If you want to increase your flexibility, there are many steps you can take, including stretching, which is a key component. However, other interventions can also help you become more flexible. Among the many health benefits of chiropractic care is increased flexibility.
As a chiropractor in the Chesapeake region of Virginia for more than 20 years, I have helped many patients increase their flexibility. In this article, I will share how chiropractic can help you become more flexible.
What is Flexibility?
Flexibility is the ability for your muscles and joints to move easily and without pain or restriction. When you are flexible, there is an increase in your range of motion – how far you can move or stretch your body. The soft tissues around the joints – like muscles, ligaments, and tendons – influence your range of motion and overall flexibility.
Although flexibility varies from person to person, it’s important to maintain some degree of flexibility for joint health. Certain things can impair your flexibility, like:
- Getting injured
- Being inactive
- Not stretching enough
Why is Flexibility Important?
Flexibility is important for several reasons, namely:
- Keeping your joints healthy: If your joints can’t move in a full range of motion, the health of structures within the joint like cartilage and synovial fluid can suffer.
- Preventing injury: Inflexible joints cause your muscles to work harder, increasing the likelihood of muscle fatigue and injury. By keeping flexible, you allow your body to function optimally, which protects your joints and soft tissues.
- Optimizing your biomechanics: Biomechanics is how your soft tissues, joints, and bones work together to produce movement. By keeping your joints healthy and preventing injury, flexibility ensures that all the parts of your skeletal system and muscular system work together in the most ideal way possible.
How Do I Increase My Flexibility?
Stretching is one of the main ways that you can increase your flexibility. However, there are multiple types of stretches that you can do to enhance flexibility. These include:
- Static stretching: When you stretch to a position and then hold it. This can involve holding a position by contracting a muscle (like stretching your arms above your head and holding them there) or using a partner or a stretching aid like a resistance band to help you hold a position.
- Dynamic stretching: When you stretch with a slow movement, and progressively increase the range of motion. An example of a dynamic stretch is arm circles, which start small and get progressively bigger.
- Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation: In this type of advanced stretch, you first stretch a muscle, then contract it against resistance (like a partner or resistance band) while still in the stretched position. You then again stretch the muscle group, this time without resistance.
However, stretching is not the only way to improve your flexibility: chiropractic can also help.
How Can A Chiropractor Improve My Flexibility?
Studies have shown that chiropractic care can improve your range of motion, both in the neck and in the lower back. The way that chiropractic can improve your flexibility is by helping to optimize your spine’s biomechanics. With proper spinal alignment, your range of motion can increase, improving your flexibility. In addition, chiropractic care can help treat the root causes of back pain by removing misalignments that are a barrier to physical activities like stretching.
Because chiropractic treats not only pain linked to poor flexibility, but also the spinal misalignments that contribute to the pain, your overall spinal biomechanics improve. This allows your joints to move freely in a healthier manner, helping you to keep and stay flexible.
Chiropractic Care for Flexibility at Precision Spinal Care
As a certified NUCCA chiropractor and spine management physician, I work closely with you to optimize your flexibility, and whether you are looking to maintain or improve your flexibility.
To accomplish this, during your first visit, I will do a thorough examination. Afterward, I will go over my evaluation with you in detail. Together, we will set reasonable expectations and milestones. We will also put together a treatment plan that meets your care needs, taking the root cause of your condition into account. I will reevaluate you to make sure you are meeting your goals.
My experience and expertise in spinal biomechanics allow me to competently and safely address your back issues. I am a trauma and hospital-qualified spine management physician. I have credentials in MRI spine interpretation, spinal biomechanical engineering, and orthopedic testing through the Academy of Chiropractic. I am also a fellow in Spinal Biomechanics and Trauma which is recognized through the SUNY Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine.
If we determine that chiropractic is not the best solution for your needs, I will recommend the type of specialist who is most appropriate for you. I may also recommend other specialists that can be used in conjunction with chiropractic care to help you meet your needs.
We understand that you need to explore all your options when you are trying to treat your pain. At Precision Spinal Care, we are happy to help you determine the best way to address your specific needs and discuss all the options with you and your family.
