Springtime Stress Relief: Managing Seasonal Changes with Chiropractic

Spring brings incredible renewal but often accompanies increased demands on our bodies. Whether you’re mulching your yard, cleaning windows, or finishing projects before summer, poor posture and improper body mechanics can create spinal misalignments.

These misalignments not only cause physical discomfort but can actually trigger and intensify your body’s stress response. The result? A cycle of tension that affects both your physical and emotional well-being. Your body often bears the brunt of this tension, particularly in your neck and shoulders.

“If there’s a spinal misalignment, it pinches on those nerves, contracts muscles, causes muscle spasms, and that’s all tension that can be caused by stress,” explains Dr. Johnson.

This physical manifestation of stress creates a cycle that’s difficult to break without intervention.

Common Signs of Stress-Related Pain

So, how do you know if stress is affecting your body? Common symptoms include:

• Persistent tightness through shoulders and neck
• Frequent headaches
• Reduced range of motion
• In severe cases, numbness or tingling in arms and hands

Where Stress Settles in Your Body

Interestingly, stress can affect different people in different areas. More often than not, it’s in the neck and the shoulders. That’s where most people carry their stress. Some people carry it in their lower backs, typically men and women who have blue collar jobs where they’re working outside or driving all day.

How Chiropractic Care Provides Relief

Chiropractic adjustments specifically target misalignments caused by stress. Rather than simply masking symptoms, chiropractic care addresses the source of discomfort.

We also recommend applying moist heat to relax tense muscles. Other modalities we use include interferential current therapy that “acts like a little massage” and intersegmental traction to gently mobilize each spinal segment.

Home care is also highly helpful. Dr. Johnson recommends periodically doing range of motion exercises for the area, whether it’s your neck or your lower back, every three to four hours throughout the day, every day, until the symptom is gone.

“Proper posture correction is equally important, particularly for those who work at desks. “It comes down to ergonomics,” Dr. Johnson notes, explaining that your monitor should be “straight in front of you at eye level” with your elbows positioned at 90-degree angles when typing.

These combined approaches work together to release tension, improve function, and help you manage stress more effectively.