If heavy lifting or repetitive motions have left you with an aching back, neck, knees, hips, or shoulders, you’re certainly not alone. Countless people endure considerable and consistent pain as a result of manual labor. Although this discomfort can be easily attributed to the rigors of demanding work duties, it is not a normal and acceptable part of life.
Visiting a chiropractor in Birmingham can provide a number of important physical, emotional, and legal benefits. From naturally alleviating your discomfort to helping you document work-related injuries, time spent with a Birmingham chiropractor can improve your overall wellness and your life quality. In addition to addressing any injuries that you’re currently dealing with, a chiropractic doctor can also offer guidance and recommendations for avoiding this same physical harm going forward. There are a number of ways to offset the ravages of heavy lifting and other forms of hard labor.
These include:
- Using ergonomic equipment or supportive braces
- Learning and practicing proper heavy lifting techniques
- Postural correction
- Correction of unhealthy general life habits
Whether your goal is to learn how to perform your work duties safely and without injury, or to recover from an existing work-related injury, chiropractic therapy in Birmingham can help.
How Manual Labor Can Impact Your Spinal And Overall Health
The human body is actually quite remarkable. When cared for and used correctly, it is resilient enough to endure a considerable amount of stress. Sadly, most people are maintaining poor posture and using improper lifting habits when engaging in some of the most challenging movements that their jobs require. Hyper-extending the knees or lifting heavy items with your back rather than your legs can cause serious harm. More importantly, if these mistakes are made on a daily basis, the resulting damages and discomfort can prove long-lasting.
At the start of your chiropractic care, your provider will assess the alignment and condition of your spine. Once existing problems have been identified, various techniques can be used to alleviate the resulting stress. These might include inversion table therapy or therapeutic massage. Computer-assisted or manual adjustments can also be performed to restore alignment and alleviate secondary stress.
Many people deal with chronic pain in areas that are not directly related with the work that they do. For instance, you might not have back pain as the result of heavy-lifting, but you may suffer from chronic headaches, wrist soreness, hip pain, or other discomforts. When your spine is no longer properly aligned, surrounding muscles have to compensate for the imbalance. The extra stress that they take on can lead to severe and recurring discomfort. Moreover, given that the spine is a veritable superhighway across which critical messages are sent between the brain and the nerves, spinal subluxations and other spinal injuries can impact all aspects of your health. People with spinal subluxations often have chemical imbalances that lead to mood swings and diminished immune function. They can also suffer seemingly minor secondary issues such as congestion, jaw pain, or even skin rashes.
It is only when the spine is properly aligned that the body can effectively protect and heal itself. When dealing with work-related injuries, those who perform manual labor are often advised to consult with conventional doctors. While your primary physician can offer prescription-strength pain medications, conventional medicine rarely goes beyond recommending bed rest and muting uncomfortable symptoms.
Conversely, a Birmingham chiropractor will take a progressive, needs-specific, and hands-on approach to promoting healing and continued wellness. This can include strategies for performing repetitive motions and heavy-lifting safely, recommendations for important lifestyle alterations, strength-building and stretching activities for restoring balance to the entire musculoskeletal system, and help in choosing the right protective or ergonomic work gear.
Best of all, chiropractors can assist their patients in properly documenting work-related injuries for legal purposes. By taking a more in-depth look at how manual labor has affected the health and alignment of the entire musculoskeletal system, these professionals can show how different actions, movements, and work responsibilities have directly lead to physical injury.
Are you looking for a safe, natural, and truly effective way to alleviate the discomfort that your job has caused? Are you eager to discover strategies for performing your work duties in a way that won’t cause lasting harm? If so, we’re here to help. Get in touch with us today by calling 205-637-1363.
