As a San Diego Chiropractor, I counsel many individuals who come to my clinic who want to lose weight. I know how hard it can be, and I also know how important it is to lose those extra pounds. What’s an extra pound or two? Over the years, those pounds can add up to a surprising number of health issues from heart and pulmonary diseases and diabetes to back challenges and joint degeneration. Even a few additional pounds put excessive stress on organs, like the heart, as well as on joints in the low back, hips, and knees. Over half (62%) of men and women in the U.S. are overweight or obese, according to recent studies. That is a very significant percentage and a sizable problem (no pun intended).
It is likely no surprise to you to learn that the human body was not designed to carry around excess weight in the form of body fat. Just 20 or 30 extra pounds can literally overload and even overwhelm the joints and muscles of the body. Excess weight in the belly, for example, makes it necessary for the body to compensate (counterbalance the weight) by tilting the pelvis forward. This shift creates compression in the joints of the low back. Painful inflammation results as this joint compression impinges nerve activity. Most men and women that have a “spare tire”experience low back pain generated by a pinched sciatic nerve or misalignments of the spinal column that restrict nerves as a consequence of weight-bearing stresses. If ignored, misaligned vertebra in most cases develop into new arthritic changes in the spine over time, as well as persist in irritating the degenerative changes that have already taken place.
Here are the ways in which chiropractic treatment can help. Perhaps, it should go without saying that a moderate body weight is required in order for the musculoskeletal system to act and respond in the way it is meant to. Chiropractic treatment can not only help to decrease pain generated by excess weight compensation, but it can aid in weight reduction. Here’s how. Chiropractic adjustments relieve nerve impingements in the vertebral column and assist in getting mobility back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, particularly in the low back, hips, and knees. And, obviously exercise and physical activity will be a lot easier, and more beneficial for the body, when the the joints have good mobility and the spine is aligned. The added benefit of exercise the, in addition to helping with weight reduction, it can actually reduce degenerative changes as over the years.
Healthcare professionals, like your chiropractor, can advise you regarding your diet and exercise options. In addition to assisting people suffering from back pain and joint inflammation, chiropractors can provide trained advice on the type of lifestyle modifications that can help a person to stay healthier, more vigorous, and more active through the years. It isn’t a foregone conclusion that arthritis and immobility are an unpreventable part of the aging process. The structure of the human body is intended to carry a person through an entire lifetime of pain-free movement.
So, if you’ve been thinking that a few extra pounds won’t hurt, think again! As your chiropractor in San Diego, and someone who cares deeply about your overall health, I’d like to help you to make healthier choices. Make an appointment today!
