One of the most common questions we receive from patients is “What can I do at home to get better?
This is a great question and obviously one that you also feel is important, otherwise you would not be here reading this now. : )
Here are three things you can start doing right now to assist in your recovery.
Foam Rolling Exercises – 2 times a day for 5 to 10 minutes.
Adding foam rolling exercises to your daily routine is an important step to your chiropractic recovery. Far too many patients are not doing enough home care and this can dramatically limit the results of your chiropractic care.
Using a foam roller can help loosen muscle tension in your spine, shoulders, hips, and legs. Foam rolling also helps in alleviating generalized back pain, muscle soreness, and also improves range of motion.
How long should you foam roll for? 1-2 minutes per muscle group is all you need
Keep a foam roller next to your desk at work and home. Throughout the day, take 2-5 minutes to foam roll. You will notice a change sooner than you think.
Here are some of our favorite links for foam rolling exercises.
REI website – Click Here
New York Time website – Click Here
Women’s Health website – Click Here
Daily Ice Routine – 20 minutes ON, 20 minutes OFF
Using ice at home is a great way to reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling. Icing also helps with chronic muscle spasms that often develop from excessive repetitive stress. Repetitive stress may develop from sitting at a desk all day, doing the same activity for several hours a day, or simply develop from poor posture and bad habits.
For your chiropractic program, we recommend icing your spine for 20 minutes at a time. After 20 minutes of ice, be sure to let the area have a 20 minute break from ice. We call this the 20/20 rule. Twenty minutes of ice, followed by twenty minutes of rest. You can repeat this as often as you like, but you should do at least two ice applications per affected area.
If your neck and back are sore, ice both areas, two times, 20 minutes on, and 20 minutes off.
Get Proper Rest
Are you sleeping well at night? We often forget the importance of sleep. Sleep allows the body to rest AND regenerate. When we do not get enough sleep, we limit our healing potential and diminish our reserves.
Think of yourself as a mobile phone. If you do not recharge the battery long enough, you will not have enough energy to make it through the day and your phone will die before you can recharge it again.
Your body needs a minimum charge of eight hours per evening. Be sure and adjust your schedule so you can provide your body with sufficient rest to recharge and start fresh each and every day.
Have questions? Feel free to call or text us at 770-623-6880.
Yours For Better Health!
Johns Creek Chiropractic and Wellness Center