Chiropractic adjustments can put you on the path to improved wellness, increased range of motion, and lasting pain relief. Whether you’re using these services as a way to facilitate healing for whiplash or to alleviate your migraine headaches, the efforts that you make after being adjusted are just as important as the in-office therapies you receive.
For many people, having misaligned structures gently finessed back into their proper positions provides an immediate sense of comfort, increased energy, and renewed vitality. Engaging and moving affected joints hurts less, and turning, bending, twisting, and even sitting and standing become significantly easier. After each session, your renewed vigor should keep you moving. Consider following your sessions up with a nice long walk, a good swim, or some time spent cycling.
If you’re heading back to your job, try spending the remainder of the day working in a standing position rather than sitting. Continued movement promotes optimum blood flow to the systems and structures that need it most. It also gives the adjusted areas a chance to set. Immediately resuming poor posture or life habits that have either caused or exacerbated your condition will undermine the work that the chiropractor has just performed.
Take It Easy and Make Taking Care of Yourself a Top Priority
Although you’re sure to enjoy the sense of freedom that comes with decreased chronic pain and improved range of motion, you still want to take it easy. The exercises and other physical activities that you engage in immediately after adjustment should always be low-impact, low-risk, and ultimately comfortable. Don’t push yourself too hard, and be sure to adhere to any instructions that your chiropractor has supplied. With realignment services, many patients are given special stretching and strength-building exercises to perform at home.
Set a firm schedule for doing these things and stick to it. You’ll want to do everything you can to help your body feel and function its best. These efforts will optimize your body’s natural healing abilities. Drinking plenty of water is a great way to take care of yourself following an adjustment. Good hydration is essential for supporting all of your internal systems, and for keeping your joints hydrated and adequately cushioned. It’s important to note that chiropractic adjustments often cause the body to eliminate a considerable amount of metabolic byproducts.
You can help flush these out by sipping on water throughout the day, and by eating lots of fresh, nutrient, and water-dense foods. Snack on fresh fruits and vegetables, and avoid highly caffeinated drinks and other products that actually dehydrate rather than hydrate the body. It’s additionally important to start making the changes to your living and workspace that your chiropractor has advised. For instance, if you’ve been dealing with chronic neck pain due to constantly peering down at your laptop or computer, adjust your workstation so that your computer screen is at eye-level.
Try to limit the amount of time that you spend peering down at your mobile phone or tablet. You can also invest in:
- An ergonomic chair or floor mat
- Wrist supports for your keypad
- A stability ball to replace your desk chair
and many other products for making essential, everyday activities safer and less harmful to the spine. It may be that you need to change your sleeping arrangements. Lying on a mattress that’s excessively soft can cause your spine to curve unnaturally while you sleep. Resting atop pillows that are piled too high or on pillows that are too thick or too firm can leave you stiff, sore, and exhausted. Look for a firmer mattress that will help your spine stay straight and a pillow that’s neither too thin nor thick.
Upgrading your workstation and the sleeping area will both protect the improvements you’ve gained from chiropractic adjustment and prevent old problems from recurring. One of the most important things to do after an adjustment is to stick with your overall treatment plan. Although a single appointment can make you feel markedly better, chiropractic care is designed to facilitate the return to wellness in a safe and gradual fashion. Displaced structures are slowly and carefully finessed into their rightful positions, and often over the course of multiple sessions.
Thus, you should continue diligently performing any exercises your chiropractor has prescribed, and return for further adjustments as scheduled. By doing so, you’ll move increasingly closer to your health and wellness goals while learning new strategies for maintaining optimum well-being all of the time. If you’ve been dealing with chronic pain, low energy, stiffness, or decreased range of motion, we can help. Call us today at 205-637-1363 to schedule a consultation.
