Movement is the best medicine when it comes to recovering from injury or managing persistent pain.
In fact, science has shown us that medications and rest are actually among the least effective ways to find lasting relief!
Your body is designed to move, and often it’s a lack of daily movement (or chronic postural changes) that causes pain to begin in the first place.
The right movements and exercises can help you recover more quickly and prevent future episodes.
There are three different types of body movement that we assess and optimize at OhioChiro: segmental, regional, and whole body.
Segmental motion occurs between the individual joints of your body.
Regional movement occurs in a body region such as your neck, mid-back, or low back.
Whole-body movement is characterized by the actions we typically think of as exercise.
All three types are essential and work together to keep your spine and musculoskeletal system healthy and functioning at its best.
Here’s a closer look:
- Segmental Movement: As the foundation of your spinal motion, segmental movement describes the motion that happens between each set of bones in your spine. Moving the individual joints of your body is what we are specifically trained to do. Proper segmental movement can help reduce pain, improve your range of motion, and influence your central nervous system.
- Regional Movement: Your spine is divided into four primary regions: cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), lumbar (low back), and sacral (tail bone). Dynamic movement with regional range of motion exercises can reduce spine stiffness and maintain spine health.
- Whole Body Movement: When you combine the segmental and regional movements of your spine with the movement of your extremities, you have whole-body motion. Daily exercise can help your brain and body feel better as well as improve your rest and recovery at night.
As you probably noticed, each of these movement types builds upon the other and the foundation of all movement is segmental movement.
If your joints aren’t moving correctly, the rest of your body isn’t moving optimally, increasing your odds for injury or blocking the road to recovery.
Moving may be the last thing you want to do if you’re struggling with pain, but research has repeatedly shown that appropriate movement and exercise are two of the best ways to find relief.
If you are struggling or just looking for some guidance with your movement routine, call or text us today at 614-964-2341. Or, schedule online here.
We are happy to provide you with a complete movement assessment and personalized movement plan to help you get (and stay) well for the life you want to lead!
