HOME CARE · WHAT TO DO BETWEEN VISITS

Point to where it hurts. Get your routine.

Your visits do the heavy lifting — this keeps the progress holding at home. Pick the spot that’s bothering you and you’ll get a short, do-it-anywhere routine. No equipment, no guesswork: this is where my pain is → this is what I do.

Pick your areaDo the movesLet the guard come down
START HERE

Where does it hurt?

Tap your area. Most of what we treat is your body bracing — guarding a joint that stopped moving well. Gentle motion tells it it’s safe, and the guard lets go. That’s the whole idea behind everything below.

Pick an area above and your home-care routine drops in right here.

THE FOUR EVERYONE ASKS

Stretch or rest? Heat or ice?

Should I stretch it or rest it?

Almost always: gentle movement beats bed rest. A sore joint that stops moving stiffens and guards harder. Move it inside the range that feels okay — think “oiling a hinge,” not forcing it. Only truly rest a spot right after a fresh injury or a real trauma.

Heat or ice?

Fresh, hot, swollen, or right after a tweak → ice to settle it (10–15 min). Old, stiff, achy, or before you move → heat to loosen it (10–15 min). When you’re not sure, heat before activity and ice after usually can’t steer you wrong.

How often should I do this?

Little and often wins. A few easy minutes, 2–3 times a day, does far more than one long grind. You’re reminding the body it’s safe to move — and that message lands better with steady, gentle reps than a single hard session.

Is a little soreness normal?

Yes. A mild, dull ache that eases within a day is just tissue waking up — that’s fine. What’s not fine is sharp, shooting, or worsening pain, or anything that lingers hard the next day. That’s your cue to back off and check in with us.

QUICK WINS

Fix the two places you spend the most hours

You can undo a whole visit’s worth of good in eight hours of a bad desk or a bad pillow. These two setups quietly hold your posture all day and all night — get them right and everything else gets easier.

Your desk & screen

  • Top of the screen at eye level — so you look straight ahead, not down. Phone and laptop are the worst offenders: prop them up.
  • Elbows resting near 90°, shoulders soft, not hiked toward your ears.
  • Feet flat, hips a touch higher than knees — sit back into the chair, don’t perch on the edge.
  • The best posture is the next one: stand up and move every 30 minutes. A quick reset beats any perfect chair.

Your pillow & sleep position

  • Best sleepers: on your back or on your side. Stomach-sleeping cranks the neck sideways for hours — the hardest one to walk back.
  • The pillow’s job is to keep your nose in line with your chest — fill the gap so your head isn’t propped up or dropped down.
  • Side-sleeper? Add a pillow between your knees to keep your hips and low back level.
  • Back-sleeper with a cranky low back? A pillow under your knees takes the pull off it all night.
A quick honest note. This is general self-care to help between visits — it’s education, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan for any specific condition. A hands-on exam tells the real story. Stop and call the office or a doctor for any red flags: numbness or weakness, changes in bladder or bowel control, pain that follows a fall or crash, or symptoms that keep getting worse. When in doubt, get looked at.

Not sure, or not improving?

Home care holds the progress — but if something’s stubborn, guessing wastes time. A quick hands-on look is the fastest way to a real answer.

Book a visit → Start by finding your area →
“Move it, feel safe, let the guard come down.”