Why Stretching and Exercise are an Important Part of Chiropractic Care
Why Stretching and Exercise is an Important Part of Chiropractic Care
The origins of chiropractic medicine began with the chiropractic adjustment, which is still today the cornerstone of this model of conservative care. Nevertheless, the profession itself has continually evolved over generations as practitioners progressively began to integrate a variety of conservative medicine modalities into the foundational component of chiropractic care. Moreover, at Ravenswood Chiropractic & Wellness Center, our physicians utilize a genuinely integrative approach of alternative medicine therapy options to ensure rapid results from care, including decreased pain and symptoms but, more importantly, a return of function and achievement lifestyle goals.
Considering the model that has been incorporated at Ravenswood Chiropractic and Wellness Center, there are three main factors that most often contribute to the cause of a patient’s pain and associated symptoms.
These factors are the following:
Joint Mobility dysfunction
Tissue Extensibility Dysfunction
Motor Control Dysfunction
Collectively these factors manifest as dysfunctions of the locomotor system. Moreover, a better understanding of these individual parts will reveal how they may respond favorably to chiropractic care.
Joint Mobility Dysfunction
Joint mobility dysfunction (JMD) may be best thought of as an inability of the joints in our bodies to move through a full range of motion efficiently. This concept does not only apply to an individual joint complex but other joints associated with movement; thereby, it is essential to consider the biomechanical consequences throughout an entire kinetic chain, concerning specific movement patterns. More importantly, a chiropractic adjustment is an excellent technique for restoring joint mobility, thereby supporting our joints to work to the best of their abilities.
Tissue Extensibility Dysfunction
Tissue extensibility dysfunction (TED) relates to the ability of muscles to maintain a healthy muscle length to facilitate proper function. Moreover, a TED is most commonly expressed as “tight muscle,” and often an associated factor in dysfunctions of the locomotor system. Thus, without proper tissue extensibility, these muscles have a more difficult time carrying out movement and activity. Considering this, it is why we incorporate in-office techniques, such as massage, dry needling/acupuncture, and myofascial release, to restore normal tissue extensibility. In addition, to maintain this, patients are often prescribed individualized home stretching routines, so normal tissue extensibility may be kept outside of passive care.
Motor Control
Motor control may be best thought of as our body’s ability to maintain coordination and adequate strength requirements for movement. Regarding an individual who may have low back pain, for example, motor control dysfunction is often a common component related to the onset of his symptoms. Say a patient may have a full range of motion (ie, good joint mobility) and proper muscle tone (aka ideal tissue extensibility), if he cannot integrate the function of these components of the locomotor system together to achieve controlled and fluid movement, then the full potential of these elements are not met. Thus, for this patient, an individualized physical therapy program to correct deficiencies of motor control not only promotes control and stability but helps to decrease the chances of compensation of associated muscles and joints. Learn more about Motor Control.
Putting it All Together
To summarize the above, the importance of stretching and exercise with chiropractic adjustments may be thought of as the following
Joint Mobility: treated with chiropractic adjustments
Tissue Extensibility: treated with soft tissue modalities and stretching
Motor Control: treated with physical therapy exercises
The interconnected and interrelated nature of these parts requires the efficient function of each of them working together. Thereby, when treating dysfunctions of the locomotor motor system, chiropractic care, stretching, and physical therapy are essential to not only help people get out of pain but to, more importantly, have them return to a functional lifestyle and do the things they wish to the best of their abilities.
At Ravenswood Chiropractic, we build an individualized program of stretches and exercises customized to your needs and we guide you through each movement to ensure you avoid injury. This plan is designed to help support your chiropractic care, decrease pain, improve endurance, flexibility, and range of motion. We continuously curate new sets of exercises and stretches that challenge your body and further your goals. To learn more, call us at 773.878.7330 and speak to one of our experts today!
Dr. DeFabio D.C. is a highly regarded chiropractor in Chicago who focuses on helping his patients achieve optimal health and wellness. He takes a holistic approach to care, treating symptoms and addressing underlying issues to promote long-term healing. Dr. DeFabio D.C. is passionate about empowering his patients to take control of their health and live their best lives. You can find him surfing, skateboarding, and volunteering at the Lakeview Food Pantry when he’s not in the office.
