Mobility & Flexibility - Joint Movement

Healthy sleep plays a vital role in the body's overall health, as it ensures muscle growth, recovery, and illness prevention. This is especially true for home D.I. Yers' fitness enthusiasts, weekend warriors, athletes, and physically active individuals. When sleeping, the body goes into recovery mode, releasing hormones and other chemicals to repair and restore muscle. A healthy night's sleep provides the rest the mind and body need to perform at optimal levels.

Healthy Sleep

Sleep is vital for recovering from workouts. This could be construction work, exercise, gardening, sports, landscaping, any activity that uses bodyweight or works against some form of resistance. The muscles cannot repair themselves properly without proper sleep. Sleep aids the muscles in releasing protein-building amino acids, helping them grow in size and strength.

• Growth hormone is released during non-REM sleep that stimulates tissue growth and repairs muscle.
• During REM or rapid eye movement sleep, blood pressure drops, breathing slows and deepens, the brain relaxes, and blood supply to the muscles increases, feeding them oxygen and nutrients.

Unhealthy Sleep

Sleep maintains the muscles' sharpness, coordination, function, and muscle movement patterns that improve physical performance. The body needs to sleep for at least 7 hours a night for muscles to grow properly. Not getting healthy sleep decreases protein synthesis activity and increases the activity of degradation that leads to muscle loss.

Less Sleep Leads To Eating More

Hormonal changes occur when the body sleeps less, causing individuals to feel hungry more often, increasing the amount of food taken in because after eating, the body does not feel full right away, so the individual continues to eat. Without sleep, the body decreases the production of a hormone that indicates when the body is full and activates a hormone that causes hunger. 

Insufficient sleep also lowers the body's sensitivity to insulin. Because of this, the muscle fuel glycogen is not adequately replenished. Without the regular restoration of glycogen, individuals have less energy, insulin sensitivity decreases, increasing the risk of diabetes.

Physical Health

Unhealthy sleep also impacts overall physical health. Individuals that do not get healthy sleep have an increased risk of developing:

• Irritability
• Anxiety
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Kidney disease
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Mental health issues
• Depression

Body Composition

Nutrition Before Bed

Nighttime Snacks

• Research has found that certain foods that contain tryptophan or melatonin can help with sleep.
• These include turkey, bananas, milk, rice, grapefruit, oats, cherries, walnuts, and almonds.

Cut Back on Carbohydrates Before Bed

• Consuming carbohydrate-rich foods before bed can impair growth hormone activation during sleep.

Reduce or Remove Afternoon and Evening Caffeine

• Caffeine can impair sleep, sometimes without knowing it.
• Avoid caffeinated foods or beverages before bed.

Eliminate Energy Drinks

• These drinks can contain elevated levels of caffeine and other substances that can result in overstimulation.
• This hyper-active state can cause individuals to decline in performance.
• Overconsumption of energy drinks has been linked to adverse effects, including strokes, seizures, and death.

Eliminate Sugar

• Sugar raises blood sugar, which triggers the pancreas to release insulin, fueling the cells causing overstimulation.
• Eliminating sugar after dinner can help the body fall asleep.

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Dattilo, M et al. "Sleep and muscle recovery: endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis." Medical hypotheses vol. 77,2 (2011): 220-2. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2011.04.017

Morselli, Lisa et al. "Role of sleep duration in the regulation of glucose metabolism and appetite." Best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism vol. 24,5 (2010): 687-702. doi:10.1016/j.beem.2010.07.005

Murray, Bob, and Christine Rosenbloom. "Fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes." Nutrition reviews vol. 76,4 (2018): 243-259. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuy001

Seeing A Chiropractor Regularly for Injury Prevention and Maintenance. A common question that comes up is how often is it necessary to visit a chiropractor? Everyone is different and the frequency of treatment depends on each individual's specific situation/condition, health goals, and needs. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind that can help get an idea of what to expect.

Seeing a Chiropractor

Chiropractors are the top experts in addressing underlying issues concerning the spine and musculoskeletal system. The most common reasons for seeking chiropractic treatment are musculoskeletal:

• Conditions
• Injuries - work, sports, automobile, personal
• Rehabilitation
• Pain relief
• Fitness
• Chronic fatigue
• Brain fog
• Sleep problems

As an example, back pain is one of the top causes of disability. The workforce and medical community are seeing the effectiveness of chiropractic in reducing medical costs and loss of productivity. Spinal misalignment is an overlooked problem that can lead to a variety of health issues, including chronic pain and poor blood and nerve circulation. Restoring alignment is the first step in building sustainable health and achieving optimal quality of life.

Effective Treatment

Chiropractic treatment follows three stages. There is an emphasis on each stage and a specific focus for working toward long-lasting optimal health. Each phase is also associated with a different range of treatment protocols to achieve the best results.

Stage 1 Pain Relief

Starting treatment when the pain is at its most intense means the first step is bringing relief as quickly as possible. This is accomplished through:

• Adjustments
• Ultrasound
• Heat and Ice
• Massage
• T.E.N.S
• Stretching
• Exercise
• Other techniques to stabilize the individual

Stage 2 Restorative Care

Once the pain is relieved, the focus turns to long-term healing of affected tissues like the:

• Muscles
• Ligaments
• Neural tissues

This helps with long-term recovery while reducing the risk of worsening or creating further injury/s.

Stage 3 Maintenance Care

This final stage is the monitoring stage. The chiropractic provider understands how important it is to regularly monitor an individual's health and alignment to address any issues that come up and deal with them before they worsen or lead to other problems. Monitoring prevents unnecessary distress and helps the individual get back to their normal life.

Optimal Results

Achieving lasting results for symptoms cannot be done with a quick one size fits all treatment. With the guidance of a chiropractor, the individual will learn to recognize subtle changes in their body to alert them to adjusting lifestyle habits. Contact Injury Medical Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Clinic to determine what treatment and frequency offer the best results.

Body Composition

Inflammation That Can Become Permanent

When white blood cells cause inflammation, this is a sign that the body’s immune system is properly functioning. Inflammation starts, the white blood cells attack the invader, it is neutralized, and the inflammation recedes. This is how the body’s defense system works naturally. But the white blood cells are not the only type of cell that has the ability to release cytokines. A second type of cell that can release cytokines and cause inflammation are adipocytes/fat cells. The body stores excess calories as fat so that the body can use it later for energy.

Scientists have learned that fat is an active endocrine organ. It can secrete a host of proteins and chemicals, including inflammatory cytokines. When the body keeps adding more and more adipose tissue cytokines are released by the fat cells, triggering inflammation. Obesity is characterized as a state of low-grade, chronic inflammation. This means that increased fat cells put the body in a constant state of stress and immune response. This means that the body is always in a state of inflammation and the immune system is permanently switched on. Perpetual, never-ending inflammation is not healthy for the body.

Disclaimer

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the musculoskeletal system’s injuries or disorders. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP, CIFM, CTG*
email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com
phone: 915-850-0900
Licensed in Texas & New Mexico

References

Hadler, N M. “Chiropractic.” Rheumatic diseases clinics of North America vol. 26,1 (2000): 97-102, ix. doi:10.1016/s0889-857x(05)70123-x

Iben, Axén, et al. “Chiropractic maintenance care - what's new? A systematic review of the literature.” Chiropractic & manual therapies vol. 27 63. 21 Nov. 2019, doi:10.1186/s12998-019-0283-6

Goertz, Christine M et al. “Effect of Usual Medical Care Plus Chiropractic Care vs Usual Medical Care Alone on Pain and Disability Among US Service Members With Low Back Pain: A Comparative Effectiveness Clinical Trial.” JAMA network open vol. 1,1 e180105. 18 May. 2018, doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0105

Neck pain prevention can go a long way as long as you take proper care of your body, exercise, and practice healthy habits. Here are a few tips to help prevent neck pain before it begins. Neck mobility is a marvelous thing. The neck can move the head in various directions:

• 90° of flexion forward motion
• 90° of extension backward motion
• 180° of rotation side to side
• Almost 120° of tilt to each shoulder

A lot of us are very familiar with a stiff neck or a crick in the neck. This stiffness prevents us from moving comfortably. A crick in the neck can cause the neck part of the spine to feel stiff, rigid and immobile. Fortunately, prevention and various treatments can help.

Prevention:

• Standing and sitting properly maintains proper posture and keeps muscles working/healthy. If you begin to hunch over, correct it immediately as it can quickly lead to pain in the neck. Pay attention to how you stand and sit and the more you do this it will become a healthy habit.
• Do neck and body exercises regularly and try for a 30-minute cardio workout 3-5 times week.
• Staying within a healthy weight-range will keep your spine in top form as it carries the weight of your body, and not overstrain it, which can lead to all kinds of pain.
• With healthy weight comes a healthy meal plan, not just for proper weight but to strengthen muscles, bones, enriching the blood and getting to optimal health.
• Smoking can affect the bones and muscles in your cervical/neck area of the spine, as well as all the other areas of the body. Therefore it is time to quit.
• Sleep with correct head and neck posture. Sleeping with your head in an awkward position is an easy set-up for a strain and pain.
• Stress and tension reduction. Tense muscles in the neck and shoulder often lead to pain in the neck. A few effective ways to reduce stress can be writing, talking to friends, exercising, walking, listening/playing music, art/crafts, cooking, reading,  and turn to these when the stress begins to build.
• Driving safely and wearing seat belts can help prevent whiplash.
• Using the proper equipment to protect your neck while participating in sports that can lead to neck injuries like football, skateboarding, wrestling, soccer is a must.

Taking care of your body is a complex process. Lifestyle changes pave the way to wellness and making these changes will benefit more than just the neck.

Don't worry about the list and try to check everything off. Look at the things that apply to you and try to implement a few of these tips one at a time. Keep the bigger changes like quitting smoking/losing weight in the foreseeable future. It takes time, patience and commitment. With a little hard work, it will pay off, and you should have a healthier life with less neck pain episodes and remember prevention is key.

Massage

This is a popular therapy that relieves:

• Aches
• Fluid retention
• Inflammation
• Muscle tension
• Pain
• Spasms
• Stiffness

Other benefits include improved blood and lymph circulation, flexibility, range of motion, and increased tissue elasticity. While increasing circulation the muscles are warmed along with other soft tissues like tendons and ligaments.

Swedish

It is one of the most popular massage types in the US. Usually, therapeutic muscle lotion or oil is used to reduce friction and relax the area/muscles as the therapist performs light stroking in one direction with deep pressure in another to relax and loosen the muscles and surrounding ligaments/tissues.

This takes the blood flow and flushes lactic acid, uric acid, and other waste products from the muscles. The ligaments and tendons get stretched, which increases their soft but firm/strong feel. The nerves are stimulated and relaxed, with any stress in the muscles taken away. Relaxing the muscles is the overall goal.

Deep Tissue

This technique aims at chronic muscle tension. The strokes are slower, using more intense direct pressure to release the built-up stress, knots, and tightness. Depending on how deep the muscle and tissue stress maybe, the therapist will adjust their hand positions, strokes, and intensity periodically to work the tissues releasing tension.

Relaxing the Muscles

The therapist using their hands or tools to rhythmically knead, rub, and stroke muscles, circulation begins muscle stimulation. This blood flow brings needed oxygen and nutrients and helps the muscles eliminate waste products, like lactic acid, that can collect in the muscles brought on by spasms, which cause pain.

El Paso, TX Chiropractic Neck Pain Treatment

After a chiropractic adjustment, the body can feel weird or out of sorts. This is completely normal and can be attributed to toxin release. This release flushes out the toxic particles in the body. The adjustments get the blood and nerve energy circulating properly. As the toxins travel through and out of the bloodstream, they can make the individual body feel strange, even a little sick. This could lead to side effects that last around 1-2 days.

Toxin Release

It is a normal sign and starts during or slightly after the adjustment. This often occurs with subluxation treatment. Subluxations can block/interfere with proper blood flow around the spine. This leads to pain and inflammation. As the chiropractor treats and releases, the subluxations, proper blood flow is restored. This can overwhelm the body, which can lead to release symptoms.

Duration Side Effects

The unwellness goes away within a few hours or days, depending on the individual and their condition. However, if the symptoms do not go away after a week, contact the chiropractor to let them know what is happening. Going through a few episodes of release is expected, especially during the first chiropractic sessions. It also depends on where the individual is healthwise. Usually, the first session is the most intense. As all the toxins are being removed from around the:

• Spine
• Joints
• Muscles

Symptoms

Symptoms vary, but the most common include:

• Cold or flu-like symptoms
• Fever
• Sweating
• Night sweats
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Muscle tension

The intensity of these symptoms depends on the number of toxins being released. The symptoms improve but don't hesitate to contact the chiropractic clinic with any questions or concerns.

Benefits

Individuals that have to go through release symptoms for a few days will find that their body feels cleaner and highly energetic. Brain functions increase because of optimal communication through circulation. Individuals with anxiety find that their body feels more relaxed. This is because the toxins that were irritating the nervous system have been flushed out.

Treating Toxin Release

There are a few ways to calm the body if symptoms present.

Drink Water

Water will expel the toxins out of the body quicker. It will flush through the bloodstream and then through the bladder where they are discarded. This will help the body recover faster. Eight glasses a day is the recommendation. This will keep the body hydrated and enhance the toxin release. Add some lemon juice to maintain mineral levels during the recovery. Lemon juice contains:

• Electrolytes can help reduce toxin release pain and help prevent symptoms.
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• This will maintain muscle health and function.

Extra Sleep Nap

Make sure to rest the body after a chiropractic adjustment. It is not recommended to not try to fight through the symptoms. This could be dangerous as the body is in recovery mode. If overwhelmed the symptoms could worsen. This does not mean staying in bed and sleeping, just not overexerting the body. Engage in calm relaxing activities.

Fruits and Vegetables

These will nourish the recovering body with vitamins and minerals. They also aid in reducing pain and increases energy. Plus fruits and vegetables are filled with antioxidants that can keep the muscles and bones strong. These include:

• Cranberries
• Raspberries
• Cherries
• Tomatoes
• Spinach
• Kale

It is recommended to get at least one serving of fruits and vegetables per meal. Avoid processed or sugary foods, as they can cause inflammatory responses to present. This could make the toxin release symptoms worse.

Yoga Poses

The body will more than likely feel sore and weak from the adjustments and the toxin release. Yoga can alleviate the symptoms. Poses can seem difficult because of the side effects, but the movement and stretching will make the body feel better. Here are a few that many chiropractors recommend.

• Cat-Cow Pose
• Cobra Pose
• Bound Angle Pose

Body Composition

Detox Diets

Detoxification diets are tools that are used by medical professionals and are not intended for quick or healthy weight loss. Naturopathic Practitioners have been shown to use a wide range of detox methods and products that include:

• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Diet
• Lifestyle adjustments
• Health coaching

Physiological changes during detox diets

Metabolism is the rate at which the body burns energy. This rate can change from different factors that include a temporary increase when excessive calories are taken in. There is no difference in weight loss from diets that focus on reduced-fat vs. reduced carbohydrates. Individuals should consult with their physician before starting any body detox cleanse, especially if there are underlying medical conditions like diabetes or kidney disease. If struggling with obesity, then a physician can provide recommendations on a traditional diet, exercise, and other medically approved approaches.

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Gardner, Christopher D et al. “Effect of Low-Fat vs Low-Carbohydrate Diet on 12-Month Weight Loss in Overweight Adults and the Association With Genotype Pattern or Insulin Secretion: The DIETFITS Randomized Clinical Trial.” JAMA vol. 319,7 (2018): 667-679. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.0245

Seaman, David R. “Toxins, Toxicity, and Endotoxemia: A Historical and Clinical Perspective for Chiropractors.” Journal of chiropractic humanities vol. 23,1 68-76. 3 Sep. 2016, doi:10.1016/j.echu.2016.07.003

Valdivieso, Paola, et al. “Does a Better Perfusion of Deconditioned Muscle Tissue Release Chronic Low Back Pain?.” Frontiers in medicine vol. 5 77. 20 Mar. 2018, doi:10.3389/fmed.2018.00077

Two types of muscles exist in the body, and they are voluntary or the ones that we can move and involuntary or those that move on their own like the digestive and heart muscles. Both can be made stronger and more resilient through exercise and physical activity. We're shall focus on the voluntary muscles that move and support the spine.

When there is a lack of muscle strength and flexibility it can create an environment for back pain. The muscles connect to the bones through the tendons. When contracted the signal concentrates through the tendon, and moves the bone/s. The tendons are attached to the bones. When the tendons get inflamed, tendonitis can occur even in the spine.

Muscle layers

Some go deeper while others are more superficial and at the surface. The deeper muscles are the ones that stabilize and secure the bones. The abdominal muscles along with the hips and legs can play a part in back pain/problems.

A doctor might have told you that to have a healthy spine. That is great news, however, we all need to build a strong core, which includes the abdominal muscles, to help stabilize the entire torso. There are four types of abdominal muscles.

The Corset

The deepest is the transversus abdominis, which wraps around your body just like a corset. These muscles contract if you place your hands on your waist and cough. On the sides of your body, there are two sets of oblique muscles. The internal obliques go deeper, while the external obliques are closer to the surface. The obliques enable us to twist and bend from side to side.

The Six-Pack

And of course, there is the rectus abdominis which we all know as the six-pack. These can be sculpted into the washboard abs but they do not help in stabilizing the spine/back. The job of the abs is to pull you forward like when doing sit-ups and crunches.

They do help compress the deeper ab muscles, but to stabilize the spine, you want to strengthen the deepest ab muscles. The corset, internal obliques, and back muscles are the ones you want to work. One of the most effective ab and back workouts is Pilates. It targets all abdominal and spine muscles in a gentle way.

Flexors

Within the body are two muscles on either side of the body, called the iliopsoas muscles, or the psoas (so-as). These are the hip and thigh flexors which lift the thighs like when walking, going upstairs.

When in a stationary position, the psoas enables you to bend forward or flex the hips. When sitting, the psoas stabilizes the spine into an upright position. It is one of the largest and thickest muscles, and it extends from your lumbar vertebrae, crosses in front of each hip, and attaches on the inside top of the thigh bone. When we sit for long periods it constricts or shortens the psoas, which causes soreness/pain when you stand. 

Layers

Spinal muscles are made up of layers. The deepest are small and are attached one vertebra to another. The deepest level are the interspinalis muscles, which connect the spinous processes; thank them for helping you stretch backward.

The transversospinalis group forms a chevron pattern along the back and helps with side bending, twisting, and assists in back bending. The next layer up is the erector spinae. The main job of this group is bending, but also assist with bending to the side . When muscle spasms occur, it's often the erector spinae muscles.

The next level consists of the rhomboids. These are situated between the shoulder blades. Exercise or physical therapy can realign the vertebrae if there is upper back, shoulder and neck pain. The wings on either side of the back are called latissmius dorsi. These stabilize the back and help in doing all kinds of activities, like pull-ups.

Next are the trapezius (traps) muscles that extend from your neck and midback to the shoulders. These muscles help move your neck and lift the shoulder blades. When there is tension, there is a tendency to lift our shoulders, which is what makes these muscles tight and sore. It’s never too late to increase strength and flexibility. Look at activities that you and your friends/family can enjoy and turn them into a regular thing.

Athletes and Custom Foot Orthotics

Flexibility is something that many people would like more of, but few know how to achieve it. If they do, they don’t do anything about it. This is because flexibility training is often seen as difficult, painful, and time-consuming. It is also significantly underestimated. 

Why bother getting flexible if you aren’t an athlete or dancer? Why do regular people need to improve their flexibility? The answers to these questions may surprise you. You also might find that improving your flexibility is easier than you think.

Why is flexibility important?

Flexibility is a critical component of keeping your body fit and healthy. Research shows that people who are more flexible are better able to reach their optimum fitness level.

It can also help to prevent injury and reduce your risk of conditions like arthritis and other chronic diseases. They also have a better range of motion and mobility as they age.

Muscles that are flexible have the potential to become stronger. This can help increase metabolism and improve fitness level.

A more flexible body can also carry out day to day activities easier and have less chance of injury. Blood flow is increased and circulation is improved which also helps to prevent chronic conditions like kidney disease and diabetes as well as heart disease.

Stretch for upper body flexibility

This upper body stretch also helps improve your posture. It is also great if you are primarily sedentary throughout the day, such as sitting at a desk for extended periods.

• Stand or sit in a chair, back straight, chin level, feel slightly apart and knees soft.
• Put your hands behind your head, elbows out, chin tucked.
• Gently press your head forward to feel the stretch through your neck, shoulders, and upper back; hold for five seconds.
• Tilt your head back so that your chin is pointing toward the ceiling. Place the heels of your hands on your forehead and gently press to get a stretch through the front of the neck and the arms; hold for five seconds.
• Bring your head to the start position, chin parallel to the floor, neck straight.
• Put your right hand on the top of your head and gently press as if you are trying to touch your right ear to your right shoulder and feel the stretch along the left side of the neck and shoulder; hold for five seconds.
• Put your left hand on the top of your head and gently press as if you are trying to touch your left ear to your left shoulder and feel the stretch along the right side of the neck and shoulder; hold for five seconds.
• Raise your hands over your head and clasp your hands. Stretch and lift your body, lengthening your spine.
• Release your hands and bend to the right, using your right hand to grasp your left elbow and gently pull it to the right. Hold for five seconds.
• Raise your hands over your head and clasp your hands. Stretch and lift your body, lengthening your spine.
• Release your hands and bend to the left, using your left hand to grasp your right elbow and gently pull it to the left. Hold for five seconds. 

Stretch for lower body flexibility

This is a great stretch for women who wear high heels or for cyclists and people who walk, run, or use an elliptical machine.

• Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you, feet together, knees soft, and back straight.
• Slowly bend your right knee and lean back if necessary, using your right arm as support behind you. Place your left hand under your left knee and flex your toes toward the ceiling, feeling the stretch through your calf. Hold for five seconds.
• Stretch both legs out straight in front of you.
• Slowly bend your left knee and lean back if necessary, using your left arm as support behind you. Place your right hand under your right knee and flex your toes toward the ceiling, feeling the stretch through your calf. Hold for five seconds.
• Roll onto your back with your knees bent toward the ceiling and feet flat on the floor.
• Gently bring your right knee to your chest, holding it with your hands to get a nice stretch. Hold for five minutes.
• Return to the start position, on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Gently bring your left knee to your chest, holding it with your hands to get a nice stretch. Hold for five minutes.
• Return to the start position, on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

Stretch for flexibility in the back

This stretch is very good for low back pain.

• Lie on your stomach keeping your legs straight, knees soft, and feet shoulder-width apart.
• Place your hands under your shoulders, palms down on the floor and push your upper body up so that your back is curved with your lower body still on the floor. Tilt your head back for more stretch. Hold for 10 seconds.
• Lower your upper body back to the mat and slowly roll over to your hands and knees.
• Keep your knees shoulder width apart and your back straight.
• While on your hands and knees, tuck your chin and round out your back, pushing it towards the ceiling, feel the stretch through your entire back. Hold for 10 seconds.
• Return to the start position with your knees shoulder width apart and your back straight.
• While on your hands and knees, lift your chin, stretching it upwards and drop your back so that your spine curves toward the floor. Hold for 10 seconds.
• Return to the start position with your knees shoulder width apart and your back straight.

El Paso, TX Sports Chiropractic Treatment