There is a wide range of reasons to visit a family chiropractor in Plantation, including, to ensure your ability to enjoy a wide range of motion when it comes to your joints. As we age, our range of joint motion (mobility in the body) seems diminish, but the good news is – this isn’t something you have to live with!

And sometimes, it’s not age at all that compromises our joints. It’s injuries, lifestyle choices, genetics, and so much more. But, like with so many other ailments, aches, and pains, the buck stops here – as we’re putting you, and your joints, back in motion, so that you can enjoy a functional, pain-free life as you continue on doing whatever it is you love most.

Dr. Gena Chiropractic, your favorite family chiropractor located just minutes west of Fort Lauderdale in Plantation, is well-versed when it comes to joints. Why, you ask? Good question…

… Because your ability to have your joints be able to move through a full range of motion, determines the quality of your overall health. Every joint not also affects your muscles, but the surrounding nerve and blood vessels, too. As in, it’s all connected!

Before we talk about ensuring your joint health, it’s important to first go a little deeper and understand the functions of the joints in your body. As per this article in Very Well Health, Range of motion (ROM) is a measurement of the distance and direction a joint can move to its full potential. A joint is a location in the body where bones connect. Most of them are constructed to allow movement in predetermined directions. Each joint has different ranges of motion for each type of movement it can perform. There are a few joints that do not support movement, such as in the skull.

Joint movements include extension, flexions, abduction, and adduction which can all be affected in different ways. Most commonly, living a sedentary lifestyle is a huge contributing factor to the health of your joints and the range of motion they’ll have. Being inactive (or even sitting stuck at your desk all day at work) makes you susceptible to a wide range of issues, many of which can have a trickle-down effect on your joints and how  well they’ll function, including:

• Weaker bones and loss of important mineral content (osteopenia)
• Increased levels of inflammation in the body, which ultimately affects your joints
• Risk for osteoporosis and falls
• Greater chance of weight gain which puts added pressure on the joints and impacts their ability to function optimally

“It’s like a bicycle chain,” Dr. Gena describes. “If you let that bicycle sit in the garage for weeks at a time, the chain is bound to become stiff, rusty, and will inevitably provide you with some difficulty when you finally get back on your bike. Your joints are the same – you need to use ‘em to avoid losing ‘em.”

So, aside from committing to a lifestyle that includes regular movement to keep your joint range of motion in good working order, what other options do you have?

Chiropractic care, of course!

At Dr. Gena Chiropractic in Plantation, we can help you return to a normal joint range of motion in no time. In fact, the Arthritis Foundation counts on chiropractic care for healthy joints!

“Chiropractors focus on the relationships between structure and function, explains Robert Hayden, PhD, a spokesperson for the American Chiropractic Association and a chiropractor of 22 years. They are different from an osteopath, who uses manual manipulations but also treats the entire body and may use medication or surgery. The thinking is simple, he says. If the structure of a joint is not right, then it can’t work as it was designed. “The place where chiropractic really shines is in maximizing the function of an arthritic joint,” he adds. “Our goal is to restore patients’ function so they can have the kind of life they want.”

Ready to put your health back in your hands? Great, because our hands are here to help! Call us today, and get back on the path to feeling great.