Increase mobility: chiropractic care improves range of motion

By Brandi Schlossberg

When you experience painful or limited mobility, you want to know why and how to fix it. Your chiropractor can surely help with range of motion. It basically has to do with gauging how your muscles or joints behave when you or someone else moves them, for example. The best way to get things started, of course, is by first telling your chiropractor the reason for your appointment.

Patients want to reduce pain and increase their strength and flexibility. Chiropractic care works to promote this aim. For instance, if you have neck pain or immobility, then your chiropractor will probably begin by performing tests. You may need to touch your chin to your chest or tilt your head backward, for example. Additional tests for the cervical spine may include lateral flexion range of motion. It simply involves trying to touch your ear to each shoulder.

If limited mobility present, your chiropractor will most likely begin to form a strategy for releasing any areas of disruption, alleviating pain and working to restore full mobility. Depending on what your chiropractor believes to be the primary cause of the problem, he or she may not only perform chiropractic adjustments, but also prescribe certain stretches, exercises and other methods of care. For example, there are certain common issues or conditions that often are found to be the culprit when it comes to limited cervical spine. These include obesity, improper posture and whiplash from a car accident. Another reason for tightness or pain may be a medical condition related to aging, such as osteoarthritis or degenerative disc disease.

Fortunately, the range of motion testing employed by chiropractors can help you begin to pinpoint what might be causing limited mobility in your neck, as well as other areas of your body. Appropriate chiropractic techniques, either applied alone or in conjunction with other forms of medical care, may be the means for restoring full range of motion.