So, you’ve just left your first chiropractic adjustment. Now what? Your doctor likely sent you home with post-appointment instructions, such as exercises to complete or stretches to add to your daily routine. But taking a few other measures could also help you promote healing between sessions.
Learn what to do after a chiropractic adjustment to support your recovery. For more personalized guidance, reach out to your chiropractor directly.
Attending your chiropractor appointments is one of the most important things you can do to support injury recovery and alleviate pain. But in some ways, what you do after and between your appointments is just as important.
Staying completely sedentary between adjustments can limit your healing and lead to more pain and discomfort. Instead, these steps can help you make the most of your treatment and support your body’s natural healing processes.
Staying hydrated is essential for a range of bodily processes. Drinking plenty of water helps lubricate the joints, support muscle recovery, and remove toxins from the body, all of which can streamline healing and reduce pain.
While it’s always a good idea to drink water throughout the day, aim to stay even more hydrated than normal in the few days after your adjustment. Hydration after a chiropractic adjustment can help your body continue doing what it needs to do to recover from musculoskeletal injuries or improve your range of motion.
Sitting still for long periods of time can lead to muscle and joint stiffness, which could end up reversing the good work that happened during your chiropractic adjustment. Instead, aim to get up and move at least every few hours, even if that just means walking from one end of your house to the other and back again.
Stretching is also a great idea to keep the joints active and reduce stiffness. You can complete stretches while sitting down, if needed, to keep your body active and maintain the mobility you achieved during your chiropractic adjustment. Post-adjustment care often involves finding a balance between staying active while still supporting rest and recovery.
Your chiropractor likely told you that a significant amount of pain and stiffness occurs in the body due to poor posture. Bad postural habits place unnecessary strain on joints and muscles, leading to prolonged pain over time.
If you tend to have poor posture, try to be more mindful between chiropractic adjustments. Keep your back straight, use ergonomic chairs and desk set-ups, and engage your core. Your chiropractor can provide more personalized guidance based on your unique postural issues.
One of the most important things to do after a chiropractic adjustment is to follow your doctor’s orders. They likely provided you with a list of stretching exercises to complete and demonstrated how to perform them. They may have also given other instructions, such as what over-the-counter pain medications to take for mild soreness after your adjustment or when to use ice and heat to alleviate pain.
Follow these instructions closely to promote healing and recovery in between your sessions.
Finally, be sure to schedule your follow-up chiropractic visits according to the schedule provided by your chiropractor. The International Chiropractors Association often recommends starting a treatment plan with more frequent visits, then tapering them over time. Adhering to the right schedule will promote the fastest healing and pain relief and ensure that the benefits of the adjustment do not wear off between sessions.
Many individuals experience pain and discomfort each day due to poor posture, activities that strain the body, or injuries that have never fully recovered. Visiting a chiropractor can be an effective way to find long-term pain relief and promote overall wellness within the body.
These professionals use targeted adjustments and therapies to address the root of the pain rather than just the symptoms. They help patients adjust their lifestyles and movements to promote joint health and muscle strength and reduce the risk of injuries. For those looking to alleviate pain or explore non-invasive treatments for injuries, reaching out to a chiropractor in Pompano Beach, FL, can be a good first step.
Whether you’re treating lower back pain or recovering from an injury, knowing what to do after a chiropractic adjustment can help you make the most of these treatments. For professional chiropractic care in Pompano Beach, call ChiroCare of Florida today at 754-227-2218.