Without some form of rehab, recovery from an injury or long-term spinal problem can take longer to achieve.

The combined effectiveness of chiropractic, physical therapy and exercise rehabilitation can help improve motion, increase muscle strength, enhance coordination and balance and prevent your original health problem from returning again and again. Overall, manipulation has the advantage of reducing pain, decreasing medication, rapidly advancing physical therapy and requiring fewer passive modalities.¹

All of our patients receive a set of simple exercises they can perform, while some may require the use of specialized equipment to isolate or strengthen and enhance the stability of the spine.

The different types of exercise are divided into three groups.

1. Active range of motion are those that are designed to stretch muscles that have become shortened and are tight.

2. Gentle strengthening exercise are designed to increase endurance of the muscle or the ability for that muscle to keep working without getting tired.

3. Resistive exercises are aimed at increasing strength.

Usually this type of treatment allows a greater gap between treatment sessions as the healing process is expedited. Some injuries however, like car accidents, work, or sports injuries, may require a more initial intensive form of treatment. Regardless of how you choose, these exercises may be done at home, in the gym, or in the within our office's rehabilitation suite.

All in all, good physical fitness is one one of the best ways to reduce the factors that lead to spinal and extremity injuries, to minimize damage if an injury occurs, to speed recovery time and to protect facet joints, discs and ligaments.

Staying physically fit provides you with muscle strength, endurance and flexibility that will hold up to both work and play demands. These are essential to avoiding injuries. Without them, injuries are more severe, slower to recover and prone to re-injury.

Rehabilitation, exercise and fitness are good for the body and mind. Whether you choose weights, Yoga, or Pilates it protects you from injury and emotional stress. It promotes relaxation, enhancing sleep and tissue repair. And it is certainly worth the effort!

Remember, the key is YOU! You must take the attitude and responsibility for your spine. As a wise doctor once said, "I can only be as responsible for you as you can be responsible for yourself."

References

1. Time to recognize value of chiropractic care? Science and patient satisfaction surveys cite usefulness of spinal manipulation. Orthopedics Today February 2003:23(2), pp14-15.

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