Naturally, one wants to get rid of pain as fast as possible. Unfortunately, the frequency of treatments might not always be the most important factor. Sometimes we end up doing something minor or innocuous that we don’t realize is contributing to our pain. Maybe it’s the way we perform a certain task at work/home, or how we care for our baby or young child. Perhaps there is an exercise that we’ve been doing slightly wrong, that influences our recovery and performance after training.

Chiropractic adjustments are meant to improve quality of life by relieving restrictions in the spine caused by stress, in all forms. If habits and activities are creating too much stress on the same joints everyday, no amount of treatments will help until the habits are changed. Some work requires people to stand/sit all day, making it difficult to relieve stress on joints, but there are options available (See post about Postural tips).

A good rule to remember is to change it up. If you sit all day, get up and walk every 30-60 minutes. If you stand all day, crouch down in a squat position occasionally. If you work with outstretched hands like typing or painting, extend your arms backwards to stretch your chest muscles every 15 minutes. If you walk everyday for 1 hour, take a break halfway through. If you drive for work then try to stop every hour or two to stretch your legs and walk around. Use a pillow or cushion behind your low back if you drive for long periods to support your low back. If sitting causes pain, you will need to use a towel, cushion, pillow or some sort of lumbar support.

There is never one way to relieve a joint or muscle. The key is to keep moving, and change posture as often as possible. Keeping in motion is always better for joints than static postures for long periods. When movement is impossible or it’s time to rest, use pillows and cushions to support your low back/neck while sitting or lying down. If bending forward causes low back pain, avoid it as much as possible. If you plan on exercising, start slow, and warm up first.

All of this advice may sound very obvious to some, but I have come to learn that it is useful to repeat the most important, simple and basic things the we could do to avoid injury. For further tips and advice for your specific complaint, contact your chiropractor today!

 

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Translate