Flexibility and range of motion are essential elements for an individual’s overall health, physical fitness, and quality of life. Healthy flexibility helps the body:

• Maintain a physically active lifestyle.
• Maintain strength.
• Improve endurance.
• Prevent injury.

Flexibility and Range of Motion

Joint stiffness and pain can make it challenging to engage in everyday activities and maintain mobile, physical, emotional, and internal health. Individuals need to use their entire body and range of movement to keep the body flexible and moving. Becoming sedentary affects the body’s flexibility, leading to slowed/blocked blood circulation, nerve energy signal disruption, and sickness. To improve flexibility and range of motion, it is recommended to include the following:

• Stretching the body
• Regular exercise and physical activity
• Yoga
• Healthy diet
• Healthy weight
• Proper sleep

For individuals with stiffened muscles and joints, chiropractic medicine can increase the body’s flexibility, improving the range of motion in the joints. Chiropractic optimizes the function of the joints, improving mobility with less pain. When living with arthritis, chiropractic is an excellent therapy to decrease pain and activate the body’s natural healing abilities. Chiropractic adjustments align the spine and improve nervous system function.

Nerve Pressure

Nerve pressure can cause pain or tingling sensations that can become difficult to manage. A shifted, a misaligned spine can compress nerve endings, causing pain that presents with or without movement. Getting the body in motion and moving around is essential to treat stiffness and joint pain. Chiropractic aims to align the spine and body and relieve pressure on the nerves, helping the body regain flexibility and range of motion. Once the body is adjusted, the nerve endings are no longer irritated, relieving the pain. Chiropractic uses various techniques to deal with areas of compression, including stretching, percussive massage, low-laser therapy, ultrasound, and strengthening exercises.

• Chiropractic adjustments relieve pain and improve mobility.
• Strengthening exercises to keep the spine in proper alignment.
• Exercising keeps the adjustments in place.

A careful assessment of the condition will determine the cause of stiffness and joint immobility. Chiropractic can treat the joints, bones, and muscles to improve flexibility and manage muscle spasms and soft tissue tenderness to alleviate symptoms and restore and improve the range of motion. Chiropractic adjustments are combined with therapeutically designed stretches and exercises to perform at home, along with an anti-inflammation diet and supplements.

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Body Composition

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Zinc

Zinc is an essential nutrient that provides overall immune function. It is a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation responses. Various bodily chemical reactions require Zinc. Zinc is necessary for muscle protein synthesis and hormone regulation. Zinc deficiency is common in older individuals and has been connected with degenerative diseases that include:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Atherosclerosis
• Age-related macular degeneration
• Weight loss
• Muscle atrophy

Sources of Zinc include:

• Nuts
• Legumes
• Chicken
• Red meat
• Oysters

References

Green, S et al. “Physiotherapy interventions for shoulder pain.” The Cochrane database of systematic reviews vol. 2003,2 (2003): CD004258. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004258

Hartvigsen, Jan et al. “What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention.” Lancet (London, England) vol. 391,10137 (2018): 2356-2367. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30480-X

Kavuncu, Vural, and Deniz Evcik. “Physiotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis.” MedGenMed: Medscape general medicine vol. 6,2 3. 17 May. 2004

Page, Carolyn J et al. “Physiotherapy management of knee osteoarthritis.” International journal of rheumatic diseases vol. 14,2 (2011): 145-51. doi:10.1111/j.1756-185X.2011.01612.x

Wessels, Inga, et al. “Zinc as a Gatekeeper of Immune Function.” Nutrients vol. 9,12 1286. 25 Nov. 2017, doi:10.3390/nu9121286