Stretching Improve Results of Chiropractic Care for Back Pain

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Back pain is a problem many people have in today’s world; the good news is that there is help available. Chiropractic care is a treatment that has been scientifically shown to reduce back pain recurrence and severity in as little as a few visits, without the need for medications or surgery. When you visit a chiropractor, she will help you understand the cause of the problem and perform a  series of spinal adjustments to relieve your pain at its source. Once your back pain has diminished, she will teach you some exercises or stretches to do at home to keep the back pain from returning. Stretches are another natural way to support good health in general so practice the exercises

described in the chiropractic office to make sure you understand them and take notes and ask questions as needed.

Back pain frequently occurs when the backbone gets injured; muscle attachments to the spine and ribs go into spasm and send pain signals to the brain and surrounding areas. Nerves coming from the vertebra through small foramen easily get pinched and contribute to the painful experience. Vertebrae or spinal bones become misaligned when muscles spasms pull them out of place and posture gets distorted, creating an overall state of pain and inflammation. Movement hurts, and resultant inactivity worsens healing. The chiropractic physician assesses which vertebra is injured and repositions it with an adjustment. Ice, heat, massage, electrostimulation therapy and acupuncture assist in the healing. Muscle stretching techniques and exercises are then performed and taught to keep muscles from returning to their injured state.

Muscle stretches actively reorient and relax overtight and spastic muscles that have been injured. An excellent muscle stretch employs slow muscle lengthening to a tight muscle, perhaps using heat to relax the muscle or cold to reduce pain. Try to avoid `bouncing` or overstretching any muscle as that can cause more injury. Sometimes stretching a muscle can feel a little painful as muscle fibers gently open- be sure to follow your chiropractor’s instructions and stop if pain persists. Refer to any handouts and stretching instructions you have been given or refer to your practitioner’s website for more information about muscle stretching.

To make muscles stretch more efficiently, you can take a magnesium supplement- 500 mg once a day can help relax your muscles. Alternately, soak in a warm bath with 2 cups of magnesium-rich Epsom salts in it. The warm bath will soak away tension and reduce lactic acid muscle spasm by-products, as well.

Properly applied to the back, neck, legs, hips, and shoulders, muscle stretching can be excellent adjunctive therapy. Ask your chiropractor about acupuncture Chapel Hill, NC offers.

Thanks to Acupractic Natural Healing Center for their insight chiropractic care and how stretching can help with back pain.