4 Ways To Nourish Your Nervous System
At WYLD Chiropractic we are here to help you reconnect with your natural state of health. When you come to us is pain it is often a message from your body that too much stress has been simmering away for a while. This can be physical, chemical or emotional stress.
For lots of people their spine and nervous system have been under physical stress for years. And for some of us, it is the added emotional or chemical stress that tips our body over the edge.
Here are our top 4 ways to nourish your nervous system:
1. Book a WYLD Chiropractic Consultation
Research suggests chiropractic care increases the healing and calming side of our autonomic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system!
2. Book a massage with on of our WYLD Massage Therapists for a dose of the “happy hormone” oxytocin
3. Book to see our WYLD Naturopath to discuss herbs and supplements that support nervous system health
4. Stretch! Spend up to 15 minutes a day in the chest opener position below. This stretch helps to retrain your posture from a state of stress to a state of relaxation.
Carefully position yourself at the bottom of the foam roller and slowly lie back with your head and tailbone on the foam roller, knees bent, feet flat and palms up.
Extend your arms to the sides. You will feel your chest open and stretch.
Chiropractic Treatment
A Chiropractic adjustment, also known as chiropractic manipulation, manual manipulation, or spinal manipulation, is a common therapeutic treatment for lower back pain.
A Chiropractic adjustment refers to a chiropractor applying manipulation to the vertebrae that have abnormal movement patterns or fail to function normally.
The objective of this chiropractic treatment is to reduce the subluxation, with the goals of increasing range of motion, reducing nerve irritability and improving function.
What To Expect At Your First Visit
An initial Chiropractic exam for back pain will typically have three parts: a consultation, case history, and physical examination. Laboratory analysis and X-ray examination may be performed.
Consultation. The patient meets with the chiropractor and provides a brief synopsis of his or her lower back pain, such as:
Duration and frequency of symptoms
Description of the symptoms (e.g. burning, throbbing)
Areas of pain
What makes the pain feel better (e.g. sitting, stretching)
What makes the pain feel worse (e.g. standing, lifting).
Case history. The chiropractor identifies the area(s) of complaint and the nature of the back pain by asking questions and learning more about different areas of the patient's history, including:
Family history
Dietary habits
Past history of other treatments (chiropractic, osteopathic, medical and other)
Occupational history
Psychosocial history
Other areas to probe, often based on responses to above questions
Physical examination. A chiropractor may utilize a variety of methods to determine the spinal segments that require chiropractic treatments, including but not limited to static and motion palpation techniques determining spinal segments that are hypo mobile (restricted in their movement) or fixated. Depending on the results of the above examination, a chiropractor may use additional diagnostic tests, such as:
X-ray to locate subluxations (the altered position of the vertebra)
A device that detects the temperature of the skin in the paraspinal region to identify spinal areas with a significant temperature variance that requires manipulation.
Chiropractors are trained in a variety of methods to assess the underlying cause of the problem, including:
Evaluation and management services. Chiropractors are trained in examining the joints, bones, muscles and tendons of the spine, head, extremities and other areas of the body with the purpose of noting any misalignment, tenderness, asymmetry, defects or other problems.
Neurologic and other common physical examination procedures. Chiropractors are trained to perform a variety of neurologic tests (nerve root compression/tension, motor strength, coordination, deep tendon and pathological reflexes, etc.) and are skilled in performing orthopedic, cardiovascular and many other common examinations.
Specialised assessment. Chiropractors are trained to assess range of motion, stability, muscle strength, muscle tone and other assessments with the lower back.
Common diagnostic studies. Chiropractors are trained in use of diagnostic studies and tools such as radiography (X-rays), laboratory diagnostics and neurodiagnostics.
References
Amoroso Borges BL, Bortolazzo GL, Neto HP. Effects of spinal manipulation and myofascial techniques on heart rate variability: A systematic review. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 2018;22(1):203-08. doi: - -
Lee, Y. H., Park, B. N., & Kim, S. H. (2011). The effects of heat and massage application on autonomic nervous system. Yonsei medical journal, 52(6), 982–989