Reducing stress improves overall health. A lot of people know this, but have no idea how to realistically lessen the stress in their lives. People suggest activities like yoga, a healthy diet, exercise, meditation, and journaling. They also commonly suggest working less, more vacations, and reducing stressful activities and obligations in your life. While these are all good suggestions that will help, they may not be enough and some things may not be possible for you. Everyone suffering from excess stress needs as many methods for stress reduction as possible.

Chiropractic treatments in Sterling Heights can help reduce muscle tension and ease the physical symptoms of stress, which can in term alleviate some of the emotional stress.

HOW CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT CAN REDUCE STRESS ON THE BODY

Have you ever woken up with an aching back after a restless night of sleep? Have you woken up with a sore jaw from a long night of grinding your teeth? These are physical manifestations of stress in the body. When people are chronically stressed, this can show up as muscle tension that presents itself in a lot of different ways.

Sometimes stress can lead to depression, digestive issues, headaches, sleep troubles, and aches and pains.

Chiropractic treatments can address these symptoms.

Chiropractors use different treatment options to help patients on their wellness journeys. One of the key ways they do this is through spinal alignment adjustments. When the spinal column becomes misaligned, it can cause a host of symptoms.

When your muscles are tense, this can make spinal alignment problems worse. Muscles can also become tense because of pain from a previously existing spinal alignment. All of this makes the symptoms of stress worse.

A chiropractic treatment can get the spinal column back to its natural state. This can provide immediate relief from muscle tension. As the muscles relax, so do many of the other symptoms of chronic stress.

CHIROPRACTORS HELP REDUCE STRESS EVERYDAY

Chiropractic adjustments are just one of the ways chiropractors help people deal with stress. They are expert confidants in this area. Many people who come in for adjustments with stress-related symptoms find it helpful to discuss all of their health concerns and seek out advice from their chiropractor.

Your chiropractor can offer you advice on different small adjustments you can make to your daily life to help improve the symptoms of stress. For example, improving your posture may improve the stress on your back muscles. They may talk to you about ways to improve your posture while you’re at the office, exercises you can perform to improve your posture, and your sleeping habits.

Strategies like this approach your stress from an entirely different angle than most people are used to. While relaxation techniques, exercise, and a healthy diet are all great ways to reduce stress, chiropractic care approaches things from angles you are less likely to explore through other avenues.

ASK QUESTIONS TO GET THE HELP YOU NEED

Don’t ignore your stress and hope it goes away. It won’t get easier to deal with, it will likely become more difficult. Stress tends to build over time.

When you visit a Sterling Heights chiropractor for stress reduction, ask the questions you need answers to. Be sure to tell your chiropractor about your concerns and where you’re feeling things most. It’s common for people to want to hide their stress symptoms. This is especially true when they’ve heard the same advice multiple times and they aren’t willing to make those specific changes. Don’t worry. An experienced chiropractor isn’t there to tell you what to do. They can offer you new angles and insights to how stress is being carried in your body and what you can do to improve your health.

Do you hear a ringing in your ears that no one else can hear? This ringing is usually high-pitched, distracting, sometimes painful, and can interfere with daily life. It may be something you hear in both ears or just one, and the consistency can vary. Tinnitus is a more difficult symptom to live with than many people realize. While there is not a single cause for tinnitus, there are many possible causes, some of which can be helped with treatments from a Sterling Heights chiropractor.

Let’s take a deeper look at what causes tinnitus and what can be done for people suffering from it.

WHAT CAUSES TINNITUS

When you first visit your doctor about the sound only you can hear, they’ll want to look into any other symptoms you have right away. Sometimes, tinnitus can be a symptom alerting you to a serious situation like a tumor, aneurysm, or other condition they’ll need to look into right away.

Once these have been ruled out, many doctors will stop having answers for you. If they’ve determined you’re also suffering from hearing loss, they will prescribe a hearing aid to help.

So what are some of the possible causes of tinnitus?

Sometimes, this can be a problem with the inner ears. In this case, it’s often Meniere’s disease, which can also be associated with vertigo, loss of balance, and hearing loss.

Blood pressure issues can also cause tinnitus when there are issues with blood vessels in the skull.

Some patients have found that they were deficient in vitamin B-12 and correcting this deficiency improved their symptoms. Vitamin B-12 can be found in some grains, beef, chicken, and salmon. Getting tested for a vitamin deficiency may be useful in finding relief from tinnitus.

Tinnitus is sometimes a symptom associated with an injury to the upper cervical spine, the vestibulocochlear nerve, or a subluxation of the upper neck. In these cases, a chiropractor may be able to help with relief.

WHAT CHIROPRACTORS DO FOR TINNITUS RELIEF

Chiropractors are experts in spinal alignment. The spine is made up of thirty-three vertebrae with small discs in between. This is a lot of moving parts. When a vertebrae or disc slips out of alignment, they will often impinge on nerves and cause pain or other problems, like tinnitus.

A Sterling Heights chiropractor can perform gentle adjustments to help the body get back to its natural, healthy positioning.

When you visit a chiropractor for tinnitus relief, they will first talk to you about what you’ve tried before and what your symptoms have been like. They will then perform an exam to work to find the cause of your symptoms.

Many patients have found that during their first appointment and adjustment, they found some relief from the ringing. Other patients have found it took them several appointments before they experienced results from their tinnitus. This can vary from person to person, depending on the cause and damage.

Depending on what is discovered during the exam and treatments, your chiropractor may work with you to create a long term treatment plan to keep your tinnitus under control.

Whiplash is most commonly associated with rear-end car accidents, but it can happen from any kind of trauma to the body. Sports accidents and physical abuse are often causes of whiplash. The name comes from the experience of the body, where the neck is jarred forward and then backward at a rapid pace, similar to the cracking of a whip. If you’ve gone through an experience where whiplash might have occurred, it’s always best to seek our Sterling Heights chiropractic care right away to prevent future problems.

WHY YOU NEED TO WATCH FOR THE SIGNS OF WHIPLASH

People don’t always know when they have whiplash. It’s common for the symptoms not to show up for days after the event. Even then, the symptoms may seem like something you should tough out. We often wake up with a stiff neck and simply go about our days.

In the weeks following a whiplash incident, it’s essential to treat the problem. This will help with the immediate symptoms, and also prevent the issue from becoming a long term problem. While most people with whiplash will follow a treatment plan to help the injury, those who don’t sometimes develop life problems with neck pain or other complications.

6 SIGNS OF WHIPLASH IN STERLING HEIGHTS

 

1. A LOSS OF RANGE OF MOTION IN THE NECK

Whiplash can cause the muscles in your neck and shoulders to become so stiff that you can’t move your head from side to side. Because this seems like a symptom that could happen from sleeping at an odd angle, it might be something you try to suffer through. Watch out for this sign of whiplash, since it can get worse the longer it goes on.

2. HEADACHES, DIZZINESS, OR DIFFICULTY THINKING

These can all be signs of a concussion as well, so they’re something you should take very seriously.

3. TINGLING OR NUMBNESS

The pins and needles feeling could also appear as a burning. It most likely shows up in your arms. This can mean a pinched nerve or other issue from spinal misalignment in the neck.

4. TINNITUS (YOUR EARS RING)

Are you hearing sounds that only you hear? The ringing can vary from person to person, but is not pleasant. If you have experienced whiplash, tinnitus is a sign something isn’t right.

5. YOU’RE HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME EATING

Is it hard to chew or swallow? This could mean an injury to the esophagus and larynx. You’ll want to have this checked by a doctor right away.

6. FATIGUE

It may seem normal to be extra tired after an accident. And it is! But it can also be a sign of whiplash. This is why so many experts recommend getting checked out by a professional after any major trauma to the body. It’s hard to notice what’s a symptom of whiplash and what may be a benign reaction to a traumatic event.

CONSULTING A CHIROPRACTIC AFTER PHYSICAL TRAUMA

When you visit a Sterling Heights chiropractic clinic after a physical trauma, they’ll want to ask you for as many details as you can remember of what happened with your body during the event. They’ll then perform a thorough exam to see how you’re doing.

If you’re experiencing pain, a chiropractor can treat you with spinal manipulation that is natural and pain free to help you achieve relief right away. If you have whiplash or other injuries from the event, they’ll work with you to create a treatment plan so you can stay free of pain and in good health while you recover.

Range of motion is something most people take for granted until it’s gone. If you’ve injured your shoulder and can’t rotate it fully, this is something you will think about all day, every day. It affects simple and complicated tasks. When your range of motion becomes limited, what can you do. When you are considering movement in the body, you are considering the health of your joints and spine. This is the primary focus for a Sterling Heights chiropractor, who treat joint and spinal health issues at the office of Dr. Ryan Boechler to improve overall wellness and range of motion.

WHAT RANGE OF MOTION MEANS

Range of motion is sometimes abbreviated to ROM. It’s your ability to freely move your body, which is something often associated with the range of movement around a joint or the joint’s flexibility. When you bend your body to the side or turn your wrist in a circle, you are exploring your range of motion. When you can’t do this without experiencing pain or discomfort, your range has become limited.

Your ROM is important to your daily activities like driving a vehicle, loading a dishwasher, or walking. Depending on the issue, it can make any activity difficult.

It’s also important to have a healthy ROM so you can prevent further injury. If your range of motion is already limited and you push your body to go past the pain, you can sustain further injury to the joint or spine. The pain is a sign that something needs treatment. Without proper care, it’s easy for injuries like tears and sprains to happen, or further inflammation that result in even more limited range of motion. This creates a cycle of injury that causes more pain, limited movement, and will take longer to heal.

HOW A LIMITED RANGE OF MOTION HAPPENS

There are many causes of limited range of motion issues.

Sometimes, this may be the result of an injury or trauma to the body. After a car accident, it’s common for people to experience whiplash. This can limit your ability to turn your head from side to side, rotate your shoulder, or other everyday movements.

Many medical problems can cause limited range of motion. When your body is recovering from a surgery where you’ve been spending a lot of time stiff and not moving, it can be hard to get going again.

Chronic inflammation in the joints can make it difficult to move. So can conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome.

People who work at their desk all day may come to experience a limited range of motion. This may not seem like an injury, as it doesn’t happen all of a sudden, but from repetitive motions that took their toll on an aching joint.

Another common cause of loss of range of motion is spinal misalignment. Whether from repetitive movement, an accident, or just living your day to day life, spinal misalignment can make it difficult to turn your body. When your back hurts, any simple movement can feel painful.

CHIROPRACTOR FOR IMPROVED RANGE OF MOTION

With natural and non-invasive treatments, chiropractors can help you realign your spine or get your joints feeling better. These adjustments are gentle and pain free. By realigning your body to its natural alignment, blood flow can be resorted, compressed nerves can be freed of pain, and the discs in your spine can be put back into alignment.

During your appointment, your chiropractor will likely perform spinal adjustments, and possibly perform manipulations to other parts of your body to get your range of motion back. Depending on the problem, they may discuss future appointments with you as part of a long term treatment plan to keep your range of motion strong.

They will also likely discuss things you can do at home to help keep you in your best health. Your Sterling Heights chiropractor Dr. Ryan Boechler will know stretches you can do and exercises to strengthen specific muscles that will keep the affected areas in good health.

An experienced Sterling Heights chiropractor knows that your spinal health is affected by more than your activities during the day time. A great deal of our lives is consumed by sleep. How much a person sleeps, and how they do it, has a large impact on overall health.

If you don’t sleep enough, you may be groggy for a morning meeting. If you sleep at a wrong angle, you may wake up with a sore neck.

While most people will acknowledge that sleeping strangely can mean waking up with a new ache, few of us think about how we sleep every night has a long term effect on spinal health and how we generally feel. In fact, proper sleeping habits can have a positive impact on our spinal health and our posture.

RELAX YOUR BODY BEFORE SLEEP

Going to sleep with tense muscles can mean for a rough night of sleep and bad conditions for your spine and joints. If you’ve been sitting in a chair all day, it can be useful to go for a short walk, do some yoga, or stretch out your body as the first step toward winding down for bed. Next, consider taking a bath. Soaking in Epsom salts or essential oils can help you relax.

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF A GREAT PILLOW

Ideally, you want to have one pillow under your head at night. This pillow should support your neck and head. When you get comfortable for sleep, you should feel like your muscles are able to relax and be supported. You don’t want to be shifting your head or turning at a different angle to get comfortable. It’s not good for your neck to stay in that position all night long.

The right pillow will be different for everyone, so you might need to experiment to find what’s right for you.

SLEEP IN A COOL ROOM

You may wonder what this has to do with your chiropractic health. When you sleep in a room that’s too warm, you’re likely to toss and turn all night. This makes it more difficult to keep the right posture while you sleep. Sleep in a cool and comfortable room to help you stay relaxed and in a healthy position.

PRACTICE SLEEPING ON YOUR BACK

Sleeping on your back is the healthiest position for your spinal alignment. This isn’t the easiest habit for everyone. You can start by practicing going to sleep this way every night. If you feel uncomfortable, try placent pillow under your knees or a rolled up towel under your lower back to see if this helps.

DO NOT SLEEP ON YOUR STOMACH

Stomach sleepers hate hearing this. It’s understandable. If it feels like your most comfortable sleeping position, changing things up seems like a path to getting less sleep for a while, and no one wants that. However, there is no way to sleep on your stomach that is healthy for your spinal alignment. Over the long term, this causes alignment problems that can be difficult to overcome. For your long term back health, practice sleeping on your back as much as possible. This may take time, but it’s worth working on.

BE CAREFUL SLEEPING ON YOUR SIDE

For your longterm chiropractic health, it’s still best to sleep on your back and is a great idea to practice doing that. However, if you’re going to sleep on your side, work on doing this in as healthy a way as possible. That means keeping your spine straight. Try to sleep with your hands in front of you instead of tucked under your pillow. Put a pillow between your knees to keep your body straight.

HOW ARE YOU SLEEPING AT NIGHT?

Are you waking up feeling rested? Do you have aches and pains? Are you going through the day hunched over and feeling like it’s too much work to sit up straighter?

The above sleeping practices can help you get a better night’s rest and improve your posture so you hold yourself better during the day. They’re not the only things you can do to see improvement, though.

Getting a healthy amount of exercise can help you get to sleep at night. Doing some targeted exercises to strengthen your core muscles can improve your posture as it will be easier for you to sit up straight.

Visiting your Sterling Heights chiropractor at the office of Dr. Ryan Boechler regularly can also help you discover what your individual problem areas are. Your chiropractor can work to find the source of your health issues and develop a long term plan for better sleep and health. With gentle spinal adjustments, many find that they sleep better and develop better posture.