A new year, a new you? Many of us strive to start the new year with a focus on better health. Upping your exercise routine is often part of that focus. Starting with good posture and form decreases the risk of injury and pain on your body. Chiropractic care focused on posture along with slowly ramping into running or any new exercise routine will help you achieve your goals and enjoy better health.
IMPORTANCE OF GOOD POSTURE
Your running form is crucial to helping you run fast and efficiently. When you run in proper form, your body should be relaxed as you move. While running you may find your body is tense, you’re leaning to one side, an ankle is stiff, a knee is not stable, or one of many other issues, which can lead to your shoulders, neck, and lower back becoming fatigued, achy, strained, and tender.
Aside from preventing muscle aches and soreness while running, your posture also affects your propulsion off the ground and the amount of impact your bones absorb when you land. In some cases, poor posture may cause you to round your shoulders and tighten the chest, preventing you from taking full, easy breaths while running.
Every day our bodies endure micro traumas that can affect your posture and cause misalignment. These micro traumas can include running in the same direction on the same course, not replacing shoes as often as you should, or frequently running on uneven surfaces. Even the way you relax at home may impact your posture, for instance, sitting too much, poor sitting posture, or working on your computer or phone can lead to postural breakdown. Postural breakdown may result in muscle, tendon, and ligament strain and overuse when running.
HOW CAN CHIROPRACTIC CARE HELP YOU?
Check Your Posture
Our chiropractic care focuses on correcting postural breakdown. We will evaluate your posture, use a gentle form of manual manipulation (no popping, twisting, or cracking) to untwist and straighten your body, and re-evaluate until we are satisfied with the results. Every body is different and results will vary, but corrected posture will reduce the tension in your body that is affecting your form and ability to run as efficiently as possible. Without this postural correct, certain areas of the body may experience continuous wear and tear and muscle strain.
Reduce Risk of Injury
When your posture has broken down, your core may not be engaged properly causing other muscles to compensate. To compensate your body uses muscles, joints, and other soft tissues the wrong way which can lead to pain and injury.
Common injuries seen in runners from misalignment, improper form, or overuse can include ankle sprains, hip pain, knee pain, shin splints, and plantar fasciitis.
With regular visitors to our office, we can conduct functional examinations and posture evaluations to check for postural breakdowns in the musculoskeletal system that may be causing pain or leading to future injury.
Assist in Recovery
Pain in your feet, legs, lower back, shoulder, and neck may be caused by strained muscles, inflamed joints, or irritated nerves. Chiropractic care to correct your posture can help you recover faster, relieve pain, and get back on track. As part of your treatment, we often recommend rest, icing, exercises, stretches, and laser treatments to help recover from injury and maintain your posture.
OUR #1 TIP
Whether you are a marathon runner or trying to pick up a new exercise habit, start with chiropractic care and don’t forget to warm up before and stretch after your exercise. During your warm-ups, move dynamically, and be sure to include every part of your body. Your warm-up routine should last at least 5 minutes easing into your exercise. Warm up longer if needed. Stretching after your workout is important to prevent muscle strain, maintain flexibility, and reduce the accumulation of lactic acid in your muscles.
If you are a runner experiencing pain, wanting to improve your run, or just getting started be sure to visit our office so that we can help guide you into a healthy new year! For more information on how we can help you run more efficiently or to schedule an appointment, contact Hunt Spinal Care today.
