Tension headaches are very common, but did you know that the following activities can contribute to tension headaches? See how many you can check yes to…
- Constantly looking down at your cell phone
- Working at a computer all day.
- Driving for hours without rest.
- Playing video games for hours.
- Clenching your jaw at night or during the day.
- Sleeping on your stomach.
- Improper form during exercise.
These activities overstretch the muscles on the back of your neck and weaken them, increasing your susceptibility to tension headaches. One of the biggest contributors to neck pain is poor posture during an activity. Instead of pulling the chin down for a neutral posture, some people keep the chin forward and shoulders slouched. That makes the chin stick out and creates tension in the neck and surrounding muscles.
Neck pain may also result from overuse of muscles in the neck and shoulder (many shoulder muscles also attach to the neck), strain on the joints in the neck, or a pinched nerve in the neck or shoulder area. If you have mild or severe neck pain, try this easy neck stretching routine.
Neck stretching: Side-bending range of motion
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Remember, one of the biggest contributors to neck pain is poor posture during an activity. Instead of pulling the chin down for a neutral posture, some people keep the chin forward and shoulders slouched. That makes the chin stick out and creates tension in the neck and surrounding muscles.
Try to make this adjustment the next time you hit the gym if you have tightness or pain in your neck!
The Importance of Regular Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic movement analysis can bring to light issues that normally are hidden beneath the surface of the skin. By honing in on the particular, individual movement dysfunctions of a patient, a doctor of chiropractic can tell athletes what CrossFit exercises to modify or avoid. Furthermore, exercises can be tailored to help correct a movement dysfunction for better performance in the future.
Whereas a typical medical doctor might have pain killers, cold and heat packs, and the advice to give working out a rest, chiropractic therapy has a different approach. Because it begins with a deep knowledge of the musculoskeletal system, chiropractic care is a hands on alternative that can keep athletes engaged in CrossFit at the top of their game.
For these reasons alone, you should schedule an appointment with Dr. Nick Esser now! But if you still want to learn more about why you should make Chiropractic care a part of your routine, check out these additional reasons.
1. Helps Keep You Active. Every time you use a muscle you create little microtears in the tissue. This is a normal process that the body will then respond to by laying down more tissue in an attempt to make the movement more efficient. This process generally takes 48-72 hours to complete. In Crossfit, however, we tend to use the same muscles over and over without letting them fully heal (active rest does NOT count). This creates a system where hardening and fibrosing begins to occur creating less functional tissue. Over use injuries are one of the top reasons people cannot continue with a sport or exercise. Good news is that with soft tissue techniques such as active release, graston, and fascial distortion you can correct these issues allowing tissue to heal properly and remain active!
2. Less wear and tear on your joints. When CrossFitters get tired, or can’t maintain extensor and external rotation tone then the stress of CrossFitting will be placed on our joints causing minor misalignment. This will lead to altered biomechanics, compensation, uneven wear and tear and eventually degeneration of the joints and the tissues that support them if not corrected. The most common joints effected in CrossFit are your thoracic spine, ribs, lumbar spine, pelvic joints, knees, and ankles. A chiropractor is taught how to identify an unhealthy or misaligned joint and to restore motion to that joint using an adjustment. Maintaining movement promotes healthy joints and prolongs your ability to use them. You are only given one body so you might as well take the best care of it you can if you plan on being active your entire life!
Convinced yet? You should be! Schedule an appointment with Dr. Nick Esser now! I promise, you will not regret it.