Chiropractic treatments are one of the most sought-after forms of alternative medicine.
Chiropractic care aims to improve various body functions by relieving back pain and readjusting the spine, as well as correcting poor posture.
Depending on your diagnosis, treatments can range from short routine adjustments to more long-term treatment plans.
Each adjustment involves manipulations of the spine, tissues, and muscles.
Exercising immediately following treatment carries the risk of disrupting the work your chiropractor performed.
But, regular exercise is generally an essential part of a chiropractic treatment plan.
Below we will take a look at whether or not you should exercise after chiropractic care.
Table of Contents
- Spinal Manipulation and Adjustments
- Effects of Treatment
- Decrease Back Pain with Exercise After Chiropractic Adjustments
- Problems Fixed With Exercises After Chiropractic Adjustments
- What if the Exercise Hurts?
- Consider Your Lifestyle
- Contact Florida Spine and Injury
Spinal Manipulation and Adjustments
Spinal manipulations or adjustments are at the core of the chiropractic profession.
Chiropractors believe that many health ailments are attributed to displaced spinal vertebrae or subluxations.
Because chiropractic care is all-natural, many other natural health methods are advocated by chiropractors, including regular exercise and a healthy diet.
Effects of Treatment
The results of spinal manipulation are often gradual, but many patients can feel a marked difference after their first appointment.
Chiropractors often advocate regular visits as part of their treatment plan to gain the most benefits.
Some patients seek adjustments to relieve pain caused by spinal deformations, accidents, or poor posture, while others include it as part of their preventative routine.
Some people experience some pain after an adjustment similar to the pain you feel after a good workout.
Engaging in the wrong types of exercise after a visit to the chiropractor may potentially worsen your pain.
Decrease Back Pain with Exercise After Chiropractic Adjustments
Studies have shown that patients who exercise after chiropractic adjustments heal faster than those who don't.
Exercise and adjustments paired together are good for relieving back, neck, or leg pain originating in your back.
Many chiropractors follow a precise formula to get rid of neck or back pain.
First, you have to restore suitable movement back into your neck and back.
Then, you must stimulate the muscles in that area of the body and condition them to work correctly.
This proves a mixture of stability and strength, both of which are vital if you want to fully recover.
If a chiropractor prescribes rehab exercises, it's best if the patient follows the recommendations.
Problems Fixed With Exercises After Chiropractic Adjustments
Golfers and fans of the sport are aware of the constant movement that's performed while swinging your club. Those movements can cause back pain.
A golfer ends up with damage to their muscles from overusing them and continuously playing.
There is even a condition called golfer's elbow due to the injuries from the sport.
But the area of the body that gets injured most for golfers is their back.
Researchers have utilized 3-D technology to examine the backs of golfers. Then, the golfers visited the chiropractor's office two times a week for a month.
When they received back adjustments, they also practiced an hour of rehab exercises.
They performed mobilization exercises, exercised their core, and did proprioceptive exercises.
These golfers showed improvement using this method of care.
The studies revealed an improvement in pelvic tilt, going from eight millimeters to two millimeters or five and a half degrees to 0.2 degrees.
Their lumbar lordotic angle improved from 16 to 36 degrees, and they also noted incremental trunk length during this treatment option.
Their lumbar strength improved peak torque extension, going from 2.13 Nm/kg in the pretest to 2.91 Nm/kg when the study ended.
The research revealed that the low back pain the golfers had involved both muscular as well as joint and bone challenges.
Exercising and a chiropractic adjustment covers the challenges most people will face with low back pain.
Therefore, the answer to is it ok to exercise right after a chiropractic adjustment, is yes, as long as you're doing the correct exercises.
What If the Exercises Hurt?
If you are in pain while exercising, you should not continue the exercise.
For instance, if you are doing an overhead press exercise, and your shoulders start to pinch as you do the motion, you need to rest.
If the pain is worse than a mere pinch, you might be making it worse if you keep going.
The identical rule can be applied to pain in the back. A lot of people have injured their lower back and if so, consider these pain levels:
- One on a scale of 10 is your body reminding you that you have an injured back. It's usually still ok to do the exercise.
- Two on a scale of 10 means your back is nearly healed. You may still have some problems since healing doesn't happen overnight. If you experience sudden spine pain during exercise, it may be time to talk to the chiropractor.
- Three on a scale of 10 means you likely should stop exercising, or you should use lighter weights. You can also speak with your chiropractor to get an alternate exercise less likely to cause you injury.
Consider Your Lifestyle
Regular exercise is a crucial part of any healthy living plan.
Chiropractors generally work with their patients to come up with an exercise plan that ties into their treatment plans.
You should aim for some form of daily aerobic exercise, and choose lower-impact activities that aren't as likely to aggravate back pain.
Swimming and moderate-paced walking are both examples of low impact activities.
Weight loss and maintaining your weight are also necessary preventative measures against back pain.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week to help maintain a healthy weight.
Contact Florida Spine and Injury
If you have back pain that you need to take care of, contact Florida Spine and Injury.
They will work with you to create your customized treatment plan, including exercises you can do after spinal adjustments, as well as exercises you can do between visits.
Don't wait any longer to get your health in order, click the button below to get started with the best chiropractors in Florida at Florida Spine & Injury.
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