With fall and winter approaching, lower temperatures and fluctuating sunlight can lead to more people experiencing back or joint pain. You may have heard that joints start to hurt when a storm is coming but is that really true? Here are the facts about temperature linked to pain and how the changes in the seasons can affect your pain symptoms. 

Barometric Pressure 

When someone mentions that they have pain flare-ups before a storm, this often is because of changes in barometric pressure. Studies have yet to find any real correlation between changing temperatures causing pain, but the expanding and contracting of joints in the cold could cause. 

Lower temperatures have also been shown to make the liquid in your joints thicker, which leads to your joints and body being stiff and hard to move. While the cooler temperatures may not necessarily cause your pain, they often don’t help. 

Another reason that changes in the seasons can affect pain is because our body is more focused on heating lifesaving organs and body parts. Circulation begins to slow to our feet and hands which can be a cause of pain. Less blood flow often means tingling or aching in fingers and toes. 

Movement

During the winter, more people tend to stay inside and get less exercise. This could be a contributing factor for those with arthritis or other joint pain. Because you are moving less, your joints get stiff and muscles tend to ache more from lack of movement. Exercise and chiropractic alignment can help your joints move properly and allow them to have more motion during the winter months.

How To Deal With Changes In The Seasons

Living in a place that sees changes in the seasons all year round, it may not be possible to get away from changing pressure and cold temperatures. Places with harsh winters are going to experience cooler temperatures, so it is important to dress warm and layer up if you are going out. There are some solutions and helpful tricks that can help alleviate some of the joint pain you may be experiencing.

1- Get lots of Vitamin D. While there is less light from the sun during the months of fall and winter, your body needs Vitamin D to perform at its best. Taking Vitamin D supplements and getting out in the sun as much as possible can help with aches and pains that come from cooler weather. 

2- Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water has multiple benefits for your body, including helping minimize the symptoms of pain. 

3- Keep up on light exercise. When you are in pain, the last thing you think about is exercise, but moving your body can actually help you feel better and have more energy. Light stretches, walking, or indoor swimming can help keep muscles strong. 

4- Stay positive. Seasons don’t last forever and while winter can drag on for a long time, the sun will come back again. Keeping a positive attitude and working to be happy each can stop the pain from ruling your life. 

Visit Elevate Wellness Chiropractic

Our chiropractors at Elevate Wellness Chiropractic are trained to treat a variety of injuries and pain symptoms. Whether you have been in a car accident, have damaged joints, or have chronic headaches, chiropractic exercises can help you. For those who experience constant pain, or who play contact sports, treatment is highly suggested. 

Chiropractors work to align your spine, which is responsible for helping your body do many tasks. Misalignment of the spine can cause more than just back pain and is often the cause of inflammation. Chiropractic treatment helps the body to get back to healing naturally and eliminates the overuse of medications and helps patients avoid surgery. 

If you feel that chiropractic treatment could help your pain through changes in the seasons, contact us today and chat with our doctors. We are here to serve you and work with patients of all ages.

Beginning your day with stretching, yoga, a workout, or meditation can help improve your immune system and help your muscles wake up and start your day. Individuals that feel muscle tightness, achy, or weak in the morning, will often skip morning stretches. Stretches can help safeguard the body from injury and help relieve tension. Here are 7 stretches that chiropractors feel can be beneficial to start your morning. 

Chest Stretch

For those who sit at a desk every day, this stretch can be essential to alleviate stress. Sitting and looking at a computer screen can create tension in the shoulders, neck, and back. 

In order to do this stretch, start by raising both arms until they’re level with your shoulders and out from your body, forming a T-shape. Learn through a door frame with your hands and arms pushing against the wall while your body leans forward through the door. This moves the stretch into the front of your chest. 

Hip Flexors Stretch

This stretch starts with using a chair or dresser for balance. Bend one knee and grab the ankle behind your thigh. Push your hip forward on that side to feel the stretch at the front of your hip, then repeat on the opposite side. 

This stretch helps to loosen hips and tension in the legs from sitting all day. 

Lower Back Stretch

In order to complete this stretch, lie on your back and bring your knees up to your chest. Next, pull both knees down toward your chest, relax, and hold for around 30 seconds. 

All back stretches can help limit debilitating back pain and help improve mobility and motion. 

Pelvic Tilt

Lie on your back with knees bent, the small of your back should not be touching the bed or floor. Tighten your abdomen so that the small of your back now touches flat the floor or bed. Hold the position for 5 seconds and then release. Repeat the stretch at least three or four times. 

This stretch can help relieve back pain, tighten abdominal muscles and increase the strength of pelvic floor muscles.

Piriformis Stretch 

Piriformis stretches are used to help with knee and ankle pain and help your joints to stay more stable. 

To perform the stretch, lay flat on your back with your right leg crossed over your left. Gently pull the right knee towards the chest until you feel the stretch in your buttocks. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, release and repeat 3 times. Then repeat three times on the opposite side of your body.

Spinal Twist

Keeping your legs facing forward and firmly planted, turn your upper body to the right while you place your right hand behind you for stability. To push the stretch farther, you can place your left hand on the outside of your right thigh. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds and repeat on the other side. 

Performing the spinal twist stretch can increase blood flow and circulation. Twists also reduce back pain and help with flexibility. 

Neck Mobility Stretch

Start by sitting with your legs together and then begin rotating your neck in a circle. Imagine your ears touching your shoulders and rotating slowly five times in each direction. 

Using this stretch can help improve the range of motion in your neck, and reduce muscle soreness in the neck, shoulders, and back. Tension often builds in the neck and shoulders, so this stretch can help relieve the tension before you start your day. 

Chiropractic Treatment With Elevate Wellness

Chiropractic treatment can help treat a variety of issues including back pain, ear infections, asthma, Sciatica pain, Tendinitis, whiplash, and more. We help patients who are facing all kinds of tension, muscle weakness, and more, with a unique care plan designed specifically for you. Our team wants to serve your needs and help to get you back to feeling better from day to day. 

Chiropractic care has been shown to limit the use of medication, avoid surgery, and bring back the range of motion. During your first visit, we discuss your health history and establish some goals that you want to accomplish. We often begin treatment during the first visit and help implement your customized care plan. Contact Elevate Wellness to schedule your appointment today!

Elevate Wellness offers many chiropractic services for those of all ages. Pregnant women often don’t think about seeking chiropractic care, but the benefits of prenatal chiropractic care are too good to pass up. Chiropractic treatment helps the body to heal more naturally and maintain proper alignment. 

During pregnancy, the body and organs tend to move around to make room for the fetus. This can cause pain and discomfort for many expecting mothers, especially during labor and birth. Elevate Wellness wants to help our clients know more about the specific benefits of prenatal chiropractic care. 

Benefits

Pregnant mothers turn to chiropractic treatment to help with pain and discomfort during pregnancy. Growing a human comes with the moving of organs and bones to help give the fetus to have room to move in the womb. Prenatal chiropractic care helps limit the pain of stretching and moving in the body.

While pain relief is a big factor in choosing chiropractic care, there are actually more benefits to proper alignment. Having chiropractic alignment can actually shorten labor times and help the labor and delivery process go much smoother. Mothers who have sought chiropractic treatment saw that they needed less assistance during labor, pelvic bones and spines were more aligned and less painful, and had average labor of about 4 hours. 

Adjusting the spine and pelvis to their correct positions can give the baby more room to move and adapt in the womb. Chiropractic treatment can help the baby move into the pelvic bowl correctly and provide them with room to grow. 

Other benefits that can come from prenatal chiropractic care include:

• Controlling symptoms of nausea
• Relieve neck, back, and joint pain
• Lowering potential of cesarean delivery
• Maintain a healthier pregnancy

Webster Technique

When researching chiropractors and prenatal chiropractic care, look for one that is certified in Webster Technique. Dr. Simmonds with Elevate Chiropractic is Webster Technique Certified. This technique is a pre-natal chiropractic procedure that focuses on the pelvis and surrounding structures. This technique helps to support the growth and development of your baby and yields excellent results. 

Is It Safe?

Visiting a chiropractor who is certified to work with pregnant women is safe and effective. Chiropractors have been trained to work specifically with pregnant women and have unique tables to accommodate protruding stomachs. 

Prenatal chiropractic care techniques also focus pressure away from the abdomen and give exercises that are safe to perform during pregnancy. Stretches and exercises are known to help those who are pregnant and improve the quality of birth. Chiropractic can help amplify the good things that you are already doing. 

Elevate Wellness And Pediatrics

After birth, you and your child can receive chiropractic alignment in our office. Children also experience spinal misalignment that affects the function of their bodies. Many children come get brought in for other reasons such as colic, reflux, ear infections, nursing difficulty, digestive problems, and constipation. 

Children are resilient but they can still have effects on their nervous system. Trauma from birth or other falls and bumps can cause stress on the body. Spinal misalignment can affect the growth of the child and the development of their nervous system. Dr. Simmonds is also a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) and has the training to know how to properly work with children. Please bring your child into our office today to learn more about all that we can offer. 

More About Our Office

Elevate Wellness Chiropractic started in 2020 in Bountiful and Dr. Simmonds has brought a passion for care to the community. We are a family-based business and want to treat our patients like family. We treat a variety of issues and pain that occurs in the body besides providing prenatal chiropractic care. 

Elevate Wellness also prides itself on helping athletes and sports-related injuries. Dr. Simmonds knows firsthand how helpful chiropractic care can be for those who have had sports-related injuries. Healing naturally can make all the difference in getting back to normal life. We are here to help you on your health journey and listen to your needs. 

Each patient has a unique healthcare plan and we only perform procedures that are best for you. Coming in for treatments can help reduce the risk of injury and pain. Studies have shown that chiropractic care is beneficial and can help the body’s natural healing process become more automatic. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.