31 May I have pain when the weather changes…
Have you ever wondered why you have pain when the weather changes? Maybe you have been feeling good lately but with today’s cold snap, you are stiff and sore all over. This isn’t going to be a groundbreaking discovery but it’s easy to miss. If you’ve been shivering and freezing over the last 24 hours and your neck and back are starting to hurt, think about your posture. Are you hunched over trying to warm yourself up from the cold weather outside? Is your neck poking forward with your shoulders up around your ears? Pay attention next time you are sitting at your desk shivering away or walking through a cold parking lot.
What is the best way to avoid this? Cover up the areas where the most heat loss occurs, your head and neck. From what my hairdresser tells me, stocking caps indoors are all the rage this year. Not sure if I will be signing up on that one yet but I can definitely get behind scarves and turtle necks to keep me warm.
Think about the posture you have when it is cold outside and you are walking through the parking lot to get to your car and trying to stay warm. It’s horrible. If you think about what your body is trying to do, you are basically trying to make yourself smaller so you have fewer areas of your uncovered skin exposed to the elements. Multiply that over three months of cold and it is easy to see why winter weather causes pain for people that tend to run cold. Be cognizant of your posture and realize that these posture changes will become new habits if you do it often enough. So, remember what your mother said and just bundle up. Simple as that.
On top of that, cold muscles tend to be short muscles. Especially in the winter, once you get somewhere warm, it is important to stretch more. Stretching cold muscles isn’t such a good idea since muscles are easy to injure when they are cold.
In conclusion, to avoid pain with weather changes, have good posture, wear more clothes and stretch. Quite simple actually, right? Give us a call if you have any specific questions or to schedule your complimentary consultation with Dr. Travis Ring DC at Eastern Oklahoma Chiropractic. 918-940-4630. Thank you for allowing us to be your chiropractor.