The Single Most Important Thing for Health
What if there was one word, one concept that embodied the most significant quality of health and well-being? What do you think that word would be. Well you know I’m a chiropractor, so you might guess that I would say something related to the nervous system, or maybe the alignment of the spine. Maybe preventing Tech Neck. You would warm, but in my mind the single most important thing for health is…
Movement
In chiropractic we say Life is Movement, Movement is Life. We say that because when a joint, especially a spinal joint is not moving as intended, it becomes inflamed and irritates the nerves that pass by it causing pain, numbness or muscle tension. But, this is just one example of the importance of movement.
- Osteopaths focus on the movement of fluids through the body.
- Acupuncturists look at the flow of chi energy though out the body.
- Food must move through the digestive tract properly for digestion
- Emotionally, when something makes us happy or sad, we say we are moved.
- Exercise moves every aspect of body and mind
- The heart moves the blood and keep the vessels clear
- The lungs pull in more oxygen, especially good for the brain
- The muscles squeeze the lymphatic vessels and veins, clearing metabolic waste from cell metabolism
- Moving the body even massages the internal organs
One of the greatest health hazards we face as a society is our lack of movement. The physical demands we place on our bodies are nothing compared to what we evolved to do. So much of what we do is done sitting and often times the posture in which we sit puts forces on the muscles and joints that change them in such a way that limits mobility when we want to exercise.
“Tech Neck”, what us chiropractor used to just call Forward Head Carraige, in which the head is held forward of the shoulders, is endemic due to constant computer and phone use. Having held the neck in this position so much the ligaments that secure one vertebrae to the next stretch on the front of the neck and shorten on the back. This is why trying to move your neck in to proper posture may be difficult. You cannot stretch a muscle across a joint that is not moving well and a tight muscle is a weak muscle. Tech Neck limits movement. Overall long sitting and poor posture limits movement in the whole spine.
If you can, sit up straight with your ears in line with your shoulders. Turn your head as far as you can to the left and right. Now, let your head move forward and try it again. This is how joint position aka alignment affects joint movement. Fortunately, chiropractic adjustments can treat and prevent this gradual loss of movement and the resulting irritation of the nervous system. That makes chiropractic adjustments essential to movement, the most essential aspect of health.
