Get the Most Mileage Out of Your Adjustments!
By Sara Butler
You probably feel so great when you walk out of your chiropractor’s office you wonder how you can make the feeling last. No matter how much your chiropractor loves to see you, it's not practical to see him every day in order to get this feeling, but the good news is there are things you can do to help make your adjustments last longer and keep you feeling great! Here are a few tips to help you get the most mileage out of your adjustments.
Have a Plan and Stick to It
When you see your chiropractor, they will recommend a course of treatment created especially for you and the issues you may be having. It’s important to follow this plan because just as the injuries and misalignments that are impacting you didn’t happen overnight, healing won’t happen overnight either.
Chiropractic adjustments build on each other and each adjustment can endure, or last longer, than the one before it. That’s why, when you’ve finished your individual treatment plan, you will have retrained your body to keep your joints in alignment and created new memories for your muscles to keep everything in place.
Keep Active
You shouldn’t go home after an adjustment and sit around. One of the best things you can do to help your adjustment stick is to exercise. When your spine is adjusted it helps to create movement in your joints, freeing up areas of your spine that may have been locked up previously. Go out and enjoy the extra mobility your adjustment has afforded you. It doesn’t have to be anything big, simply going out for a walk or taking a bike ride will do the trick.
Hydrate
You need to make sure you drink plenty of water to keep the discs between your vertebrae hydrated and supple. This helps to increase your movement and may even reduce pain. You should aim to drink half of your body weight in water a day. If you weigh 220 pounds, drink 110 ounces of water every day.
Sleep Well
Rest at night is important, but so is how you rest. You should not sleep on your stomach because this doesn’t keep your spine neutral. You should sleep on your back or your side and make sure to support your hips and knees with strategic pillow placement in order to take pressure off your spine. Ask your chiropractor if you need help understanding correct sleep positions!
If you would like a few more suggestions for helping your adjustment to last longer, talk to your chiropractor during your next visit to The Joint Chiropractic!