Tips For Healthy Living!

Has winter left you feeling stiff and out of sorts? If you’ve been suffering from chronic back pain, you know how it can affect your ability to be active. It can make it difficult to get through the day. You may be starting to realize how back pain affects your life.

1. Overall Health - The most obvious health issue is weight gain. A prolonged lack of physical activity, especially in combination with poor eating habits, can have dangerous implications on your health.
2. Job - Not being able to comfortably sit through meetings or at a desk, difficulty standing or lifting, may just be the beginning of your hardship when working through chronic back pain. Your condition can impact your job performance and even cost you your job in some cases. Making adaptations to job functions or your work environment, or changing jobs within the company if possible, may help.
3. Friendships - Not seeing those you care about or having a social outlet for long periods of time can be difficult to deal with. Think of all the dinners, movies, shopping trips, sporting events, and vacations you could be missing out on. 
4. Family - Often, the impact of chronic back pain can put stress on our family. Have you found that your pain makes you less likely to participate in family activities? Do the other family members have to pick up the slack because you aren’t well? Do you find yourself retreating to bed instead of taking part in family activities? Be open and honest with your family about your condition and the steps you are taking to manage it.
5. State of Mind - The physical and emotional toll of living in constant pain leads nearly a third of people with chronic pain to become clinically depressed. Stress and pain can turn into an inescapable cycle. Trying to cope with the pain can affect every aspect of a person’s life and cause conflict between what their mind wants to achieve and what their body allows them to do. 

Massage therapy actually works in conjunction with and enhances chiropractic care. Your chiropractic doctor may recommend massage therapy as part of your care. Many chiropractic clinics now employ licensed and certified massage therapists that serve to complement the work of the chiropractors. Massage is increasingly being offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and situations.

Studies of the benefits of massage demonstrate that it is an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain and muscle tension, including:

• Stress relief
• Relaxation of Muscles
• Improved Flexibility
• Alleviate Headaches
• Digestive disorders
• Strengthening of Immune System
• Fibromyalgia and/or arthritis
• Soft tissue strains or injuries
• Sports injuries
• Management of chronic pain