Americans spend hours each year commuting to work, school, and other responsibilities. Thanks to traffic, excessive time in the car puts pressure on your muscles and spine, which can lead to intense pain requiring chiropractic care. Luckily, you don’t need a full gym to sneak in some quick preventative exercises. One local professional has shared four workout tips to try the next time you’re stuck on the road during your travels.

Stuck in Traffic? Chiropractic Care Professional Shares 4 Exercise Tips

1. Back

Sitting in traffic for extended periods begins to take a toll on your spine. Improper posture and lumbar support leads to pain and stiffness in the surrounding muscles. When you’re stuck in gridlock, relieve the pressure by sitting straight up and pushing your abdomen forward to create a curve in your lower back. Hold the position for five seconds and repeat up to five times. If you’re feeling pressure in your glutes, shift your weight from one side to the other, holding for five seconds on each side.

2. Neck

Exercises for neck pain are extremely easy to complete when stuck on the highway. Address the tense muscles in the back of the neck by looking straight ahead and then slowly lowering your chin to your collar bone. Work the side neck muscle by turning your chin to the left and right, holding after each turn. Finally, look straight ahead and lower your ear to your shoulder until you feel a stretch. Hold each of these exercises for five seconds, repeating up to five times.

3. Core

Your core physically supports your spine, so in-car exercises can greatly reduce neck and lower back pain. For the simplest exercise, sit straight up and turn your entire trunk to one side, holding for ten seconds. Repeat on each side up to five times. Bracing is another chiropractic care technique in which you flex your stomach muscles as if you were preparing to be hit and hold the pose as long as possible.

4. Arms

After miles with hands on the steering wheel, your arms and shoulders can feel discomfort. Use traffic as an opportunity to lean forward in your seat, put your arms straight behind your back and try to make your shoulder blades touch. This movement will stretch the shoulders, arms, and upper back to relieve accumulated tension.

Ark-La-Tex Health Center in Texarkana, AR, has been customizing treatment plans to meet patient needs for over 25 years. Their chiropractic care experts are trained and ready to make your life pain-free. Give the team a call at (870) 773-­7246 or visit their Facebook page for more information.