Are you looking for chiropractors for stress in Adelaide?
At Back in Balance Chiropractic, another common condition we treat is stress. you might think, why would I go to a chiropractor for stress?
Chiropractic treatments help relieve the uncomfortable symptoms caused by chronic stress. In addition, chiropractic adjustments can calm the nervous system, and lessen the flight or fight response most people experience when stressed.
We are finding more and more stress & tension issues coming from patients.
If you are having problems with stress-related tension & need some help please give our chiropractic team a call today for an appointment.
You can contact us on 08 8278 6057 if you need expert help in Adelaide.
To learn more about our & patients please view our Facebook Page & Google Business page. We know reviews are important as it helps to bring in patients who are looking for good practitioners.
Stress can be good for you in small doses. However, in our busy modern lifestyle full of deadlines the constant flight/fight reaction can be detrimental to your health. Stress is one of the body’s protective mechanisms inbuilt to keep you energetic and alert in the case of an emergency. It is important to deal with stress as it can show in many different ways affecting your mind body and behaviour.
Some signs and symptoms of too much stress include:
- Memory problems
- Poor concentration
- Poor judgement
- Moodiness
- Irritability
- Feeling lonely or isolated
- Depression
- Eating more or less
- Procrastination
- Using alcohol, cigarettes or drugs to relax
- nxiety
Some physical signs and symptoms include
- Aches and Pains due to prolonged muscle tension (back, neck, jaw etc)
- Nausea or dizziness
- Chest pain or rapid heart beat
- Low immunity – frequent colds
- Loss of sex drive
- Skin conditions such as eczema
- Heart disease
- Headaches
- Diabetes
Your body responds the same to physical and emotional stress. Chronic stress can be detrimental to your health. It can raise blood pressure, lower immunity, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process.
How to deal with stress:
- Visit your chiropractor: Stress can cause a build-up of tension in your muscles as well as nerve irritation. A chiropractor will often work on the soft tissue structures to increase circulation and to release tension. The adjustment will release endorphins[i][ii] which calm the nervous system as well as increasing blood circulation[iii]. In many cases this will switch off the constant flight/fight response in the brain, alleviating stress.
- Be organised, write lists. These may help with time management
- Exercise: physical activity can reduce tension in your muscles
- Relaxation exercises: yoga or breathing techniques can be helpful to release tension
- Communicate: Talk to someone about your struggles
- Spend time with positive people
- Eat healthy: it helps your body cope with stress better
- Reduce caffeine and sugar: they will give you a temporary high and a crash in mood and energy will follow
[i] Vernon HT, Dhami MS, Howley TP, Annett R. Spinal manipulation and beta-endorphin: a controlled study of the effect of a spinal manipulation on plasma beta-endorphin levels in normal males. J Man Phyiol Ther. 1986
[ii] Cassidy JD, Lopes AA, et al: The immediate effect of manipulation versus mobilisation on pain and range of motion in the cervical spine; a pilot study. J Manip Physiol ther, 1992; 15:495-500
[iii] Harris W, Wagnon RJ: The effects of chiropractic adjustments on distal skin temperature. J Manip Physiol Ther 1987; 10:57-60
Chiropractors for stress in Adelaide FAQ’s
The symptoms of subluxation are numerous and can touch on almost all areas of your health. Emotional problems like anxiety and depression can emerge from certain vertebrae being out of alignment.
If you cannot cope with stress it can have an adverse effect on the whole body: emotionally, physically, and mentally. The more common stress symptoms are:
- muscle tension
- chest pain
- anxiety
- pain in the lower back
- lack of focus
- problems sleeping
- depression
- indigestion/reflux
- tiredness
- headaches
- irritability
- feeling overwhelmed
- lack of sex drive
- over or under-eating
Chiropractic treatment in itself can’t rid you of your stress but it can help to relieve the symptoms caused by stress.
As the body endures more stress it makes it a lot more sensitive to imbalances of a physical nature and to pain.
Your Chiropractor can help to restore balance & get the spine back into alignment, thus relieving pain usually caused in the neck & back. When tension builds exponentially in your body, the outcome is more often than not pain in a variety of places. The care given by your Chiropractor helps in the following ways:
- When your Chiro has made adjustments to your spine, it releases tension and the body can then relax since stress is reduced.
- After your Chiro has adjusted it and the spine is in alignment, it unblocks the central nervous system so it can function the way it should.
- This allows you to think more rationally and clearly; messages to your brain and nervous system are sent and received seamlessly, and your mental stress lessens as a result.
- Another benefit is the realignment of the spine by your Chiro helps with blood circulation,and it allows your body to turn off the fight/flight response which is integral to relieving your stress.
Stress can be good for you in small doses. However, in our busy modern lifestyle full of deadlines, lockdowns, and financial strain, the constant flight/fight reaction can be detrimental to our health. Stress is one of the body’s protective mechanisms inbuilt to keep you energetic and alert in the case of an emergency.
Our nervous system contributes to the fight/flight response. It signals to the adrenal glands to release hormones which increase our heart and respiration rate, dilate blood vessels in our arms and legs, and change our digestive process so that we have more available sugar in our bloodstream for energy.
Chronic stress can result in long-term drain on the body. As our nervous system continues to trigger physical reactions, it causes wear and tear on the body. It is the continuous activation of the nervous system that can become detrimental to our health.
When the body is stressed, our muscles tense up, this is the body’s way of guarding against injury and pain. With sudden onset stress the muscles tense and then release their tension when the stressor passes. Chronic stress on the other hand causes the muscles in the body to be in a constant state of guardedness.
For example, tension-type headache is associated with chronic muscle tension in the area of the shoulders, neck and head. The effect of stress on our body is not limited to headaches though, stress can cause tension throughout our entire body and put it in a state of constant work. Similarly, as with exercise, this can cause fatigue and muscle aches from being over worked.
If any posture is repeated over a long time due to a particular situation like stress, then our nervous system will pattern that combination of tight muscles and posture into an easily reproducible motor program. Then, when a stressful situation is experienced again, you body will re-establish that patterned motor program in response. This in turn decreases our ability to relax and increases our energy expenditure.
The more this posture pattern is re-enforced, the quicker and more ingrained the body’s response to the stress becomes set and the harder it is to retrain the body out of this posture.
However, if we understand this process, we can learn to alleviate its effects and even re-program the pattern to one that is less detrimental. As chiropractors, we know the effect poor posture can have on your health.
In general, the effects of stress on our musculo-skeletal system may include muscular reactivity, chronic muscle tension and pain, headaches, exaggeration of involuntary postural patterns and, if the stress continues for a long period of time, eventual bone demineralisation.
Ways to reduce stress
- Talk to a friend
- Take a minute- and a deep breath
- Exercise
- Do something you enjoy
- Improve your sleep
- Improve your diet
- Organise/plan
- Yoga/meditation
- Resolve conflict
- Create a better work/life balance
- Speak to Dr Paije or Dr Alison about how we can help
