More exercise, better sleep, less back pain.
Johnson Chiropractic knows our Richmond chiropractic patients look forward to some good sleep and less back pain while some may not always look forward to exercising! These lifestyle practices really do influence each other! Johnson Chiropractic offers chiropractic care treatment plans to reduce back pain and advise our Richmond chiropractic patients to incorporate these other practices to get the most out of the Richmond back pain relief care offered via the treatment plan.
Always looking to the research studies, Johnson Chiropractic found that these studies support well the impact sleep has on pain perception and reaction to pain. One article states that sleep restriction increases sensitivity to pressure pain. (1) So you need your sleep! Another reports that poor sleep and other sleep issues increase the risk for chronic low back, neck and shoulder pain. Another reason you need your sleep! (Johnson Chiropractic is working to get rid of Richmond back and neck pain, so sleep well!) Men and women share this risk of poor sleep and increased pain. What might help? Regular exercise and keeping a normal body weight may offset any mild sleep problems that increase the risk of chronic pain. (2) Sedentary time and moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity influence sleep-disordered breathing, and more physical activity and less sedentary time seems to positively influence sleep. (3) Johnson Chiropractic never wants to thrust our Richmond chiropractic patients into hard exercise, but Johnson Chiropractic certainly encourages, along with spinal manipulation, small steps toward exercise and movement for good reason.
And one good reason is that the research supports the notion that exercise reduces pain and improves physical health. As a matter of fact, exercise reduces pain perception and improves back strength. (4) Exercise improves sleep quality and effectiveness. (5) Exercise with active rehabilitation therapy not only improves back muscle strength, it also reduces pain. (4) (See a pattern here?!) A simple senior elastic band exercise program improves the self-perceived health status and sleep quality for older adults living in community settings. (6) And exercise in the form of Pilates offers statistically significant improvement in pain relief and function to chronic low back pain sufferers. (7) It’s gentle and effective if you’d like to try Pilates; it would be a small yet significant step into the exercise arena! (Let’s talk before you start, of course!)
Lastly, exercise is shown to affect more than pain perception and health. Exercise keeps the body functioning properly. In that, exercise shares a goal with Richmond chiropractic care at Johnson Chiropractic! Exercise jumpstarts the autonomic nervous system, the system that controls involuntary body functions like the heartbeat, breath, and digestion. (8) Those are pretty essential body functions! Exercise also activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis which controls reactions to stress, mood and emotions, energy use and more. (8) These systems keep us balanced in mind and body. Since exercise is known to be beneficial, curious researchers wondered if late night exercise would be beneficial and, if so, how. Johnson Chiropractic certainly has some late night exercising Richmond chiropractic clients, so this article was really timely! The researchers found that late night exercise didn’t disturb sleep patterns but did influence the heart rate and autonomic nervous system function. (8) So exercise whenever you can!
Contact Johnson Chiropractic to explore options within your Richmond chiropractic treatment plan to get you exercising as best you can, improve your sleep, and reduce your pain.
