Muscle strength can mean different things to different people. But in general, the body’s muscles need to be strong and agile enough to endure work, sports, and regular physical daily activities. Exercise and chiropractic fitness complement each other, with strong evidence supporting exercise as being as effective as other non-surgical treatments for low back pain.

A chiropractic fitness treatment program increases core muscle strength and reduces acute lower back pain. This, combined with light aerobic exercise, helps digestion, keeps the muscles toned, and promotes better circulation. An acute and chronic low back pain treatment/management plan could include:

• Chiropractic manipulation/balancing
• Massage therapy to keep muscles loose and circulation moving
• Core strengthening with an exercise regimen – Examples could be walking around the neighborhood, strengthening, yoga, and more.
• Stretching regimen
• Injury prevention guidelines
• Health coaching includes diet, supplements, weight loss, stress management, and more.

Individuals experiencing chronic soreness and/or fatigue could present something more serious. Several factors measure the strength of the muscles other than just physical force.

Factors that Affect Strength

There are different ways to measure muscle strength. Variables like endurance, muscle coordination, and maximum force are some ways to assess the health and strength of the muscles. Factors that can influence strength include:

• Functional neural signal sending and the response of the muscle/s
• The number and size of the muscle cells
• The ability of the muscle/s to generate appropriate force
• The way the spinal cord responds to stimulation
• Being able to sense the joints moving in space
• The ability of the nervous system to coordinate proper movement and generate muscle force

Spinal Alignment

Muscle strength involves the nervous system. Muscle health is important, but the input and output of each muscle transmitting from the nervous system is the control center for proper movement and strength. When the connection is healthy and strong, the nervous system and brain can effectively generate movement and regulate the right amount of muscle strength.

When increasing strength, the focus should be on proper nerve circulation, which starts with spinal alignment. It enhances the effectiveness of strength training. Even small changes/disruptions can lead to the spine shifting out of alignment. These changes, over time, affect the signals sent between the spinal cord, brain, and muscles.

Once alignment is addressed, then the body can heal and strengthen itself naturally, and the exercise regimen can be reevaluated by the chiropractor. It is important for a chiropractor to reevaluate a patient’s exercise program following the initial therapy to determine its effectiveness. Measuring the spinal range of motion and the effectiveness of the exercises is one way to make a determination. Then the exercise regimen could be advanced or intensified for optimal health. Options can include:

• Increasing the intensity of the workout
• Exercising more
• Lifting heavier
• Increasing reps
• Boosting endurance

With time, there should be less fatigue and more energy for daily physical tasks.

Proper spine care is handled best through chiropractors specializing in sports physical fitness therapy/rehabilitation and preventive care. They follow specific protocols that focus on the root cause of spinal misalignment. The key factor is getting adjusted, moving, and improving body health.

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El Paso Chiropractor

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References

Gudavalli, Maruti Ram, et al. “A randomized clinical trial and subgroup analysis to compare flexion-distraction with active exercise for chronic low back pain.” The European spine journal: official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society vol. 15,7 (2006): 1070-82. doi:10.1007/s00586-005-0021-8