More and more people are working desk jobs or less intensive jobs that can affect your back, neck, and spine. Sitting all day at a desk can affect your posture and lead to aches and pains throughout your body. Health and Wellness Clinic recommends chiropractic care and desk stretches together in order to limit common symptoms of back pain. Here are some stretches that can be done while sitting at your desk to help gain more blood flow in your muscles and wake you up for the rest of your work day. 

Benefits Of Stretching

Taking some time out of your work day to complete some desk stretches or take a walk can give you benefits for the rest of your work week. Stretching helps to increase blood flow to your extremities which can help limit the risk of blood clots and pain. 

Stretching during the middle of the work day can make you less tired by increasing heart rate and blood flow. Proper stretching will give you a more revitalized mind. 

1- Chest Stretch

A lot of us start to hunch forward and lean while working at our desks which can lead to bad posture and spinal issues. The chest stretch can help improve your posture and helps with shoulder problems.

To complete the stretch, you will need to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or be seated in your chair with your feet still spread apart. Move both of your arms behind you and lace your finger together and lift the arms gently. You should feel the stretch in your chest and then hold for 10-30 seconds. 

You can complete this stretch 5 to 10 times or use a resistance band to help you increase the stretch you feel. 

2- Upper Back Stretch

Upper back desk stretches will help move the muscles and get the blood flowing through the shoulder blades and traps. Start by sitting straight up in your desk chair, and stretch your arms straight out in front of you with both your palms facing away from each other. Next, cross your arms so your palms are pressed together. Contract the abs and round the back, reach away with your arms as your head relaxes. Imagine you’re curving up and over an exercise ball. 

3- Spinal Twist

This is a great stretch to do at your desk if you feel a lot of lower back pain. The twisting motion can be a gentle way to work out some of that tension and strengthen your core. 

Start with your feet flat on the floor and contract the abs gently while you rotate your torso to the right. You can brace yourself on the back of your chair to help deepen the stretch as well. Only twist to where it feels comfortable. Keep your back straight while you stretch and hold the twisted position for 30 seconds. Then repeat on the left side. 

4- One Arm Hug

Take one arm and hold it across your body (holding it at your shoulder). Use your other arm to push your arm back at the elbow. You should feel a pull on the outside of your bicep. Hold for around 30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times for each arm.

Using these stretches is great for workers who do a lot of typing. It is also a small stretch that will not be as noticeable by surrounding co-workers. 

5- Wrist Stretch

The wrist stretch is another good option for writers or workers that do a lot of typing and don’t have proper ergonomics. You can complete the stretch while sitting at your desk by pressing your palms together in front of your chest and holding for 15 seconds. Apply slight pressure to feel more of a stretch. Then put the back of your hands together for a stretch on the other side of your wrist. Hold both positions for 15 seconds and repeat it up to 5 times. 

6- Hamstring Chair Stretch

This stretch will require a little more room but is completed while sitting in your office chair. Put your legs straight in front of you with your heels touching the ground and your toes pointed up. Bend at your hips and fold your body toward your toes. Keep your back straight while you bend and hold for 30 seconds when you can not bend any farther. 

7- Neck Stretch

Looking at a computer screen all day can cause neck tension in many adults. Over multiple days or weeks, you may start to feel tension more often and even get headaches. The neck stretch is done by keeping your back and shoulder straight and grabbing the sides of your chair. Then gentle pull while you tilt your head to the left and the right. You should feel a slight pull on the sides of your neck. Hold the position for 10-15 seconds and repeat up to 10 times on each side. 

Chiropractic Care From Health And Wellness Clinic

Our team wants to help improve a variety of issues and help you heal from injuries. No matter what symptoms you are experiencing, we offer chiropractic adjustment, exercise rehab, and pediatric care. Our clinic also now offers massage and cryotherapy for patients who have not found enough relief through chiropractic alone. Stretches can help you keep the progress you are making in chiropractic adjustment and improve your posture. Contact us through call or text at (801) 784-4807 to learn more about scheduling an appointment.

Wearing a backpack for multiple hours a day can lead to shoulder and back pain. Choosing the right backpack, purse, or shoulder bag can help to limit the back pain you experience in adulthood and old age. Not all backpacks are created equal, but many of them can be adjusted or worn differently to help keep your spine in the proper position. 

1- Buy The Right Size Backpack

Choosing a backpack that is the right size for your body will help limit back pain. Your backpack or your child’s backpack should never go 4 inches below your waistline. A true-to-size backpack will also evenly distribute the weight of items evenly depending on your height and weight. 

2- Don’t Overload Your Bag

Many people like to stuff multiple books into their backpacks and carry water bottles, pencil pouches, lunch boxes, and more. Overloading the bag will weigh it down and make the weight sit lower on your back. This can lead to neck pain and back pain. 

It is recommended that the contents of the backpack and the backpack itself be no more than 10% of the student’s body weight. Lighten the load by switching to digital versions of textbooks and having them all on one lightweight tablet. Avoid carrying a water bottle in one of the outside pockets and instead, carry it in your hands, or fill it up when you get to your location. Utilize lockers, cars, or another storage facility on campus to alleviate carrying all your items to each class. 

3- Pay Attention To How You Pick Up Your Bag

Many backpack wearers may not think much about how they lift their backpacks or how bending down to pick them up can impact their spine. Bending and lifting your back can cause inflammation or bulging discs in the future. You want to pick your backpack straight up and lift it with your legs.

4- Don’t Wear It With Just One Strap

By wearing a heavy backpack with just one strap, you disrupt the weight distribution and alter your posture. Choosing a backpack that looks good off the shoulder may make you feel cool, but down the road, you could be cursing yourself for your neck or back pain. Wearing a heavy load on just one shoulder can be painful, especially if your backpack straps are not wide enough or don’t have proper padding. Limit divots in your shoulders, neck pain, and lower back pain by wearing your backpack the way it was meant to be worn.

5- Consider A Backpack With Wheels

If you have to carry a heavy load, or you can’t find a well-fitting backpack for your child, consider choosing a backpack with wheels. Not only will this take the weight off your back and shoulders, but it may allow you to carry more. Wheel backpacks have come a long way, and you may be able to double them as a carry-on when traveling. 

6- Wear It High And Tight Against Your Back

Choosing a backpack that fits is only half the battle. Once you have found one with two-inch straps, a possible chest clip, and one that fits the size of your body, you need to wear it in the proper place. Backpacks should be worn high on your back (remember the bottom should hit no lower than your waistline) and should sit snuggly against your spine. Wearing your bag low and loose will lead to back pain, bad posture, and other health problems. 

Limit Back Pain With Health And Wellness Clinic

For adults, teens, or children that are experiencing back pain, Health And Wellness Clinic can provide relief. No matter the cause of your back pain, we have chiropractors who can help realign your spine and reduce inflammation.

Chiropractic treatment can be helpful in other areas of your life as well. Chiropractic can help improve posture, limit migraines, reduce the risk of surgery, and more. Our team at Health And Wellness Clinic wants to help you live your life pain-free. Gaining more motion, limiting pain, and giving you better posture will boost your physical health. Choosing a backpack that helps prevent back pain can be a good place to start, but other genetic dispositions may make back pain inevitable. 
Visit our office or fill out our contact form to learn if chiropractic with our office is right for you. We will answer any questions you have in a timely manner.

Cold water therapy or cold water immersion has been practiced in ancient civilizations for decades, but it is now emerging into modern medicine. While it has faced scrutiny from many scientists, studies have shown that the body’s natural healing process is heightened when cold immersion is integrated into your routine. Many wellness retreats, sports enthusiasts, and those looking for remission from chronic health conditions have found relief from cold water immersion. Below are just some of the benefits of cold water, ice baths, and cryotherapy. 

What Is Cold Exposure?

Any type of exposure to the cold or immersion in cold water is considered a form of cold therapy. It comes in a variety of forms such as ice baths, cold showers, cryotherapy, frozen lake swims, and polar plunges. 

Willing our bodies to be exposed to the stress of the cold helps us to better regulate our nervous system and in turn have a better reaction to stress. Managing stress is important for physical and mental health as it can lead to detrimental physical health problems. 

The body’s reaction to stress is similar to how it reacts to extreme cold. This looks like an elevated heart rate, feelings of panic, body contractions, or shallow breathing. Learning to relax and cope with these symptoms will help your body know how to handle them when in a high-stress situation. 

What Is Cryotherapy?

Cold therapy has been used to help aid in recovery, treat muscle spasms, and slow the aging process. The process of cryotherapy can help fight inflammation and improve your energy levels after injury or during serious illness. Cryotherapy is non-invasive and pain-free for patients who experience pain or tense muscles. 

Cryotherapy is also effective in limiting tissue breakdown, improving metabolism, faster recovery times, and more by just quickly cooling the skin and body’s internal temperature. Below is more about the individual benefits you can get from cold water immersion or cryotherapy. 

Improve Blood Circulation

Good blood circulation is a key indicator of health in a person. Proper blood flow allows you to have a healthy heart, and high energy, limit headaches and lower your risk for high blood pressure. Enhancing cardiovascular health can be accomplished by cold water therapy because blood is pumped to the vital organs to keep them warm. Once your body learns to self-regulate, you will increase your blood flow during daily life. 

Help Aid In Weight Loss

Cold water therapy can lead to brown fat cells and a hormone release of Irisin and FGF in your body which help to burn fat tissues and lead to weight loss. Some instances of cold water can lead to shivering which is your body’s way of producing heat and burning calories. Muscle contraction can help aid in the start of weight loss. 

Lessen Muscle Aches And Fatigue

Because cryotherapy and cold water immersion help limit inflammation, it also helps reduce muscle aches and fatigue. Cold water causes blood vessels to constrict and helps reduce swelling. This is a benefit that athletes utilize quite frequently to help enhance muscle recovery. Those who utilize ice baths or other forms of cold water immersion report less muscle soreness after exercising. 

Boost Immune System

This benefit should come as no shock considering all the other benefits we have discussed. Your immune system relies on a lot of elements to stay on top of its game. Cold exposure can help the body fight infections, which directly attack your immune system. Bacterial infections usually lead to inflammatory responses, which is where cold therapy can help limit the number of symptoms you experience. 

Increase Range Of Motion

Athletes use cold water immersion to help muscles and limit the discomfort their bodies can feel. This helps you to gain better motion and flexibility because your body is able to move with ease. Cryotherapy can help reduce the risk of injury and help people reach new physical milestones. 

Better flexibility can help improve your posture, limit back pain, and stand taller. So improving motion has multiple benefits all wrapped into one. 

Cryotherapy With Health And Wellness

Health And Wellness Clinic offers chiropractic care and cryotherapy for our patients. For those who want to avoid surgery and prescription medication, our noninvasive techniques are the best option. We have over 25 years of combined experience and can serve both our English and Spanish-speaking patients. 
Our clinic looks forward to serving new patients and building a healthier community. Visit our office to get started on a pain-free road today!