05/13/2026
"Hello Everyone,
This is Dr. Donovan. I wanted to start a new series of posts that provide helpful tips, exercises, stretches, and anything that may fall under the “wellness umbrella.” I think I will call it the LEARN IT series, because you should take the time to… well… LEARN IT!
These will be easy-to-perform tasks at home that can help with a variety of physical, mental, or emotional ailments. As a chiropractor, it is important to look not only at your physical symptoms, but also at the emotional and social components as well - you might not think this pertains to your pain, but you’d be surprised. Everything we do throughout the day is a part of “the equation”, which can either benefit you or lead to a physical manifestation of pain or imbalance.
I wanted to start this series off with, in some cases, one of the most important techniques we can relearn to help us deal with stress - it may even help, in some cases, with chronic lower back and thoracic pain. This technique is diaphragmatic breathing.
With the fast-paced lifestyle our society demands of us, we deal with a lot of stressors every day. When we are under stress, we tend to change how we breathe. The most common negative change is diminishing the ability to breathe through our diaphragm (through our stomach), and instead switching to breathing only with our chest.
Yes, the rib cage and all its musculo-tendinous attachments are essential for breathing, but some of the muscles in this region - such as the scalenes, several neck muscles, levator scapulae, and trapezius - start to activate more. In the case of the scalenes, they are secondary muscles of respiration, meaning they can assist, but they are not the primary source or driver of breathing.
Other muscles in the neck, and those that connect into the neck - like the trapezius and levator scapulae - can become overactive and tight when we try to force respiration under stress. This chronic stress can lead to tightening and soreness in the shoulder region, which I know many of you experience.
If we can retrain our bodies to utilize the diaphragm for breathing, a sense of ease can - and typically will - be felt. Over time, a lot of chronic tightness can begin to dissipate.
The flyer below breaks down a way in which you can determine how much you rely on your chest for breathing versus your diaphragm.
Happy reading - and LEARN IT!"
