Less Pain, More Joy: 3 Ways Active Therapies Can Help You Feel Your Best

While they do have a few things in common with the exercises you do at home (feel better – check; endorphins up, check) don’t mistake active therapies for simple exercise.

At Chiro One, each active therapy your doctor assigns is a vital part of your personalized care plan. Prescribed active therapies complement our gentle chiropractic adjustments—improving core strength, posture, flexibility and much more. Each active therapy and the way it is performed is prescribed by our Doctor’s of Chiropractic to address each patient’s specific needs and goals. They are also closely supervised by our Chiropractic Technicians to ensure maximum safety and effectiveness.

Since 2020, several pivotal studies have confirmed decades of research proving what Chiro One patients already know: each active therapy their doctor assigns is effective, non-invasive way to reduce pain – even the chronic low back pain that brings so many people to Chiro One.  

Researchers at the European Journal of Physical Rehabilitation Medicine, the Journal of Sports Rehabilitation and  National Library of Science  all agree: if you want to you want to get more out of the season – more movement, more fun, more of everything you love – combining gentle chiropractic adjustments with a personalized active therapy plan is a terrific way to get started. 

What are Active Therapies and How Do They Work? 

Each active therapy you’ll discover in Chiro One clinics is a vital part of our personalized care plans, as it adds valuable targeted support to your personal wellness goals. When performed regularly, the active therapies prescribed as part of Chiro One’s personalized care plans can: 

• Relieve pain and prevent future injury. Each active therapy you’re assigned will help relieve pain by reducing nerve mechanosensitivity (the tenderness you feel when you move your arms or legs and cause your nerves to stretch). 
• Restore body-wide movement and function. When performed regularly, your prescribed therapies can relieve muscle tension and improve joint mobility, so you can do more of what you love – with less pain. 

• Improve stability and balance. 70% of us will experience balance & stability issues that can make activity difficult. Active therapies can offset these issues by helping us strengthen our muscles. A strong upper body helps us stand up, grip rails and keep us balanced, while strength in our lower body helps maintain our balance when walking on uneven terrain, and keeps us from falling should we trip on a rock or stray toy.  And of course, our core muscles give us our center of balance.  

What Type of Active Therapies Are Offered in Chiro One Clinics?  

Each active therapy that your doctor includes in your personalized care plan is designed to help you loosen up tight joints and relieve pain and tension so you can get moving again – without pain.  

Pain relief is what drives most people to seek chiropractic care. Chiro One doctors treat a wide range of symptoms and conditions: from mild to moderate sciatica, runners’ knee, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and herniated discs.   

Active therapies like neurodynamic exercises (star stepper graphic) and mobility exercises (Precor graphic) can be a valuable part of that journey, helping to support long-term relief and restore lost mobility that can help to prevent future injury.  

What does it DO?

A backless chair? A bicycle to nowhere? Giant elastic bands? Further differentiating active therapies from the basic exercises you’d do at the gym (or at home) are the rather unusual pieces of equipment on which they are performed. Here’s a closer look at three common pieces of equipment you’ll see in our clinics – the active therapy benefits they provide. 

The Lumbar Decompression Chair

Known around the clinic as the “wobble chair”, this chair may look a little odd, but its therapeutic effects feel great as it decompresses your spine, providing welcome relief from lower back pain. This active therapy can also help lengthen and relax the muscles and increase blood flow to the area, making it more comfortable to complete everyday chores (like laundry) and to do the fun stuff we love (like golfing and swimming.)  

The Precor Stretch Trainer

This machine and the stretch is called the Precor stretcher, and it is where patients perform gentle active stretches that relieve tension in the back, shoulder, and throughout the entire lower body. It can also help you build flexibility and mobility by allowing you to perform a deep stretch comfortably with gentle support.  

Resistance Bands

The little therapy that could. From enabling deeper stretches to helping you build strength and mobility, it feels as though there is no limit to the number of resistance band exercises available. Stronger than the bands you’re probably accustomed to, performing active therapies with these bands can help you to improve your balance and build strength and endurance.  

Relieve Today’s Pain While Preventing Tomorrow’s  

Active therapies are also a powerful way to combat chronic pain. Performed regularly, each active therapy your doctor assigns can help you find relief from chronic pain by:  

• Reducing edema (swelling) 
• Improving neural mobility (the ability of nerves to slide in the body) 
• Reducing scar tissue  
• Improving nerve conduction function 
• Mobilizing compressed nerves  

Active therapies are a powerful way to help relieve chronic pain and prevent recurrence – so you can get back to doing what you love! They are especially effective when combined with gentle chiropractic adjustments as part of a personalized care plan.  

Learn more about the benefits of adding active therapies and gentle chiropractic adjustment to your lifestyle to help you feel your best.   

Check in with your nearest Chiro One doc at one of our welcoming open-plan clinics across the country. They’ll perform a thorough exam to investigate the root cause of your pain, then personalize your care plan — a combination of gentle chiropractic adjustments and active therapies to get you feeling better longer.  Find a Chiro One doctor near you.