Move Well: Your Path to Lasting Spinal Health

Movement is life. When you stop moving, you literally start dying.

At Family Chiropractic, we don't just adjust your spine and send you on your way. True, lasting correction requires a comprehensive approach that includes specific rehabilitation exercises designed to retrain your nervous system and support the changes we create through adjustments.

Here's the truth: Adjustments correct the spinal misalignments and remove nerve interference. But exercises and rehabilitation make those corrections STICK.

Think of it this way:

• Adjustments restore proper alignment and movement
• Exercises retrain the muscles, nerves, and connective tissues to maintain that alignment
• Together, they create lasting neurological change

This page will help you understand WHY each component of your home care and in-office rehabilitation is essential, and HOW to perform your exercises correctly for maximum benefit.

RANGE OF MOTION EXERCISES

Moving Your Spine in New Ways

Your spine is designed to move in six directions.

Here's the problem: Most of us only move our spines in ONE or TWO of these directions during daily activities. We sit, we stand, we walk forward. We rarely bend backward, twist fully, or move side to side through our full range.

IMPORTANT GUIDELINES:

Do them SLOWLY and CONTROLLED These aren't about speed or forcing anything. Slow, deliberate movements are most effective.

Stay within comfortable ranges You should feel a stretch, but NEVER sharp pain. If something hurts, stop and let us know at your next visit.

Breathe normally Don't hold your breath. Relaxed breathing helps your nervous system stay calm and allows better movement.

Be consistent Doing these exercises 2-3 times daily is FAR more effective than doing them once for a long time. Frequency creates neurological change.

Do them BEFORE your other exercises Range of motion exercises prepare your spine for the more active exercises that follow.

CORE ACTIVATION & STABILIZATION

Most people think "core" means "abs" or "six-pack muscles." That's not accurate.

Your core is actually a complex system of muscles that stabilize and support your spine.

WHY CORE STRENGTH MATTERS FOR SPINAL HEALTH

Think of your spine like a tent pole, and your core muscles like the support cables. Without strong, properly functioning cables, the pole becomes unstable and vulnerable to damage.

DAILY CORE PRACTICE

Practice engaging your core during daily activities:

• While sitting at your desk
• While standing at the counter
• While walking
• Before lifting anything
• During your other exercises

The more you practice, the more automatic it becomes. Eventually, your nervous system will maintain this support without conscious thought.

NERVE FLOSSING EXERCISES

Nerve flossing (also called nerve gliding or neural mobilization) is a specialized technique that gently moves nerves through their surrounding tissues to:

• Reduce nerve tension and irritation
• Improve nerve mobility and gliding
• Decrease pain and radiating symptoms
• Restore proper nerve function
• Break up adhesions around nerves

Think of it like dental floss moving between your teeth—nerve flossing helps nerves glide smoothly through muscles, joints, and other tissues instead of getting stuck or compressed.

NERVE FLOSSING SAFETY GUIDELINES

CRITICAL: Nerve flossing should NEVER cause sharp pain or increased symptoms.

Proper technique guidelines:

✓ Move SLOWLY and GENTLY - This isn't stretching; it's mobilization

✓ Stay within comfortable ranges - You may feel a mild stretch or "awareness" of the nerve, but not pain

✓ Stop if symptoms increase - Some mild tingling is normal, but increasing pain or numbness means STOP

✓ Perform regularly - 2-3 times daily is more effective than once for longer

✓ Be patient - Nerve healing takes time; consistency matters more than intensity

NEUROMUSCULAR RE-EDUCATION

Neuromuscular re-education is specialized rehabilitation that retrains the communication between your nervous system (neuro) and your muscles (muscular).

Here's the key concept: Your spinal problems aren't just mechanical issues with bones and joints. They're NEUROLOGICAL problems with how your brain communicates with and controls your body.

When you've had subluxations for months or years:

• Your nervous system has learned incorrect movement patterns
• Muscles fire in the wrong sequence or with improper timing
• Your brain has a distorted "map" of where your body is in space
• Compensation patterns become hardwired

You can't just "adjust" these patterns away. You must RETRAIN them through specific, targeted exercises that create new neurological pathways.

WHY NEUROMUSCULAR RE-EDUCATION IS ESSENTIAL

Think about learning to play piano. You can have the best piano in the world (like having a perfectly aligned spine), but if you don't practice and train your brain and fingers to work together, you won't be able to play.

Similarly with your spine:

Adjustments = Tuning the piano (restoring proper alignment) Neuromuscular Re-education = Learning to play (retraining movement patterns)

WHY YOU CAN'T SKIP IN-OFFICE REHAB

"Can I just do these at home?"

While home exercises are crucial, in-office rehabilitation provides something you can't replicate on your own:

Professional Assessment - We see compensations and incorrect patterns you can't feel

Proper Progression - We know when to advance and when to regress based on your response

Motivation & Accountability - Scheduled sessions keep you consistent

Equipment Access - We have specialized tools that create specific neurological challenges

Immediate Correction - We fix your form in real-time, preventing reinforcement of bad patterns

Think of it like physical therapy, but specifically designed to support your chiropractic adjustments and create lasting spinal correction.