Key Takeaways
- Everyday tasks like wiping and unhooking a bra depend on full shoulder range of motion.
- Losing shoulder motion isn't just part of aging. It often means the neck, collarbone, or shoulder is out of balance.
- The longer you wait to address it, the longer and more painful it can be to fix.
In this lighthearted video filmed in a bathroom, Dr. Parsons talks about something everyone does every day but nobody talks about: wiping after using the toilet. Her real point is about your shoulders.
An Everyday Test of Shoulder Mobility
To wipe properly from the back, you need good range of motion in your shoulders. The same motion is needed to hook and unhook a bra. If reaching behind you has become awkward or uncomfortable, that's a sign your shoulder mobility has decreased.
It's Not Just Aging
Dr. Parsons says losing shoulder range of motion isn't simply part of getting older. It usually means something in the neck, the collarbone, the shoulder, or a combination of all three is out of balance.
Don't Wait to Get It Checked
The longer you wait, she explains, the longer it can take to fix and the more painful the process can be. Chiropractic care can help restore full range of motion so everyday tasks stay comfortable.
If reaching behind your back has gotten harder, The Natural Path Health Center in Fresno can assess what's limiting your shoulder. Learn more about our chiropractic care.
Read the full video transcript
Hey everyone, it's Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, founder of the Natural Path Health Center. And yes, I am in the bathroom. We're going to be talking about something that each and every one of you should be doing at least once a day, if not more, and that is pooping. But we're not talking about poop, per se. It's what happens after we deliver the goods into the toilet, and that is wiping. To properly wipe, we need to have good range of motion in our shoulders, because we need to get to the undercarriage from the back end. You don't want to go from the front, and it's awkward to do it the other way. Just picture that. If we can't do this motion, we also can't hook and unhook our bra. That's a problem. And if you can't comfortably get back there to wipe properly and make sure everything is clean and tidy, you're going to need to invest in a bidet. Not my thing. I'd rather be able to wipe my own hiney. So you want to make sure that your shoulders have complete range of motion. If that starts to decrease, that is not a factor of aging. That is a factor of something in your neck, your clavicle (collarbone), or your shoulder, or all three, being out of balance. And that's where chiropractic comes in. You will need to get some chiropractic care to make sure that you have complete range of motion to get the business done in the behind, get your bra off, get your shirt off. And if you don't get it fixed, the longer you wait, the longer it will take, the more painful, just the more everything. So don't wait. Don't compromise on cleaning up comfortably, because we all need to do it. Get taken care of. You don't want that lingering. Talk to you soon.
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB is a Doctor of Chiropractic, certified clinical nutritionist, and brain wellness expert with 34+ years serving Fresno families at The Natural Path Health Center.
Learn More About Dr. Parsons
