Chiropractic care is designed to alleviate pain and restore the body to its natural balance. For chiropractors, injury prevention is key for a healthy body. Good practices combined with solid exercises creates toned muscles that protect the body and spine from harm. While each patient receives exercise instructions for their specific condition, the following exercise tips for chiropractic patients apply to everyone.
Do Take Time To Warm Up Before Exercising
Before starting any exercises, it’s important to warm up. A series of dynamic moves will boost your heart rate and heat up the muscles that you will be using during your work out.
Select whole body movements such as leg lunges paired with arm motion or walk in place while raising and lowering your arms. Once you’ve warmed up, you can safely stretch without risk of injury.
Introduce Ergonomics Into Your Home And Work Space
One of the most important exercise tips for chiropractic patients is to take steps to keep your body in alignment as you move through your day. In the workplace, check with an ergonomics consultant to ensure proper positioning, especially if you spend most of the day seated or doing repetitive tasks.
A comfortable chair reduces muscle strain and prevents injury. Make sure that your feet sit firmly on the floor and that lumbar support is in place. At home, you should have a good mattress and supportive furniture.
Choose The Right Shoes
Before you buy your next pair of shoes, check for stability, flexibility, and comfort. During your test drive, make sure that the shoes feel firmly in place as you move through your entire range of motion for a stable gait during wear.
Footwear should be flexible enough to give easily at the base of the toe for a smooth gait, and there should be cushioning at all the right places with plenty of room for the toes to move. Shoes that properly fit your feet means that your walk will be more natural and healthy during exercise and in daily motion.
Sit And Stand With Posture In Mind
Perhaps the biggest reason that these exercise tips for chiropractic patients are so important is that strong and flexible muscles will help you have good posture. Be mindful of the following as you move through your day:
- When sitting, your feet should be on the floor, your shoulders should be relaxed, and your forearms should remain parallel with the ground.
- If you will be standing for a time, make sure that you maintain posture by tucking your stomach muscles in.
- When standing for an especially long period of time, be sure to shift your weight from one foot to the other and from the heels to the toes and back again.
These simple tips for maintaining good posture will passively work your muscles and result in a healthier spine.
Passive Stretches For Large Muscles
Finally, it is important to target large muscle groups with passive exercises. Use your weight to slowly stretch your hamstrings, your piriformis, and your entire back. Passive stretching is gentle and relieves stress points that cause back pain. These gentle exercises provide a great deal of relief and are easily adjusted to suit your current ability.
Your chiropractor will work with you to design an exercise program that is optimal for you. Be sure to follow through with the plan and include these tips in your regular work out to experience the joy of healing from chiropractic care.