Recommended Exercises and Stretches For Your Lower Back

Chiropractic spinal manipulations are the most beneficial ways to treat acute neck pain, headaches, migraine headaches, and other ailments. A chiropractor may also recommend several stretches and exercises to aid you in overcoming severe neck pain. Possible options include lateral neck stretches and a forward head alignment, coupled with specific spinal manipulations. Perhaps a gentle side-to-side tilt and rotating your upper neck forward for five seconds are some ideal options to help relieve your pain. Your Huntington Beach Chiropractor may also recommend other types of stretches. These will be discussed further in this article.

Chiropractic Care

A large body of literature supports the use of chiropractic care for a variety of conditions. Athletes significantly often find relief from a chiropractor when training for upcoming sporting events. The body can become imbalanced during competition and cause serious harm to the spinal cord if not corrected immediately. A Chiropractor in Huntington Beach is a highly trained professional who can convert these common problems. They often perform a battery of tests to determine the cause of the problem. Once identified, a chiropractor can make the appropriate adjustments.

Recommended Exercises and Stretches For Dancers

Chiropractors are excellent at creating alignment in the spine. This includes helping dancers strengthen their abdominal and hip muscles. Exercises such as crunches and lunges help to increase muscle size and strength, resulting in better overall flexibility. The improved range of motion is another benefit, and it allows the dancer to move more freely without the fear of straining delicate muscles.

After a thorough examination, a chiropractor may also recommend recommended exercises and stretches. These can include strengthening your core muscles, hip flexors, and abdominals. Strengthening the muscles also helps to prevent injuries. And by stretching specific muscle groups, you will avoid injury and pain in the same areas, which can help you return to performance more quickly and with less pain.

Recommended Exercises and Stretches For Car Accident Patient

If a chiropractor diagnoses a car accident related to muscle strain or a pulled muscle, they may recommend physical therapy. Physical therapy helps to manage pain and the symptoms that come along with it. While this is not an alternative form of medicine, it can be used with traditional forms to relieve the pain caused by accidents.

Another recommendation is a course of nutritional supplements. If the chiropractor determines that the cause of your pain is poor nutrition, the recommended exercises and stretches may involve a change in diet. In addition to strengthening your muscles through resistance exercises and stretching, your body may need additional nutrients to promote healing. Adding fish, chicken, lean beef, and other lean proteins to your daily diet can improve your health and decrease pain in your lower back.

There are other recommendations for exercises and stretches. They may be as simple as lying on your back, lifting your legs so that your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as complex as using your abdominal muscles and spinal muscles together to lift your head off the ground. Some chiropractors prefer to start with specific exercises that target their patient’s specific problem areas. If you don’t like to do a particular activity, it may not work well for you. Or, it may be a combination of movements that work better for you than others. Always consult with your chiropractor before starting any new exercise regimen.

Here are some of the recommended exercises and stretches for your lower back by your chiropractor:

  • Hamstring stretch – lie on your back, bring one leg up to the sky and then bend your knee while grabbing your foot with both hands.
  • Lying quadriceps stretch – lie on your stomach, press hips down into the ground, and extend one leg out in front of you while holding onto it for support 
  • Standing quadriceps stretch – stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart, raise one arm above head and reach for it with the opposite hand. 
  • Pigeon pose – from a kneeling position, step right foot forward between left legs so knees are touching each other; lean torso over towards right thigh as far as comfortable to feel a deep stretch in buttock muscles.
  • Side-lying hip flexor stretch – lay on the side of the body that is not being stretched (so if stretching left hamstring, lay on the right side), pull the top knee up towards chest to increase range of motion 
  • Seated spinal twist – sit cross-legged or kneel upright with buttocks resting against heels or toes; place arms behind the upper body and rotate around the spine until full rotation point at the waistline.

The suggested exercises and stretches are only meant as a guide. They are not intended to serve as a medical diagnosis for your condition or for your use in treating your pain. It would help if you always talked with your chiropractor about how you are adjusting to your treatment. Be sure to listen to their feedback and consider their input carefully when making changes to your exercises and your chiropractic appointments. Remember that everyone’s body is different and may respond differently to the same treatment. Don’t just assume that something will work for you – listen to your chiropractor and make sure it’s right for you!