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The Connection Between Stress and Physical Pain · Staying Aligned with Dr. Kevin Hartung

• 0:00
  Hey there and welcome back. I'm Dr. Hartung and
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  you're listening to the Family Chiropractic Center
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  podcast. Today we're talking about something
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  that affects just about every single person I
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  see in my office. And honestly, it's something
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  most people don't even connect the dots on. We're
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  talking about stress and the very real, very
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  physical pain it can cause in your body. Now,
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  I know what you might be thinking. Stress is
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  a mental thing, right? It's in your head. But
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  here's the thing. Your brain and your body are
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  not separate systems. They are constantly talking
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  to each other. And when your mind is under pressure,
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  your body pays the price. So let me break this
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  down for you. When you're stressed, your nervous
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  system kicks into what we call a fight -or -flight
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  response. Your body thinks there's a threat,
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  and so it does what it's designed to do. It tenses
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  up. Your muscles tighten. Your shoulders creep
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  up toward your ears. Your jaw clenches. Your
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  lower back locks down. Now, if that stress response
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  lasts for just a few minutes, no big deal. But
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  most of us, we're walking around in that state
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  all day long, day after day, week after week,
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  and that constant muscle tension, it starts to
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  pull on your joints. It compresses your spine.
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  It creates inflammation. And eventually, it turns
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  into real physical pain. Here's what's interesting,
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  and I see this all the time in my patients. Someone
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  will come in with neck pain, headaches and they'll
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  say, I have no idea where this came from. I didn't
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  lift anything heavy. I didn't have an accident.
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  And when we start talking, it turns out they've
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  been going through something really stressful
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  at work or with family or financially. And there
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  it is. The stress was literally living in their
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  body. The upper back and neck are huge areas
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  where people hold tension. The lower back is
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  another one, even your hips. Stress changes the
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  way you breathe, the way you sit, the way you
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  carry yourself, and all of that adds up over
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  time. So what can you actually do about it? A
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  few simple things. First, pay attention to your
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  body during the day. Notice when you're clenching
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  your teeth or hunching your shoulders. Just becoming
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  aware of it helps you reset. Second, breathing
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  matters more than people realize. Slow, deep
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  breaths actually signal your nervous system to
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  calm down. Even just a minute or two of slow
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  breathing can start to shift things. Third, gentle
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  movement is huge. Whether it's a short walk,
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  some light stretching, or even just standing
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  up and rolling your shoulders back, movement
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  helps release that built -up tension before it
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  turns into pain. Now here's where chiropractic
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  care fits in. When your spine is under that kind
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  of chronic stress and tension, the joints can
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  start to move improperly. We call those restrictions
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  subluxations. And when those are present, your
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  nervous system doesn't function the way it should.
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  Chiropractic adjustments help restore proper
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  movement to those joints, which takes pressure
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  off the nervous system, reduces muscle tension,
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  and honestly, a lot of patients tell me they
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  just feel calmer after an adjustment. That's
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  not a coincidence. We're directly influencing
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  the nervous system. If you've been dealing with
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  headaches, neck pain, tight shoulders, or low
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  back discomfort, and you've been under a lot
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  of stress lately, I really encourage you to come
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  in and get evaluated. It doesn't have to be complicated.
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  We'll take a look at what's going on, talk through
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  what you've been experiencing, and come up with
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  a plan that makes sense for you. We are here
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  in Robinson Township, and we would love to be
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  the practice you trust with your health. give
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  us a call, stop in, or check us out online. At
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  Family Chiropractic Center, our whole focus is
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  helping you feel better and function better so
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  you can live the life you want. Thanks so much
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  for tuning in today. Take good care of yourselves
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  and I'll talk to you next time.