretch regularly to prevent bad postural habits. Get up and move around every half-hour or hour. Our chiropractors recommend setting an alarm on your phone to remind yourself to stretch your arms or get up and take a walk.
Anyone who spends a lot of time sitting or sedentary should be stretching to combat neck pain and back pain. As you stretch, notice the muscles and spots that are causing you pain and focus on stretching around those areas. Also, try to set up your space to encourage better posture, whether that means investing in a good chair or using a standing desk.
Effects of Stretching Over Time
Like we said before, stretching once or twice isn’t going to give you the back pain relief you’re looking for. And neither is a single session at Revelation Chiropractic in Fort Collins! Stretching and chiropractic care have cumulative effects, which mean that you need to be committed to the practice to maintain it. If you commit to stretching regularly over time, you’ll begin to see results in weeks to months of practice, and you need to continue that practice or you will lose that hard-earned flexibility! One of the tips our chiropractors share with our clients is to work on stretching in the shower, where the hot steam will help loosen up your muscles.
Stretching Mistakes
No single stretch is going to just magically make your back pain disappear, but there are combinations of simple stretches that can help you find back pain relief. Our chiropractors are happy to teach you stretches that you can use between sessions to keep your back aligned! While stretching is important — as we outlined above — there are a few common mistakes that our chiropractic clients make, and things to keep in mind as you begin a stretching routine. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help you avoid stretching mistakes, contact our Fort Collins chiropractors today
Light, Gentle Stretching
Often, people think that they’re not doing a good job stretching if they’re not working hard, or “feeling it.” Stretching isn’t like lifting heavy weights or running long distances — it’s not something to go hard at! The tension that you feel when stretching should not be intense; rather, it should be mild and held over a long period of time. Stretching too hard can have the opposite effect that you’re looking for, causing you more pain.
Stretching The Wrong Muscles
Your body is a holistic system, and tightness in one area can cause pain in another. Our chiropractors teach clients that lower back pain can radiate outwards into your hips, legs, and further up causing neck pain. Maintaining proper spinal alignment helps your entire body pain-free.
When people stretch, there’s a tendency to focus only on the muscle group that is causing pain. For example, you may want to twist or stretch your back when the back pain is really caused by tightness in the chest muscles. You need to identify the source of the pain rather than the location of the pain, and our chiropractors can help you do that! We can also help you identify things like postural or gait problems that could also be causing your pain. A general rule is to notice when muscle groups feel tight and stretch those areas.
Forgetting to Breathe
If your muscles are tight, or you are experiencing pain, you may unconsciously hold your breath while you are stretching. This makes it much more difficult for you to relax into the stretch. As you stretch, remember to breathe slowly and deeply — this will help relax the muscles, promote blood flow, and deliver oxygen to your muscles.
Revelation Chiropractic in Fort Collins
Our Fort Collins team of chiropractors knows that chiropractic adjustments can change lives — we’ve seen it happen! We started our chiropractic practice as a way to help people of all ages live happier and healthier lives. We use the Torque Release Technique to align your spine without any loud popping or cracking, so even those who are bothered by this can experience the benefit of chiropractic care.
If you’re suffering from lower back pain, spinal pain, or other central nervous pain, our chiropractors can help. Contact us today and ask about our new patient special!
