Anderson Family Chiropractic

05/28/2026

How Your Morning Routine Affects Your Spine

A spine-friendly morning routine could help you enjoy a pain-free day. In fact, the choices you make when you first wake up could hurt or help your back. Fortunately, it's never too late to start prioritizing your back health.

What Happens to Your Spine Overnight?

While you're peacefully snoozing, your spinal discs soak up fluids and become plumper. The discs cushion the space between the bony vertebrae in your spine. In addition to providing flexibility, spinal discs also act as natural shock absorbers.

Plumper discs can cause morning stiffness and increase tension on ligaments. Swollen discs aren't the only cause of stiffness. Remaining nearly motionless for eight hours or longer can cause stiff muscles and joints.

7 Morning Habits That Can Ruin Your Day

If you do any of these things, you may be at risk for back pain:

-Jumping Out of Bed the Moment the Alarm Rings. Although you may be eager to start the day, rushing out of bed may increase your risk of strains and sprains due to tight muscles, joints, and ligaments. Instead, take a few moment to warm up your body before you throw back the blankets. Sit up slowly and roll your neck slowly toward your left shoulder, then back to the right shoulder. Rotate your ankles in circles a few times. If you automatically, yawn and stretch when you wake up, even better. The habit, called pandiculation, relieves muscle tension and activates connective tissue, according to The Cleveland Clinic.

-Not Drinking Enough Water. The fluid-level in your discs decreases as you stand up and go about your day. Drinking water helps hydrate the discs, reducing your risk for pain.

-Checking Your Phone. If your phone is the first thing you reach for in the morning, you may be setting the stage for neck and upper back pain. Most people bend their heads to view their phones, which significantly increases stress on the neck and upper back. Over time, this position can cause a condition called text neck. Symptoms of text neck include neck and upper back pain, headaches, stiffness, muscle spasms, and numbness and tingling in the arms and hands. Reduce your risk for text neck by holding your phone at eye level.

-Failing to Stretch. Starting your day without stretching may also cause aches and pains, as tight tissues are more likely to become strained or sore. Taking five minutes to stretch can help you avoid pain. Stretches don't have to complicated to be effective. Lie on your back and bring your knees to your chest, or try the cat-cow yoga pose. Start the pose on all fours. Arch your back and lower your head (cat), then lift your head and drop your spine (cow). Avoid exercises that involve vigorous movements or a lot of bending first thing in the morning.

-Poor Posture. Pay attention to the way you brush your teeth or put on your makeup. Bending your neck or hunching your back may strain your upper and mid-back, causing nagging pain that lasts all day. Bend from the hips instead of rounding your back.

-Stressing Out. Thoughts of completing everything on your mental to-do list may increase your stress level in the morning. Stress increases tension in muscles and soft tissues, which can cause or worsen back pain. Relieve stress by taking a few deep breaths or meditating.

-Ignoring Stiffness. Ignoring morning stiffness won't make it go away and will only increase your risk for strained or sprained muscles and tissues. A hot shower is an excellent way to relieve stiffness. If you're a nighttime bather, put a heating pad on your back or neck for a few minutes before you being your day.

Wondering why your back pain hasn't gotten better even though you follow a back-friendly morning routine? You may have a subluxation. A subluxation, or misalignment of the vertebrae, causes pain and increases tension on muscles and soft tissues. Chiropractic treatments, like adjustments and massage, ease back pain and help you avoid pain and stiffness.

Improve your back health with chiropractic care! Call our office to schedule your appointment

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/articles/prof_content/1006067-may-newsletter-how-your-morning-routine-affects-your-spine

05/21/2026

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05/20/2026

Feeling Stiff When You Wake Up? Find Out What You Can Do to Prevent the Problem

Morning stiffness is more than just an annoyance. Loss of flexibility can lead to injuries that cause pain for days or weeks. Determining why you feel stiff is the first step in improving flexibility. Stiffness can be caused by these common issues:

Awkward Sleeping Position

Sleeping on your side is the best way to avoid back pain, according to the Sleep Foundation, while sleeping on your back is the second-best position. Sleeping on your stomach isn't recommended, as this position can stress muscles and tissues in your back, neck, and shoulder and cause subluxations (spinal misalignments).

Do you sleep on your side or back and still feel stiff in the morning? The problem could be the way you sleep. Keeping your spine properly aligned is the key to avoiding pain and stiffness. Twisting your hips while you sleep or arching your back could be the reason you feel stiff.

What You Can Do. Placing a small pillow between your knees improves the alignment of your hips, pelvis, and spine if you prefer to sleep on your side. If you sleep on your back, the best pillow position is beneath your knees. A pillow under your hips may improve stiffness if you're a stomach sleeper and can't adjust to sleeping on your back or side.

Lack of Movement

Muscles and tissues naturally become a little stiffer if you don't move them for hours. Stiffness can also be affected by the height of your spinal discs. While you sleep, your spinal discs absorb fluids from your tissues, increasing their height. Plump discs make your back feel tighter in the morning and may be more likely to cause pain if you already have a back issue.

Synovial fluid circulates around joints and lubricates them, making movement easy and painless. Remaining in the same position for hours slows synovial fluid circulation, which can lead to stiffness.

What You Can Do. Movement improves fluid circulation, but first thing in the morning isn't the ideal time to jump into a vigorous exercise routine. Avoid quick movements that could strain your muscles and tissues. Stretch your arms and roll your neck from side-to-side before you slowly rise from your bed. Once you're out of bed, perform a few gentle stretches to improve flexibility and range of motion. Looking for a simple stretching exercise? Try raising your arms above your head and then extending them to the sides, or lie on your back and bring your knees to your chest to stretch your back.

Unsupportive Mattress

A mattress that doesn't adequately support your spine could be the reason for morning pain and stiffness. Although manufacturers claim mattresses should last seven to 10 years, that's not always the case. Mattresses can become uncomfortable after just a few months or may last 15 years, depending on the construction and quality of the mattress.

What You Can Do. If your mattress sags or just doesn't feel comfortable any more, it's time to replace it, no matter how long you've had it.

Dehydration

Do you avoid drinking water after a certain point in the day because you don't want to make midnight trips to the bathroom? Dehydration can affect fluid levels of the discs that cushion the vertebrae in your spine.

What You Can Do. Drink water throughout the day to prevent dehydration. Yes, you might need to visit the bathroom during the night, but you just may feel less stiff in the morning.

Aging

Stiffness may also be related to aging, as muscles and tendons naturally become more rigid with age. According to the European Journal of Translational Myology, stiffness can be due to a decline of muscle contractile force (the amount of force a muscle produces).

What You Can Do. Although you can't turn back the clock, performing stretches before you go to bed and when you first wake up could reduce stiffness. Hot showers and exercises that build strong muscles may also be helpful.

Struggling with stiffness? Your chiropractor offers treatments, exercises and strategies that can help you move more easily. Contact our office to schedule an appointment. https://universitycharlottechiro.com/appointment

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/articles/prof_content/1006068-may-newsletter-why-you-wake-up-stiff-and-how-to-fix-it

05/19/2026

There are many benefits of chiropractic care for men. From pain relief to stress reduction, chiropractic offers a safe and effective approach to health. https://universitycharlottechiro.com/appointment

05/14/2026

How Chiropractic Care Can Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Splints, medication, and surgery aren't the only ways to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. Chiropractic treatment offers an effective solution if you're struggling with pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness in your hand, wrist, and fingers.

Why Treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Is So Important

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve. This nerve travels the length of your arm and sends signals from your brain to the muscles in your arm, hand, and fingers. These signals tell the muscles how to move when you need to grip a pen, lift a bag, or turn a doorknob.

The median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel, a pathway formed by the bones and tissues in your wrist. The already narrow tunnel can become even tighter due to injuries, fluid retention, chronic health conditions that affect the nerves, or inflammation of the tissues in or around the pathway. Although anyone can develop carpal tunnel syndrome, women are more likely to experience symptoms due to the smaller size of their bones. Your hobbies or occupation may also increase your risk. People who bend their wrists repeatedly when typing, driving, hammering, sewing, painting, or texting have a higher incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome.

If the condition isn't treated promptly, numbness, tingling, weakness, and pain may worsen and nerve damage could occur. Carpal tunnel syndrome can eventually cause permanent weakness and loss of feeling in your fingers, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

What Your Chiropractor Can Do to Relieve Your Carpal Tunnel Symptoms

Chiropractors offer several treatments and strategies that may ease your symptoms, including:

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/articles/prof_content/923941-july-newsletter-how-chiropractic-care-can-treat-carpal-tunnel-syndrome

05/12/2026

Benefits of Chiropractic Care! https://universitycharlottechiro.com/appointment

05/11/2026

How Your Chiropractor Can Help with Knee Pain

Wondering what you can do about your knee pain? Whether your symptoms are recent or you're suffering from chronic pain, all-natural chiropractic care can relieve your symptoms and improve your mobility.

Why Visiting the Chiropractor Is a Must if You Have Knee Pain

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/articles/prof_content/923048-june-newsletter-how-your-chiropractor-can-help-with-knee-pain

05/08/2026

Chiropractic care is an effective approach to health and pain management, especially for low back pain! https://universitycharlottechiro.com/appointment

05/05/2026

Chiropractic Care for Whiplash: Could It Help Your Neck Pain?

Neck pain and stiffness after a motor vehicle accident or fall could be signs of whiplash, an injury that affects the soft tissues in the neck. Without prompt treatment, symptoms could last weeks, months, or even years. Fortunately, your chiropractor offers several treatments designed to improve whiplash pain.

What Causes Whiplash?

Whiplash happens during a motor vehicle accident when your head jerks back and forth. Any act that causes your head to "whip" back and forth violently can result in whiplash. You could develop whiplash if you ride a roller coaster, fall when skiing, or if you are tackled or fall when playing sports.

As your head moves back and forth, several things happen to your neck. First, muscles in your neck become strained as they're pushed past their limits. The sudden movements may also change the alignment of the vertebrae in your neck and back, in addition to straining ligaments that connect bones together and tendons that attach muscles to bones.

Whiplash is a common injury. According to an analysis of crash and hospital data in Accident Analysis and Prevention in 2020, more than 1.2 million people experience whiplash every year.

What Are the Symptoms of Whiplash?

Whiplash symptoms don't always start immediately, but may start hours or days after your injury. Symptoms may include:

-Neck Pain
--Shoulder and Upper Back Pain
Headache
-Stiff Neck
-Reduced Range of Motion in Your Neck
-Dizziness
-Numbness or Tingling That Travels to the Shoulder, Arm or Hand
-Blurred Vision
-Ringing in the Ears
--Abnormal Fatigue
Difficulty Concentrating
-Irritability
-Trouble Sleeping
Chiropractic Treatments Ease Whiplash Symptoms

Your chiropractor offers natural, drug-free methods that soothe sore tissues and realign the vertebrae in your neck. Therapies that might be included in your whiplash treatment plan include:

https://universitycharlottechiro.com/articles/prof_content/923047-june-newsletter-chiropractic-care-for-whiplash

05/04/2026

Patients who receive chiropractic care see improvement within one month of starting treatment! https://universitycharlottechiro.com/appointment