Keeping Your Body Healthy and Mobile

There are many theories about health out there, each with its own merits. One that I have come to embrace is that maintaining correct motion in a system is absolutely vital to achieving maximum health. What I like about this philosophy is that it seems to apply no matter which bodily system you are looking at. I come from a chiropractic point of view, and I feel that this theory applies to not only what I do as a chiropractor, but also to health issues that I rarely deal with. Let me give you a few examples of what I mean.

What happens with heart disease? The arteries around the heart begin to narrow, typically because they build up a layer of plaque called atherosclerosis. This plaque impedes the natural flow (motion) of the circulatory system, and over time can lead to a heart attack because the heart isn't getting the nutrients it needs.

Are you familiar with bedsores, and why they occur? When a person is immobile, bedridden, and unable to change positions, the simple pressure of their body on a mattress leads to the formation of bedsores. The body starts to break down because it's under constant pressure. Even though this pressure is considerably light, the fact that it is constant makes it enough to cause damage to body tissue. The same concept is true inside the body as well. Your joints are designed to move. When they don't, pressure builds up inside of them, which can lead to inflammation and pain. Eventually it can cause osteoarthritis (more accurately called degenerative joint disease). That is why chiropractic care can be so important in helping to maintain a healthy lifestyle. My goal as a chiropractor is to identify those joints, and muscles which may not be moving as they should, and provide treatment to restore the full range of motion.

There is a fascinating study done on rabbits that found:
"After 5-6 weeks of immobilization most of the knees showed moderate or severe changes including loss of articular cartlilage and osteophyte formation."

By simply immobilizing a joint, they were able to create degenerative joint disease similar to that found in humans.

Think about what a vast majority of Americans do every day. Many of us go to work and sit in a chair eight hours a day, then come home and relax by sitting in front of the TV/computer for another few hours before going to bed and starting the cycle all over the next day. What is this doing to our bodies? If this sounds familiar, take a quick inventory of your posture when you sit. Are your shoulders rounded? Does your neck stick out in front of your shoulders? Is there a pronounced curve in your upper back as you slouch in the chair? How much is your back actually moving in a day? If you're honest, you'll realize that your back doesn't move much at all. Sure it's not being forcibly immobilized as was the case in the study above, but 8+ hours a day of not moving for 10, 20, 30 years... it's going to take a toll on your body. So do yourself a favor. Get up, move around, and take breaks from sitting. Get a chiropractic adjustment. Exercise daily, even if it's only a short walk. Keeping your joints and body mobile is absolutely essential if you want to maintain optimal health as you age.