Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined a world like the one we are living in today. The current situation we are dealing with, COVID-19, is unlike anything our human population has experienced for a very long time, and has caused each and every one of us an extremely high amount of stress. Most of us already deal with everyday stressors as it is; work, school, family, money…. the list is endless, and dealing with this pandemic is only adding to this stress.

As a chiropractor, I know that all of this added stress will cause a severe amount of tension and stiffness in my patients. On top of causing general pain, this can also cause imbalances in the body, such as musculoskeletal, hormonal, and mental problems.  Pain is the last thing any of us need to worry about right now, so what can you do about it? And how does stress cause pain and in the first place? The short answer is cortisol.

High stress levels will cause the body to release a steroid called cortisol. When released, cortisol will tighten and stiffen the muscles. This will cause trigger points, muscle spasms, and an overall restriction in the flow and movement of the body. Tension and stiffness can also cause the spinal bones to come out of alignment, which can cause pinched nerves, restricted motion, and general pain in your spine and head. 

Adjusting the spine can help with stress by lowering your level of cortisol and relieving stiffness and tension, and right now, who couldn’t use a little bit less stress? I’ve been adjusting patients as usual for the last couple of weeks, and I’ve had an incredible amount of them tell me they feel significantly less stressed afterwards. I feel very happy to be able to help people by doing what I love during this crisis. 

Bodies do better when they are adjusted, period, and right now it is more important than ever that we keep ourselves as healthy as we can. Make sure you are taking care of yourself by eating healthy, social distancing, exercising, and getting adjusted. I hope and pray that things will get better very soon, but for now, the whole Sheppard Chiropractic family is here for you, and your family.