Chiropractic & Exercise - A Winning Combination

Stretching and strengthening your muscles is very important for staying fit and healthy as well as for reducing pain and tension in your body. But, did you know about the importance of proper alignment when performing exercises? Correct alignment allows the muscles from front to back and from side to side to be balanced while you are strengthening or stretching. For example, if you are stretching your hamstrings (back of upper leg) with a rounded back, sooner or later your chest muscles will become shortened and your back muscles, lengthened. This, eventually, can lead to compression of your chest organs (lungs and heart, pain in the back and neck, and a stooped posture.

Awareness of your body posture and alignment is important but you may find that you can’t get your body into proper alignment to begin with or only with a lot of effort.  To check your posture, stand before a mirror looking straight ahead.  Check for the following points:

Are your ears level with each other?  What about your shoulders and hips?

Are your feet facing straight ahead?

With arms by your side, do your arms turn in at the same angle?

Is your nose facing straight ahead or is it (and the rest of your face) rotated to one side more than the other?

Are your shoulders and hips straight ahead or are they rotated?

You can also check your alignment from the side.  (You’ll need to get help from someone to do this.) You should be able to visualize a straight line down the side of your body so that the following line up: 

front of your ear

middle of your shoulder

middle of your hip

middle of your knee

a little in front of the middle of your ankle

If you find that your posture is not in alignment as you check it in the mirror, chances are it will be difficult to maintain proper alignment when you exercise. Chiropractors help create more movement and better alignment in your body through corrective “adjustments” of the spine and joints.  This will help you strengthen and stretch your muscles more evenly.

On the other hand, exercise is just as important for holding your chiropractic “adjustments” as chiropractic is for re-establishing alignment. Your spine and joints maintain their alignment more easily with strong and flexible muscles.

In summary, combining proper exercise with chiropractic care is a great formula for regaining and maintaining your overall fitness, health, and well being.