Faust Wellness Chiropractic Company

07/30/2026

🛌Maybe your mattress isn’t the problem?

Back pain is frustrating. When people wake up in pain, one of the first things they blame is their mattress.

🤔But for most people, the mattress isn’t the root cause.

Your back pain is influenced by far more than where you sleep. Factors like physical activity, mobility, stress, previous injuries, and how much (or how little) you move throughout the day often play a much bigger role.

On top of that, back pain and stiffness tend to be worse in the morning. Increased pain and stiffness after waking is how injuries respond to several hours of inactivity overnight, not a sign that your mattress needs to be replaced.

That doesn’t mean your mattress never matters. If it’s severely worn out or noticeably uncomfortable, replacing it may help. But if you’ve already tried multiple mattresses and your back still hurts, the problem is probably somewhere else.

🔑Instead of constantly looking for things to upgrade or replace, focus on building a back that’s more resilient to injury.

07/29/2026

💭Should you wear a lifting belt?

Yes, but not all the time.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that a lifting belt “protects your spine.” It doesn’t.

🏋🏼‍♀️A belt is not a brace that takes stress off your spine. Instead, it gives your abdominal and trunk muscles something to push against. When you brace properly against a lifting belt it can increase intra-abdominal pressure, creating a more rigid and stable torso.

The belt simply helps your muscles do thier job more effectively during very heavy lifts.

This improved stability may allow you to lift more weight, maintain better technique under heavy loads, and feel more confident during maximal or near-maximal attempts.

So why not wear one during every set?

If you’re warming up, performing lighter accessory work, or lifting loads that don’t require maximal effort, there’s generally little reason to rely on a belt. Training beltless can help you develop good bracing mechanics and learn how to create stability on your own.

As the weights become heavier then a belt can become a valuable performance tool.

It’s also important to remember that a belt is not a substitute for good technique. If your lifting mechanics are poor, simply putting on a belt won’t eliminate your injury risk.

🔑The takeaway?

Use it when it serves a purpose.

A lifting belt isn’t a shield for your spine or a crutch. It’s a tool that can help your body create more stability when the demands are highest.

07/28/2026

🧊Should you put ice on an injury?

The answer depends...

For years, the standard advice after an injury was RICE:
💤Rest
🧊Ice
🗜️Compress
🏔️Elevate

While some of these strategies can still be useful, our understanding of injury recovery has evolved.

First, it is important to understand what inflammation actually is.

Inflammation is not your body “failing” or something that always needs to be eliminated.

Inflammation is the first step of the healing process. It helps bring increased blood flow, immune cells, and other resources to the injured area so your body can begin repairing damaged tissue.

🧊So where does ice fit in?

Ice can be a useful tool for:
✅ Reducing pain
✅ Temporarily reducing local swelling

In some situations, excessive reliance on ice may not be ideal because the inflammatory response also plays an important role in tissue repair.

The goal after an injury is usually not to completely shut down inflammation. One of the first goals is to manage symptoms while providing the proper environment for healing.

The best approach for ice depends on:
🤕The type of injury
🩼The severity of the injury
⏰How long it has been present
🩹Is swelling an issue?

A good recovery plan is not about doing nothing until pain disappears.

The goal should be finding the right balance between protecting the injury and giving your body the things it needs to heal properly.

07/27/2026

Should you stretch before exercise?

The answer: it depends on the type of stretching you’re doing.

There are two main categories of stretching that people commonly talk about:

1️⃣ Static stretching

This is the classic “hold a stretch for 20-60 seconds” type of stretching.

Static stretching can be a great tool for improving flexibility and helping you cool down after training. However, doing a lot of prolonged static stretching immediately before explosive activity or heavy lifting may not be the best choice.

Research has shown that long-duration static stretching before exercise can temporarily reduce things like:
❌Muscle force production
❌Power output
❌Explosive performance
❌Rate of force development

Luckily, there is another type of stretching that might be better for immediately before activity...

2️⃣ Dynamic stretching

Dynamic stretching involves actively moving the targeted muscles through an active range of motion.

Examples:
🏃🏻‍♂️Leg swings
🏋🏼‍♀️Arm circles
🚴🏼‍♀️Squat variations

Dynamic stretching helps prepare your body for movement by increasing:
✅ Blood flow
✅ Body temperature
✅ Joint mobility
✅ Coordination
✅ Muscle activation

A good warm-up should generally prepare you for what you are about to do.

If you’re going to squat, your warm-up should include movements that prepare your hips, knees, ankles, and trunk for squatting.

Think of your warm-up as a rehearsal for the planned activity you are about to perform.

A simple rule:

➡️ Before exercise: prioritize dynamic movement and specific warm-ups.
➡️ After exercise or separate from training: static stretching can be a great tool for improving flexibility.

Knowing when to utilize each type of stretching can be just as important as knowing which stretches to do!

07/22/2026

What causes muscle soreness after exercise?

SPOILER: It’s NOT lactic acid.

You may have been told that the burning sensation during exercise and the soreness you feel the next day are caused by lactic acid buildup.

The problem? That explanation doesn’t match what actually happens.

Lactic acid is produced during intense exercise, but it is cleared from your muscles very quickly. When the burning stops, the lactic acid is gone. Delayed soreness, known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), usually peaks around 24–72 hours after exercise.

So what actually causes DOMS?

The current understanding is that DOMS is related to a combination of factors. Mechanical stress on muscle can cause internal components to breakdown as well as surrounding structures to become irritated and inflamed. After this damage occurs, your muscle rebuilds and comes back stronger. DOMS is especially common after:
🏃🏼‍♂️A new exercise your body isn’t used to
🏋🏼‍♀️Higher training volumes
🚴🏼‍♀️High-intensity sessions
💪🏼Exercises with a large eccentric (lengthening) component, like lowering a squat or controlling a deadlift

Soreness is your body adapting to a new stress. More soreness does not mean a better workout.

In fact, you can build strength, muscle, and improve performance without being sore after every training session.

The goal of training isn’t to destroy your body. The goal is to provide the right stimulus, recover, and come back stronger.

07/20/2026

Does stretching really make you more flexible?

The answer is a little more complicated than most people think.

Stretching does improve flexibility, but it may not work simply by “making your muscles longer.” A large part of the improvement appears to come from adaptations in your nervous system and an increased tolerance to specific movements.

Your body adapts to the movements you repeatedly expose it to. These nervous system adaptations may contribute just as much to improved mobility as changes in muscle architecture. If your goal is to move better, strength training through a controlled, full range of motion may be one of the best tools you have.

Interestingly, recent research has shown that resistance training performed through a full range of motion can improve flexibility just as well as traditional stretching.

Mobility isn’t just about being flexible - it’s about having strength and control throughout your available range of motion. The ranges of motion where we lack active control are often the ranges where injury risk is greatest.

07/19/2026

Muscle knots aren’t actually "knots" at all...

What most people call a “muscle knot” is usually a myofascial trigger point. Trigger points are sensitive areas within a muscle that can be painful to touch and may even send pain somewhere else in the body.

Dr. Janet Travell, the physician who treated President John F. Kennedy, helped popularize the study of trigger points and their role in pain. She hypothesized that these points may be caused by a localized energy crisis within muscles.

We still don’t fully understand every aspect of trigger points, but we do know they can be influenced by things like movement, exercise, and manual therapy.

Have you ever had a stubborn “knot” that just wouldn’t go away?

07/18/2026

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

07/17/2026

🦴 Does cracking your knuckles cause arthritis?

Probably not.

Dr. Donald Unger cracked the knuckles on only one hand for more than 60 years while intentionally leaving the other hand alone. At the end of his self-experiment, there was no difference in arthritis between his hands. While on its own this small study is weak evidence, it has since been backed up but much larger clinical studies.

Larger studies have reached a similar conclusion: habitual knuckle cracking has not been shown to increase the risk of hand osteoarthritis, even when researchers studied individuals over many years.