The Range Of Motion In Your Spine
The range of motion in your spine refers to how far your back can bend, twist, or move in different directions. It’s the flexibility and mobility of your spine. Your spine is made up of individual bones called vertebrae, and the spaces between them allow for movement. A good range of motion in your spine is essential for everyday activities like bending over, turning your head, and reaching for things. It also contributes to your overall comfort and quality of life.
Proper exercise and posture can help maintain and improve your spine’s range of motion. Let’s talk about what happens when your spine can’t move well, and what exercises can help make it move better.
Impacts of Reduced Spinal Range of Motion
Having a good range of motion in your spine is essential for daily activities. But, it’s also important to know what happens when it decreases. Reduced spine mobility can lead to discomfort, stiffness, and difficulty in doing regular tasks.
Here are several impacts and consequences that may arise when the range of motion in the spine decreases:
Pain and Discomfort: Reduced spinal mobility often leads to pain and discomfort. It can result in aches, stiffness, and limited movement, making everyday activities more challenging.
Loss of Flexibility: A decrease in range of motion means that your spine becomes less flexible, making it harder to bend, twist, or reach for objects. This can hinder your ability to perform various tasks.
Risk of Injury: Limited spinal mobility can increase the risk of injury, as your body may compensate for the restricted movement by overusing other muscles or altering your posture, leading to strain and potential injuries.
Reduced Quality of Life: An inflexible spine can impact your overall quality of life by limiting your participation in physical activities, causing discomfort during rest, and affecting your general well-being.
Muscle Imbalances: When the spine loses range of motion, it can create muscle imbalances as certain muscle groups become overworked, while others become underused, potentially leading to further issues.
To address a decreased range of motion in the spine, it’s essential to incorporate exercises and stretches that target flexibility and core strength.
3 Common Exercises to Increase the Range of Motion in Your Spine
These are the three easy exercises you can do at home to make your spine healthy, increase your range of motion, and relieve back pain. These exercises are designed to help ease tension and stress in your lower back while helping the spine. These are part of our specifically recommended therapies.
For these exercises, you’ll need a wobble cushion or, if you don’t have one, an exercise ball. Exercise balls come in different sizes, so you can choose one that suits you. Let’s learn the correct way to do these 3 exercises, as explained below:
Front-and-Back Exercise
- Stand or sit comfortably
- Start by arching your back gently, looking up toward the ceiling
- Bring your shoulders closer together as you arch your back
- Reverse the motion by arching your back and looking down toward the floor
- This exercise helps improve the range of motion in your spine
Side-to-Side Therapeutic Exercise
- Stand with your arms in front of you
- Begin by tilting your upper body to the side
- Drop one hip down while lifting the opposite ear towards the raised hi
- Imagine forming a graceful ‘C’ shape with your spine
- Repeat this side-to-side motion about 15 to 20 times
- This exercise helps relieve tension and improve the flexibility of your spine
Looking Over Shoulder Exercise
- Sit up straight with a stable posture
- Clasp your hands together in front of your chest
- Keep your hips still and stable
- Turn from side to side, leading with your chin, and look over your shoulder as far as possible
- Repeat this rotation 15-20 times in each direction
- Do them once or twice a day
We suggest doing a series of three motions on the exercise ball or wobble cushion to strengthen the muscles in your spine. This helps improve blood circulation in your body and spine, reducing inflammation and relieving pain and tension, especially in your lower back. If you’re not sure how to do these exercises correctly, just click below the spinal exercises video to see the right way to do them with the proper posture.
How to Increase Range of Motion in spine with Chiropractic Care
Even though these exercises work well, you might still need expert help from a chiropractor to enhance your spinal range of motion. If you or someone you know is dealing with chronic back pain and needs professional guidance, consider visiting Murfreesboro Chiropractor, Dr. Oscar Noriega, at Revolution Chiropractic Murfreesboro. You can reach our Murfreesboro office while booking an appointment with us.
Chiropractic care can play a significant role in increasing spinal range of motion. Our treatments may include various approaches like massage therapy, spinal decompression, spinal adjustments, and activator methods, all aimed at improving your spine’s flexibility. Our goal is to help you enhance your quality of life through chiropractic care and alleviate the back pain you’re experiencing. Our team is here to help you to keep your life healthy and maintain a strong spine.
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