Movement is Life

Back in 9^th grade biology class I remember learning that one of the ways to determine if something is alive is to see if it has movement.  Without movement, there truly is no life, and we understand this on a purely biological level. Blood cells that don’t move can’t transport oxygen, hearts that don’t move can’t pump blood and spines that don’t move can’t create movement for daily living or for the stimulation of the joint-brain pathways required for proper brain and body communication.   

Show me someone who does not move well, and I will show you someone with declining health.  As a chiropractor I am ultimately concerned with movement.  The movement I am concerned with happens on a couple different levels.

The first and most obvious level is whole body movement or exercise.  The benefits of exercise are many.  All of us know the usual benefits like weight control, cardiovascular health, muscle and bone strength /flexibility but here are 7 lesser known benefits of regular exercise.

• It reverses the negative effects of stress.
• It is a natural anti-depressant.
• It improves your ability to learn.
• It improves self-esteem and body image.
• It leaves you with a natural high that improves your mood and gives you more energy.
• It keeps your brain fit and active, fending off memory loss.
• It promotes better sleep.

The second level of movement occurs within specific muscles and joints.  Muscles move joints and the loss of motion at a specific joint may be due to excessive muscular tightness or a problem with the joint.  If you lose motion within a particular joint it can initially lead to inflammation and pain.  If proper movement is not restored, it can lead to increased stiffness, weakness of muscle and ligament around the joint, weakness in the bone, eventually osteoarthritis and finally cell death. Much of what I do as a chiropractor is locate and correct muscles and joints that are not doing their job and are not moving properly.

Here is the take home message:

• Get moving.  Do whatever you are able.  The benefits are immense.
• If you have a specific area of your body or specific joints that are not moving well – it’s probably time to get professional help to find out why and see if a correction is possible.
• Protect your ability to move at all costs. Loss of movement = loss of health.

Yours In Health,