Exercising

Cardiovascular and strengthening exercises combined with chiropractic care are important in the management of pain in general and are the backbone of any wellness program. Dr. Piretti began his career as a personal trainer and has a degree in exercise science so workout programs have always been a part of his chiropractic treatments.

Sometimes exercise is fantastic for pain, and is all that someone needs to get them back on the right track.  But for many people who are in pain, exercise is actually not a great idea.  Small injuries respond well, but larger more extensive injuries can get worse when people start to work out.  So it's never a good idea to head to the gym when the body starts to hurt.  

Once treatment begins, and the acute pain stage starts to subside, Dr. Piretti will start adding in specific exercises for pain control and strength gains.  These will be used in conjuction with chiropractic adjustments to solidify the changes made to the body.  Without exercise it's almost impossible to stay pain free because the body is designed to move.  

General tips for exercise and pain control

1. If you're in actue pain, exercise will not make you feel better, and it probably will make you feel worse.

2. When you're ready to exercise again, avoid movements that flex you at the hip.  Examples are the stair climber or walking at an incline.  This puts undue stress on the low back and hips which can aggrevate a low back.

3. It's best to take short walks throughout the day to increase blood flow and improve healing time.  Don't attempt to go for a long walk, try to take many short walks instead so that your body doesn't fatigue.

4. Once you start exercising again ice is your best friend.  Actually ice is the only thing recommended for pain whether you come in for treatment or you chose to deal with it on your own.  Heat is very deceiving, because it makes you feel better right away which most people think is a good thing.  This is accomplished by increased blood flow to the area and a temporary increase in range of motion thus decreasing pain.  The problem is that the increased blood flow doesn't dissipate quick enough and eventually causes more swelling than was there before.  This causes increased pain later in the day or the next morning.  It's why many people will be in pain day after day.  They heat the injury during the day, feel good for a few hours, and then wake up in a lot of pain the next morning.  10 minutes of ice every hour should work fine.  

5.  Your core is not the only reason you have low back pain!  The core is only one piece of the puzzle.  If you sit for a living and have back pain, doing crunches isn't going to help your pain!  So don't waste your time doing core work.  It's a vital part of any exercise routine, but it's not the end all be all of pain.  

6.  If you're new to working out it's always a good idea to buy one or two sessions with a personal trainer just to learn specific exercises and prevent re-injury.