Supporting Summer Activities with Chiropractic Care

by Sean Thornton, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic

If you are a New Englander, you love summertime! Increased activities outdoors, working around the home, and expanding our variety of exercises is all part of fun and what we look forward to all year! Along with all these new things to do, comes the extra pressure and strain on your back and body. Let's face it, every year summer comes around and we go out to finish the projects unfinished from last year and start new ones. We commit to new exercise routines whether it is walking, running or biking. We all love to get out there and play summer sports whether it be golf, tennis, lacrosse or something else you love to do when the weather gets warm. Whether you have been training over the winter or not, all this new activity is a bit of a shock to your body and you are using your muscles in a way that you are not used to doing. The fatigue and stress this places on your body can lead to all sorts of problems and injuries. Chiropractic can help you recover from these problems more quickly and can also help to prevent these problems from occurring.

Injuries come about when the body is not flexible, strong and functioning at its best. Fatigue can lead to many injuries and systemic problems. When our muscles are fatigued they are sore, achy, and tight. This can lead to sprain/strain injuries to the muscle and ligaments in the back, neck and extremities. Fatigue can leave the body more vulnerable to infection. The common cold or worse can creep up on you if the body is not working at its maximum potential to fight. What could have been a simple cold can last longer or become a worse problem if the body is not working at its optimal level. When you begin to do those summer projects and you are not fit, you can become injured more easily. Lower back and neck injuries are very common from doing yard work, housework and do-it-yourself projects. Most of these could be avoided with proper form and stretching. There are also a lot of complaints of pain that are attributed to overuse such as tendonitis or bursitis. This pain is from stressing the joints too much too often which causes a chronic inflammation of the tendons or bursa that are trying to protect your joints.

A study done by Michigan State University found that the most common summer injury for adults is car accidents, followed closely by activities with other wheeled apparatus like skateboards, scooters, bikes, rollerblades, etc. These types of injuries from falls also respond well to Chiropractic treatment. These type of falls can create injuries from the impact of the fall and also whiplash type injuries to the neck.

Chiropractic is a science and art based on the premise that good health depends, in part, upon a normally functioning nervous system free from interference from the spine or adjacent structures. When there is interference in the nervous system caused by a misalignment or dysfunction of the spine, tissues, muscles and organs may not function properly. Detection of these problem areas (called "subluxations") and their correction by spinal manipulation will relieve nerve interference and allow the spine and nervous system to return to a healthy state. Also misalignment or dysfunction in the joints of the extremities following a sprain/strain type injury may also get adjusted to promote healing and relieve pressure in the joint. Correction of these problems and maintaining good health is the goal of Chiropractic. Also proper nutrition and exercise are components of Chiropractic care and good health. Chiropractic is a great preventative treatment, but as I've described above, will help the body recover from acute injury or strain by ensuring the body is in proper alignment and free of interference.

SO! Feel free to give Idaho Chiropractic Group a call and get you and your family members in for an adjustment and possibly some therapy to keep this summer moving in the right direction! Dr. Corey Matthews and Dr. Tim Klena would be happy to see you!