Many people visit the chiropractor only after they’ve tried everything else—even pharmaceutical drugs and surgery. Chiropractic adjustments are non-invasive and completely natural. The practice of chiropractic dates back to 2700 B.C. Today, chiropractic adjustments are still very relevant to our health. The spine is a column of vertebrae that protect the spinal cord and the many different segments of nerves in there. Perhaps you know the common benefits of chiropractic adjustments—decreased back and neck pain, proper alignment and posture—but what are some of the more surprising benefits of getting chiropractic adjustments?
Better Range of Motion
While some people are hypermobile (really flexible), others struggle with getting the full range of motion that comes with your body due to injury or just everyday use. When your spine is properly aligned, you experience an increase in your range of motion. Proper range of motion will benefit you in ways you didn’t realize you were missing out on. You may be able to easily turn your neck and head while driving to check a blind spot, or you may be able to bend over without pain to tie your shoes or to garden. This increased range of motion helps to restore some of the flexibility we’ve lost since childhood, and many times sedentary lifestyles make us stiff and uncomfortable, therefore leading to chronic pain. Our bodies were designed to move, and chiropractic adjustments can help your body get some of its motion back.
Improved Digestion
Your spine is home to many nerves that help control all kinds of things in your body, from sexual function to digestion. The nerves in the thoracic and lumbar regions of your spine help regulate all your major digestive organs. A simple misalignment of the spine could throw off your proper digestive process and you may be experiencing problems such as heartburn, flatulence, diarrhea, upset stomach, or constipation. While a healthy diet is also huge for healthy digestion, you may eat great and still experience problems. If you’ve ruled out any food allergies, chiropractic adjustments may be able to help.
Sleep Easier
When your spine is misaligned, or your hip is out of place, or whichever other structural issues you may have, it makes it easier for your body to harbor tension and therefore pain. This could make it impossible to get comfortable at night or it could disturb your sleep cycle, and as we all know, proper sleep (both quality and quantity) is vital to our health. You may have subluxations, or minor dislocations in your spine, that cause a disconnect between your body and the brain, and can put your body in a stressful state where you experience and imbalance of being tired and not being able to achieve proper rest. When your spine and skeletal structure are properly aligned, your circulation will improve and your brain and spine communication will be properly supported as well.
A Healthier Pregnancy
Your body undergoes many changes during pregnancy. In addition to weight gain, certain areas of your body will experience more stress due to the baby and an altered center of gravity. These shifts can cause lower back, hip, and joint pain. Chiropractic adjustments can not only provide relief from this increased tension, stress, and pain, but your chiropractor can also suggest exercises, nutritional advice, and safe practices to help you along in your pregnancy. Besides pregnancy, chiropractic adjustments can also help if you have painful periods, as nerves that connect to your reproductive organs may be experiencing disconnect due to misalignment of the spine. If you have trouble getting pregnant, chiropractic adjustments may be able to help as well by opening this line of communication.
Improved Athletic Performance
For athletes, chiropractic adjustments can help greatly. Whether you’re running, biking, swimming, or lifting weights, having proper posture and an aligned spine is crucial for preventing injury to your body and causing unnecessary wear and tear. If your spine is shifted even slightly, your exercise routine will cause your body to wear on this misalignment, therefore accelerating the damage process and eventually causing you pain and discomfort.
Chiropractor Dr. Foote at Nashville Spine and Sport explains the benefits of getting adjusted for athletes. “I’m able to adjust athletes on a daily basis. Adjusting athletes will have multiple benefits for that person such as balance, increased range of motion, decrease in musculoskeletal pain, and injury prevention. When athletes incorporate chiropractic care into their regimen, they often have a better production rate.” Getting chiropractic adjustments ensures that your body is properly aligned for your workout routine and not getting out of balance due to a misalignment. With these improvements, as well as some postural advice from your chiropractor, your can perform even better at your sport, and you’ll be pain free.
Chiropractic adjustments have many amazing benefits. When you consider the fact that the spine is the house of many nerves that connect to all sorts of different things in your body, you begin to see the full picture that chiropractors see when looking at your health. From leg pain to breathing problems to insomnia, chiropractic adjustments can do much more than just relieve back or neck pain.
Other References:
https://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=85
http://www.wichiro.org/about/chiropractic-care/
