Physical Rehabilitation In Blaine MN

Physical rehabilitation in Blaine MN is one of our strengths at Club West Chiropractic. Our goal is to get you feeling better through specific exercises so you can get back to enjoying your normal life. One of the many reasons why our patients leave our clinic feeling better is because we perform and teach them specific exercises to help strengthen and stabilize their spine.*

Our chiropractic adjustments align the spine, but tight muscles may be pulling the bones right back. When our patients take advantage of the chiropractic adjustments and do the specific exercises this helps with keeping the muscles lose and their bones inline. To eliminate this cycle and stabilize the spine we ask patients to take an active role in their own health care. The exercises can be done in the comfort of your own home and can improve outcomes by as much as 20-40%. Therapeutic exercises enhance the treatment process, help maintain health progress, and reduce the likelihood of future health problems.

*For sets and hold times please consult with your Club West chiropractor; every physical rehabilitation treatment plan is unique to each individual patient.

Home Exercises For Physical Rehabilitation In Blaine MN

Below, we have listed 22 different physical rehabilitation exercises that you can do by yourself at home. We understand, that you may want to try some exercises at home to see if fixes the problem but if you see these common stretches and exercises aren’t working, please give us a call or schedule an appointment online for professional help from our chiropractors. Our chiropractic clinic is located in Blaine, MN; however, we service patients in the surrounding areas as well.

If you don’t feel comfortable performing these different exercises please call us to start your physical rehabilitation in Blaine MN. That last thing we want is for you to get hurt trying these exercises.

Low Back Stretches

  • Hamstring Stretch

Sit up straight on the edge of your chair, extend one leg out, and put your heel on the ground. The other leg remains bent with the foot flat on the ground. Bend forward from the hips until you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh. If you aren’t feeling the stretch, sit up straight, don’t slouch, and bend forward again. Watch how to do a hamstring stretch on YouTube

  • Piriformis Stretch (right side)

Sit up straight on the edge of your chair, cross your legs into a figure four. (Keep your left leg at 90/90 with your foot flat on the ground, and place your right ankle on your left knee.) Use your hands to push your right knee down towards the ground, making sure your ‘sits bones’ are both flat on the chair. You should feel a stretch in your buttocks.

  • Glut Stretch (right side)

Sit up straight on the edge of your chair, cross your legs into a figure four. (Keep your left leg at 90/90 with your foot flat on the ground, and place your right ankle on your left knee.) Use your hands to pull your right knee towards your left shoulder, making sure your ‘sits bones’ are both flat on the chair. Your should feel a stretch in your buttocks.

  • Hip Flexor Stretch (right side)

Kneel down on the ground with your right knee. Put your left foot flat on the ground a foot or two in front of your right kneeling knee. Lean into your left foot exchanging the weight from your knee onto your front left foot. You should fell a stretch in the front of your thigh.

  • Calf Stretch

Stand up facing a counter. Place your hands on the counter for support. Put one foot in front of the other. Your back leg should be straight and your front leg should be slightly bent. Keep your back heel flat on the ground as you lean your weight onto your front foot. You should feel a stretch in the back of your lower leg.

Low Back Exercises

*Do not attempt any of these exercises unless your Club West chiropractor has shown you how to do them properly. Bad habits are harder to correct than just doing it correctly the first time. These are progressive exercises and should not be done out of order. You must only progress after you have mastered the exercises in sequence. If any of these exercises cause pain stop them immediately and contact your physician. We take great pride in physical rehabilitation in Blaine MN and would rather have you schedule a free consultation with us than injure yourself.

  • Knee to Chest

Grab a pillow to support your neck, lie on your back on the floor, with your knees bent, and both feet flat on the ground. Begin the exercise by bringing one of your knees towards your chest. Using both hands, pull your knee towards your chest and hold. Slowly release, then repeat on the other side, and then do both knees to chest. This exercise is meant to stretch the dura surrounding your spinal cord.

  • Cat Camel

Position yourself on all fours (hands directly beneath your shoulders and knees directly beneath your hips) Arch your back letting your tummy sink towards the ground. Then transition to the camel position; push your back up towards the sky. The Cat-Camel exercise is a kinetic stretch not a static stretch. The motion of the exercise is more important than pushing through the end ranges of flexion and extension. Just let your spine go though the motion smoothly.

  • Pelvic Tilt

Lie on your back on the floor, with your knees bent, and both feet flat on the ground. Knees and feet should be together or just slightly separated. Squeeze your stomach muscles and flatten your spine against the floor. Pelvic tilts engage the abdominal muscles and stabilize your spine.

  • Bridges

Perform a pelvic tilt, while holding the pelvic tilt, squeeze your glutes and raise your hips off of the ground. Lower your hips and release the pelvic tilt. Bridges engage the abdominal muscles, and the glut muscles. These muscle groups are often inhibited due to poor posture; engagement of these muscle groups is mandatory for low back stability. The bridge exercise should only be attempted if the pelvic tilt has been mastered. Ask your doctor to watch you do pelvic tilts before progressing.

  • Dead Bug

Perform a pelvic tilt, while holding the pelvic tilt raise one bent knee to chest while bringing your opposite arm up by your ear. Lower your arm and leg and then do the other side. Dead Bug exercises replicate the walking motion. The key to this exercise is keeping the abdominal muscles engaged during this cross crawl/walking motion, to promote spinal stability. Spinal stability is needed to prevent injury as we walk and move throughout our day. This exercise should only be performed after the patient has mastered the pelvic tilt and bridge exercise.

  • Bird Dog

Position yourself on all fours (hands directly beneath your shoulders and knees directly beneath your hips) and perform a pelvic tilt just as you would on the floor. Squeeze your abs flatten your spine, and then extend an arm and the opposite leg out at the same time. Lower your arm and leg and then raise the other arm and leg. This is a hard exercise and should only be performed after the doctor has shown you how to do it properly.

Neck Stretches

These neck stretches should not be painful. If any of these stretches or physical rehabilitation neck exercises below cause pain, dizziness, fainting, or loss of balance stop the exercise and contact your trusted chiropractor for physical rehabilitation in Blaine, MN immediately. If it is an emergency call 911.

  • Trapezius Stretch

Begin the stretch seated in a chair. Look straight ahead, sit up straight, and tilt your ear to your shoulder. Hold this stretch and then perform on the opposite side. You should feel this stretch on the side of your neck and even into your shoulder. You will feel the stretch on the opposite side that your head is tilted. If you feel pain on the side you are tilting towards, stop the stretch and consult with your Club West chiropractor.

  • Levator Stretch

Start seated in a chair. Let your ear drop towards your shoulder, then look towards your shoulder, and let your chin drop down towards your shoulder. If you do not feel a stretch flex your head forward and repeat the steps.

  • Chest Stretch

Put your nose in the corner, raise your arms to look like a “T”, bend your elbows 90 degrees and then place your forearms on the walls of the corners. Lean into the corner until you feel a stretch in your chest.

Neck Exercises

  • Chin Tucks

Begin this exercise seated in front of a mirror if possible. If you don’t have access to a chair in front of a mirror, stand in front of a mirror for all of the neck exercises. Chin tucks are hard to verbally explain, and it is best if your doctor shows you in person. Learning bad habits or doing the exercise incorrectly could cause more damage than help. For a refresher, a chin tuck is performed by sitting/standing up straight, keeping your eyes and chin level, and translating your chin towards your spine. If you look like you have a double chin in the mirror you are doing the exercise correctly.

  • Cervical Isometrics

Begin this exercise seated or standing in front of a mirror. Use light pressure with your hand against your forehead, resist with your neck muscles to keep your head in an upright position. Hold this position and then slowly relax. Then, use light pressure with your hand against the back of your head, resist with your neck muscles to keep your head in an upright position. Hold this position and then slowly relax. Then, use light pressure with your hand against your temple or side of your face, resist with your neck muscles to keep your head in an upright position. Hold this position and then relax.

  • Shoulder Retractions

Begin the exercise standing in front of a mirror. Drop your shoulders. Stand up straight with your palms facing forward and your arms at your side. While keeping your shoulders down squeeze your shoulder blades together and then relax. Think about bringing your shoulder blades down and together.

  • W’s

W’s are similar to shoulder retractions but they work a slightly different part of the muscle. Start by standing in front of a mirror, drop your shoulders and stand up straight. Bring your arms up to shoulder height, and bend your elbows. Your arms and head should make what looks like the letter ‘W’; look in the mirror, if you look like a ‘W’ you are doing the exercise correctly. Again you squeeze your shoulder blades together and then relax. W’s should only be attempted after you have mastered shoulder retractions. Talk to your chiropractor and make sure you are doing the exercises correctly.

  • T’s

T’s are the next progression after you have mastered shoulder retractions and W’s. They are the hardest exercise in this progression, and should only be attempted when the doctor agrees that you have mastered retractions and W’s. Begin standing in front of a mirror, drop your shoulders, and stand up straight. Keep your arms straight and raise them to shoulder height. Squeeze your shoulder blades together in a down and back motion, then relax.

Shoulder Exercises

  • Postural Prayers

Perform this exercise standing in front of a mirror. Stand up tall, drop your shoulders, and put the palms of your hands together as if you were praying. Slowly raise your arms. Keep your hands together, and raise your arms until they are by your ears or until you can’t go any higher. When you get to the top and your arms are straight, face the palms of your hands towards the ceiling. (Your two middle fingers should be touching). Then, while keeping your arms straight, arc your arms around like you are drawing a big circle in the air. End with your arms at your side and the palms of your hands facing forward. Repeat as many times as your chiropractor recommends.

  • Pendulum (right side)

Begin by using a light weight. Hold the free weight in your right hand. Place your left hip by a counter top, and rest your left arm on the counter top. Bend forward slightly and move your right arm in a clockwise motion, making little circles for the amount of time your chiropractor has recommended. Then perform the same exercise by moving your arm in a counterclockwise motion.

  • Internal/External Rotation

This exercise is performed seated in a chair with a back. Make a 90 degree angle at the elbow. Hold your hands in a relaxed fist; and hold your elbows in towards your abdomen throughout the entire exercise. Bring your fists out away from your body as far are you can while keeping your elbows close to your abdomen. Then bring your fists across your abdomen. The motion should be slow and controlled and should resemble a windshield wiper motion when done properly.

If you don’t know how to do these physical rehabilitation exercises properly please contact us and we can instruct you properly. Often, you can do worse damage to your body by not doing the exercises and stretches correctly. If you have tried some of these stretches but don’t feel like you are getting any better please contact our chiropractors today, either online or by phone. Like we mentioned earlier, when you mix in chiropractic adjustments and physical rehabilitation in Blaine MN together, we get great results.
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