Spine Health Exercise Recovery with Chiropractic Care

Power Up Your Recovery: Spine, Gut, and Injury Healing with Dr. Alex Jimenez

At our El Paso, TX fitness and rehabilitation center, we’re committed to helping you recover stronger and live healthier. Led by Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC, our team combines CrossFit-inspired functional fitness with chiropractic care to support spine health, gut function, and recovery from injuries such as motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), sports mishaps, or workplace strains. This article explores how exercises such as walking, yoga poses, and core workouts, combined with Dr. Jimenez’s integrative expertise, can transform your wellness journey.

Your spine and gut are interconnected systems. A stiff spine can disrupt digestion by compressing abdominal organs, while gut issues like bloating can worsen posture, leading to back pain. Targeted movements and holistic care can restore balance, speed recovery, and prevent long-term issues.

Dr. Alex Jimenez: Expert in Functional Recovery

Dr. Alex Jimenez, a chiropractor and nurse practitioner with over 30 years of experience, leads our clinic with a focus on functional medicine and rehabilitation. Specializing in injuries from MVAs, sports, work, or daily life, he uses advanced diagnostics like imaging and lab work to pinpoint root causes. His integrative approach—combining chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, massage, and tailored exercises—promotes natural healing without invasive methods.

For personal injury cases, Dr. Jimenez provides detailed medical documentation to support legal claims, ensuring seamless care and support. His dual-scope diagnosis integrates chiropractic and medical insights, addressing conditions like whiplash, sciatica, or herniated discs. Recognized as El Paso’s top chiropractor for nearly a decade, he empowers patients to regain strength and vitality (Jimenez, n.d.).

Get Moving: Walking for Strength and Digestion

Walking is a game-changer for recovery and wellness. This low-impact exercise strengthens back muscles, improves spinal alignment, and reduces pain, making it ideal for those healing from injuries like sprains or MVAs. It also boosts blood flow to tissues, aiding repair (Mission Health, n.d.).

For gut health, walking stimulates intestinal motility, easing constipation and bloating, which can flare up post-injury. Aim for 30 minutes daily at a brisk pace, ideally after meals, to help with acid reflux (Cleveland Clinic, n.d.). Dr. Jimenez incorporates walking into fitness-focused rehab plans to enhance mobility and overall health.

Core Strength: Planks and Bird-Dog for Stability

Building a strong core is essential for spine support and injury recovery. Planks engage abs, back, and obliques, improving posture and reducing strain on injured areas. Hold a forearm plank for 20-30 seconds, gradually increasing the time. This movement also supports gut function by maintaining organ alignment (Hackensack Meridian Health, 2023).

Bird-dog, performed by extending the opposite arm and leg from a four-legged position, strengthens spinal stabilizers, aiding conditions such as sciatica or lower back pain. It promotes balance and indirectly helps digestion through better posture (Harvard Health, n.d.; Better Health Alaska, n.d.).

These exercises, inspired by CrossFit principles, are key components in Dr. Jimenez’s rehab programs, helping patients rebuild strength after injury.

Stretch Smart: Knee-to-Chest and Child’s Pose

Gentle stretches, such as knee-to-chest, relieve spinal tension and aid digestion. Lie on your back, pull one knee to your chest, hold briefly, then switch to the other side. This decompresses the lower spine, easing pain from MVAs, and presses the abdomen to improve bowel movements (Mayo Clinic, n.d.).

Child’s pose—kneeling and folding forward—stretches the lower back and gently compresses the abdomen, helping to reduce bloating. Hold while breathing deeply for added relaxation (Institute of Living, n.d.).

Dr. Jimenez prescribes these for patients recovering from trauma or chronic pain, ensuring safe flexibility gains.

Dynamic Yoga: Cat-Cow and Seated Twists

Yoga movements like cat-cow and seated twists boost both spine and gut health. Cat-cow alternates arching and rounding the back, enhancing spinal mobility and relieving stiffness. It also massages abdominal organs, promoting digestion (ACRI, n.d.).

Seated twists involve rotating the torso while seated, improving spinal flexibility and stimulating gut motility for better waste elimination (NMR, n.d.; SC Gastro, n.d.). These poses, used in Dr. Jimenez’s functional fitness plans, reduce stress and support recovery from injuries like whiplash or strains.

Breathe for Balance: Diaphragmatic Breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing—inhaling to expand the belly, exhaling slowly—calms the nervous system, reducing stress that worsens gut issues and muscle tension. It enhances oxygen flow, aiding tissue repair and digestion (Health Central, n.d.; Healthline, n.d.).

Integrated into daily routines, this technique complements Dr. Jimenez’s holistic approach, boosting recovery from musculoskeletal injuries.

Tailored Injury Recovery at Our Clinic

Our clinic, guided by Dr. Jimenez, addresses a wide range of injuries. MVAs, causing whiplash or spinal trauma, are treated with adjustments and durable medical equipment like braces. Work injuries, such as repetitive strains, benefit from ergonomic guidance and core exercises. Sports injuries, like joint sprains, receive agility-focused rehab, while personal injuries get customized plans with nutrition and massage.

Dr. Jimenez’s functional medicine approach utilizes lab work and imaging to identify and address underlying issues, thereby promoting natural healing. Legal documentation supports personal injury claims, ensuring comprehensive care (Jimenez, n.d.).

Build a Stronger Routine

Start with daily walks, add yoga 2-3 times a week, and gradually incorporate planks. If injured, follow Dr. Jimenez’s tailored guidance to avoid strain (Mendon Chiropractor, 2025). These habits, paired with our fitness-focused rehab, foster lasting wellness.

Conclusion: Thrive Through Functional Fitness

From walking to yoga, these exercises enhance spine and gut health, complementing Dr. Jimenez’s integrative care at our El Paso clinic. Embrace functional fitness for a stronger, pain-free life.

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References

• ACRI. (n.d.). Exercises for digestive health.
• All Injury Rehab. (n.d.). Top 3 spine health exercises.
• Better Health Alaska. (n.d.). 9 exercises for L5-S1 pain relief.
• Clarion Psychiatric Center. (n.d.). The effects of exercise on mental health.
• Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Exercise for a healthy gut.
• Dr. Alex Jimenez. (n.d.). Injury specialists.
• Hackensack Meridian Health. (2023). 5 easy spinal stenosis exercises.
• Harvard Health. (n.d.). Stretching and strengthening exercises to relieve and prevent lower back pain.
• Harvard Health. (n.d.). Three moves for better spine health.
• Health Central. (n.d.). Best exercises for digestion.
• Healthline. (n.d.). Yoga for constipation.
• Institute of Living. (n.d.). Yoga poses for wellness.
• LinkedIn. (n.d.). Dr. Alexander Jimenez profile.
• Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Back exercises in 15 minutes a day.
• Mendon Chiropractor. (2025). Staying active while in pain.
• Mission Health. (n.d.). Easy spine-strengthening exercises.
• NMR. (n.d.). Seated spinal twist for gut health.
• SC Gastro. (n.d.). 5 effective exercises to support digestive health.
• VCare at Home. (n.d.). 5 simple exercises to strengthen the spine.
• YouTube. (2025). Abdominal bracing 101.