As a Chiropractor in San Diego, 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 you need to know relating to those few extra pounds you may have gained. Over time, they can add up to a large number of health problems from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back challenges and joint degeneration. Extra pounds put undue stress on organs, like the heart, as well as on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. Over half (62%) of American adults are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is a substantial figure and a sizable national health issue (no pun intended).
It is likely no surprise to you to learn that the human body was not intended to carry around a surfeit of weight in the form of body fat. Just 20 or 30 extra pounds can, in point of fact, overload and encumber the musculoskeletal system. Added weight in the belly, for instance, requires that the body compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. This angle creates compression in the joints of the low back. Joint compression restricts nerve activity and causes painful inflammation. Most people that are overweightexperience low back pain generated by an impingement of the sciatic nerve or spinal misalignments that restrict nerves due to weight-bearing stresses. If ignored, misaligned vertebra not only continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have taken place already, but can create new arthritic changes in the spine in the future.
Here are the ways in which chiropractic treatment can help. Perhaps, it should go without saying that a healthy body weight is required in order for the musculoskeletal system to function in the way it is designed to. That said, in addition, chiropractic adjustments relieve nerve impingements in the spinal column and assist in getting motion back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, such as in the low back, hips, and knees. And, of course exercise and physical activity are a lot easier, and more beneficial for the body, when the spine is in alignment and the joints have good motion. Not only will exercise help with weight reduction, but it can actually slow the potential for degenerative changes as over the years.
Healthcare professionals, like your chiropractor, can talk to you about your diet and exercise options. In addition to assisting people suffering from back pain and joint inflammation, chiropractors can provide trained suggestions on the kinds of lifestyle modifications that can help an individual to stay healthier, more energetic, and more active through the years. It isn’t a foregone conclusion that arthritis and immobility are an unavoidable part of the aging process. The human body was intended for a lifetime of pain-free movement.
So, if you’ve been throwing your weight around and all you’ve been getting in return is back and joint pain,as your San Diego chiropractor and someone who cares about your health, I can help relieve your suffering. Make an appointment today!