Feeling Stress

Stress, and feeling stress, is so common it’s often seen as “normal.” Most of us confuse the meaning of the words ‘normal’ and ‘common’. Since it’s unlikely that we can completely eliminate stress in our lives, improving our ability to withstand and accommodate it is vital for our health. Stress takes three forms, physical stress, chemical stress and emotional stress. One form of stress ALWAYS has an effect on other systems.

For example: The playboy son of a Russian oligarch may be leaving the ‘dream life’ in Monte Carlo, but if he has chronic pain will he be happy? NO. Or, if an Olympic Heptathlete is in the physical shape of her life but undergoes ongoing emotional anxiety will she perform at her physical peak? Of course not! Excessive stress will always have an adverse effect on your body.

What Are The Effects of Feeling Stress?

Your body is amazing! Your response to short term stress is also amazing! For example, imagine you are a caveman and are walking through the jungle with your kids when you enter a clearing. Suddenly you see a massive tiger on the other side of the clearing. You have a massive STRESS RESPONSE, and you are certainly feeling stress. Your brain releases adrenalin, and other chemicals, and you get a ‘Fight or Flight Response’. Heart rate, blood pressure and mental acuity all rise, while blood vessels in your arms and legs dilate to get the most blood to your big muscles to allow you to fight or flee. Meanwhile your blood vessels in the stomach, bowel, liver and other viscera constricts so the blood is pushed elsewhere.

Luckily, the tiger walks away, and within 30 minutes the body returns to it’s normal state as it is designed to do. Now imagine a very stressed, sedentary, office worker. They have not seen a tiger, but live in a perpetually agitated, stressed state. Physiologically, the body responds in exactly the same way except that the threat is not going away. Now ask yourself: How common are conditions such as High Blood Pressure and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in our society?

Types of Stress:

Physical Stress – Repetitive motions (painting the ceiling), postural distortions (falling asleep with your neck twisted, or sitting all day, everyday at your computer) are all common causes. So are slips and falls. Even a difficult birth or learning to walk.
Emotional Stress – Ever face an impossible deadline at work? Or grieved the loss of a loved one? The constant pressure of running your own business? Notice the posture of someone who is depressed. Anger, or a sense of hopelessness, are common forms of emotional stress that may affect the spine.
Chemical Stress – Our environment constantly assaults us with chemicals. Drugs, preservatives, car and industrial pollution, tobacco, alcohol, pollen, detergents and a host of other substances that can affect our nervous system and muscle tone.

What is the Treatment for Feeling Stressed?

Both Chiropractic & Osteopathy can help to manage your stress. After all, both our professions focus on the spine, which is the root of the nervous system. A common effect of ongoing stress is prolonged muscle tension and contraction, which may lead to uneven pressure on the spine and skeleton, which in turn leads to vertebral subluxations. Spinal adjustments will ease muscle tension, which then eases the physical stress and helps reduces subluxations and regains normal function. Easing subluxations and restoring a formal functioning spine is a vital element of managing personal stress. Chiropractors and Osteopaths are the experts in restoring normal spinal function.

Massage therapy can also help to reduce stress. Massage can be deeply relaxing as it stretches the muscles, flushes out toxins from the tissue and has been shown to improve both physical and mental wellbeing.

Chiropractic and Osteopathic Care for Stress

If you suffer from spinal joint dysfunction, in which spinal bones are stuck, fixed and therefore not moving properly, you lose flexibility at those levels. When a spinal bone (vertebra) loses its normal relationship with the vertebra above or below it, it may set in motion a series of cascade effects that may include:

Reduced mobility

Spinal nerve root irritation

Inflammation – acting as splinting

Muscle spasm – acting as human scaffolding

Disc bulging – due to microtears developing in the disc

Joint degeneration

Pain – may include sciatica or pins & needles

As a short-term solution to overwhelming physical, chemical or emotional stress, spinal joint dysfunction is a brilliant coping strategy. Yet, when this stress response doesn’t resolve or the stress is long term (chronic), it may lead to other consequences.

Chiropractic & Osteopathy detect these spinal joint dysfunctions (subluxations) and reduces them using gentle, specific adjustments.

Are you feeling stress? Can we help you? Find out! 0118 946 2100

Feeling Stress

What Are The Effects of Feeling Stress?

Types of Stress:

What is the Treatment for Feeling Stressed?

Chiropractic and Osteopathic Care for Stress

Reflex Spinal Health

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