Your San Diego Chiropractor Wants You to Know That Just a Few Additional Pounds Can Make a Big Difference in the Long Run
April 5th, 2010 | by admin |As a San Diego Chiropractor, I counsel many individuals who come to my clinic who want to lose weight. I know how hard it can be, and I also know how important it is to lose those extra pounds. Before you let out all the seams in your current wardrobe, there’s something important that you need to know regarding those few seemingly benign extra pounds you may have gained. As we age, they can add up to a large number of health challenges from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back problems and joint degeneration. Extra pounds put excessive stress on organs, like the heart, not to mention on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. A whopping 62% of men and women in the U.S. are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is a very significant number and a truly gigantic national health issue (no pun intended).
Though we try to pretend otherwise, most of us know that the human body has not evolved to carry around surplus weight in the form of body fat. Just an additional 20 or 30 pounds can literally overload and encumber the musculoskeletal system. Excess weight in the abdominal region, for example, requires that the body compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. The tilt puts pressure on the joints of the low back. Painful inflammation results as this joint compression restricts nerve activity. A larger percentage of men and women that have a heavy midsectionsuffer from low back pain as the result of an impingement of the sciatic nerve or spinal misalignments that constrict nerves as a consequence of weight-bearing stresses. If left untreated, misaligned vertebra in most cases produce new arthritic changes in the spine over time, as well as continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have already taken place.
Here are the ways in which chiropractic treatment can help. Perhaps, it should go without saying that a moderate body weight is essential in order for the musculoskeletal system to act and respond in the way it is built to. Chiropractic treatment can not only ease the pain caused by excess weight compensation, but it can aid in weight reduction. Here’s how. Chiropractic adjustments relieve nerve restrictions in the vertebral column and help to get movement back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, particularly in the low back, hips, and knees. And, certainly exercise and physical activity will be a lot easier, and more beneficial for the body, when the spine is in alignment and the joints have good movement. Not only will exercise help with weight reduction, but it can actually slow the potential for degenerative changes as the body ages.
Healthcare professionals, like your chiropractor, can talk to you about your diet and exercise alternatives. In addition to caring for people suffering from back pain and joint inflammation, chiropractors can provide proficient suggestions on the particular lifestyle modifications that can help you to stay healthier, more vital, and more active through the years. Arthritis and immobility due to aging don’t have to be compulsory. The human body was created for a lifetime of pain-free movement.
So, if those extra pounds have been sneaking up on you, and they’ve turned into a surprising load of pain, as your San Diego chiropractor and someone who understands, I can help. Make an appointment today!
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