There are a number of well-defined markers for constituting good health. Being able to avoid illness while your coworkers battle the flu or being able to jog a mile without doubling over in pain, for example. And while some are easier to discern than others, all of these “good health” traits generally route back to the spine. Not coincidentally, this is why spinal flexibility and range of motion are also good indicators of a person’s health.
A chiropractor can tell a lot about a person’s overall wellness from their spinal flexibility and range of motion. This is why range of motion (ROM) tests are such a critical part of a Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) analysis. At Ideal Spine Health Center in Boise, ID, we critically assess the pliability of the spine when formulating adjustment schedules for our patients. This allows us to pinpoint areas that are weak or those that need adjustment.
Correlating the spine and total body stability
The spine is often compared to a shock absorber. It’s the part of our body tasked with creating balance, stability, and posture, so that we may sit, stand, walk, run, and lay down properly. When the spine is out of alignment, its “shock absorber” function is hindered. As a result, other parts of the body are forced to play compensating roles.
This is where things like stiff neck, lower back pain, frozen shoulder, or hip pain come from. These parts of the body are enduring more than they should be and are being stressed beyond their premise. This results in strains and stiffness, hindering strength, range of motion, and stability.
It’s not often until these conditions present themselves that a person thinks to visit a chiropractor. And, it’s even less surprising to learn that by the time they do, additional symptoms and side effects have also developed as the result of compressed nerves or slipped discs. As each domino falls, it reveals a picture of poor overall health.
A single slipped disc quickly turns into low back pain, which devolves into sciatica due to blocked nerves, which leads to chronic pain and the inability to exercise. It’s easy to see just how fast things can get out of control and how quickly your overall health can slip away.
Opening up range of motion
Often, as part of a CBP-oriented treatment plan, a chiropractor will teach a patient range of motion exercises or stretches designed to open up hindered range of motion. ROM exercises offer the dual benefit of conditioning key joints and muscles, while also keeping the spine loose and limber.
Consider yoga practitioners or – for an extreme example – contortionists. These individuals have incredible range of motion and, by comparison, superb spinal flexibility. Because they continue to stretch and finesse their spine, they’re able to keep better spinal alignment. Discs aren’t being forced out of place, tugged by rigid muscles, or compressed by gravity.
You don’t need to be a master yogi or a practiced contortionist to achieve ideal spinal flexibility. You do, however, need to focus on enhancing spinal flexibility and range of motion to help prevent wellness issues stemming from the spine. Speaking with a chiropractor could be a great first step.
Care for the spine first
At Ideal Spine Health Center in Boise, ID, we use CBP to pinpoint areas of your spine that need work and areas of your body that may benefit from expanded range of motion. Contact us today for a free consultation to learn more about how we may be able to help you improve your wellness by improving your spine’s pliability.
Chiropractic BioPhysics, or CBP, is one of the most scientific, researched, and results-oriented corrective care techniques. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, eliminating nerve interference and addressing the source of pain, fatigue, and disease. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is gentle, painless, and non-invasive.