Starting Your Day Out With Simple Stretches

Every day in my private practice I see people suffer from chronic pain. Through chiropractic care, I have helped thousands but what I would like to see are patients being able to help themselves.  Chiropractor's live by the motto: "Prevent that which you treat" and therefore I try to teach my patients what they can do at home to prevent recurrent flare-ups.

The simplest thing also becomes the hardest to do...stretch, stretch and stretch some more. In chronic pain patients, tight ligaments and muscles are everywhere and the treatment is simple.  Almost everyone knows to stretch before exercising, but did you know that stretching before beginning your workday could limber up your muscles and help start each day in a more positive frame of mind? Many organizations are now offering morning stretching for employees. When you stretch, be sure to stretch correctly or you could hurt yourself. Stretching too quickly or too far can injure ligaments.  Stretch slowly and carefully to the point of light tension (not to the point of pain), hold the stretch of 30 seconds and avoid bouncing during the stretch.

Follow these 8 simple stretches before starting your workday:

These stretches will go a long way in preventing current flare-ups and any future problems. Do them on a regular basis and do it until it becomes habit. In daily practice, patients always tell me that it works, but the tend to let the ball drop.  Consistency is the key!