Chiropractor-Backed Tips to Prevent Re-Injury, Decrease Pain and Increase Mobility
As a chiropractor in NYC, I see patients experiencing chronic pain as a result of immobility.
Identify functional deficit
Once you identify a movement restriction or functional deficit-you need to target that area for mobility.
Decrease pain
The adjustment and soft tissue work is a great catalyst to restore normal joint mechanics and end the downward spiral of altered joint mechanics, repetitive stress injuries, and chronic pain.
Maintain normal Joint ROM
Many patients ask how to maintain their normal joint mobility off the chiropractic table and how to prevent a re-occurrence of their condition. The common story I hear is our patients stretch out and foam roll, but find they feel stuck with the same mobility and compensations-they reach a plateau.
Increase mobility
To break through a movement plateau, look at CARs of the hip to take your mobility to the next level and bulletproof yourself against re-injury.
Prevent re-injury
CARs are basically end range joint circles, what separates this from other movement systems is the specificity of the ranges. The goal is to use the whole ROM of a single joint in a controlled and mindful manner, while paying close attention that you don’t borrow any movement or ROM from the surrounding joints.
Rehab
Hip CARs are an easy entry and addition to your program with the biggest results commonly seen. We use the standing variation with the cue to crush a tennis ball between your heel and buttock to engage those hamstrings. Start with flexing your knee towards your chest without rounding the spine then extend your hip back all while maintaining that hamstring curl. From the back position you can bring that hip out and around to the start position. Then reverse directions.
Remember we usually lose hip extension and abduction focus on end range hip extension abduction (away from the body) without compensation.
Use a bigger ball closer to your knee to make it easier. Use a smaller ball further away to make it harder.
