subject: Chiropractor Normal Il | Physical Therapy And Chiropractic Care- Pain Relief After Injury Or Surgery [print this page] Are you in the midst of recovering from a recent injury or surgery? The recovery process may be long and painful, but chiropractic care can make it easier. Chiropractic medicine specializes in realigning the spine, and restoring the optimal flow of nerve energy through the body, providing an ideal source of relief.
What kinds of injuries can be helped?
Common injuries stemming from car accidents, athletic activity, sudden impact, falls, or repetitive stress can all benefit from chiropractic care.
Whiplash
Car accidents and any form of sudden impact can force sudden movement of the head in one direction, then a rapid recoil in which the head springs back in the opposite direction with a violent whip-like movement- hence the term "whiplash." Muscles of the neck and back respond by constricting powerfully. When they become locked in this tightened position, tension and secondary injuries may result to the muscles themselves. This may explain why the painful effects of whiplash are sometimes not felt for days or even weeks after the initial injury.
Sports Injuries
Many athletic activities require quick, pivoting movements, kicks, and jumps that can result in falls and sprains. Sprains are slow to heal and can cause not only compensatory abnormalities in posture, but restrictions to range of motion and misalignment of the vertebrae. Intervertebral discs, the spinal column's shock absorbers, can also be affected, leading to a bulging, or herniated disc. When these bulging discs press against a nerve, it can cause debilitating discomfort.
Workplace Injuries and Lifestyle Issues
Our workplaces and modern lifestyles can place a considerable toll on our spinal health. A mostly sedentary lifestyle tends to weaken our low back and abdominal muscles such that our spinal column loses an essential element of structural support. Over time this becomes the source of additional vulnerability to injury as the spine is left unprotected. Repetitive movements and poor ergonomics then contribute to injury and chronic pain.
Surgery
As your body repairs itself from surgical incisions, scar tissue is formed. This internal scar tissue is called an adhesion. Adhesions have far reaching consequences which can restrict normal movement and impair the function of vital organs. Adhesions in the abdominal region can cause considerable pain.
How does chiropractic address these issues?
Chiropractors use a variety of non-invasive techniques to realign the spine, release restrictions/adhesions in the muscle and connective tissue and restore the flow of energy through the nerves. These techniques may include manual adjustments to the spine, massage, and the use of gentle electrical stimulation to relax the muscles and facilitate the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.
The Future of Chiropractic and Advanced Rehabilitation
As you recover from an injury or surgery, you'll want to find a clinic that offers a variety of rehabilitative therapies. Forward thinking chiropractic clinics, like HealthSource of Normal, Illinois have assumed a leadership role, offering patients several modalities under one roof.
Their combination of therapies has a cumulative effect, with each therapy amplifying the positive results of the other. For example, chiropractic adjustments realign your spine after an injury providing rapid pain relief. Then physical therapy helps you to maintain your progress while learning safer patterns of movement. After surgery, chiropractic releases adhesions whilst physical therapy accelerates recovery of muscle strength and prevents the formation of new adhesions. In an indication of what is certain to become an industry-wide practice, they offer additional treatment options to benefit patients in recovery, such as nerve release techniques, and non-invasive spinal decompression for degenerative disc disease. As chiropractic medicine moves in this direction of multifaceted care, its importance as an indispensable part of your recovery is undeniable.
