It has been through years of experience that I have had the opportunity to see patients come to my office with injuries at all different stages of healing. For example, I have seen new patients who have injured their back on the same day and other new patients who will visit my office for chiropractic care pertaining to injuries that are 20 years old and still causing regular pain.
My observation has been that the sooner you receive treatment for an injury the quicker the path to COMPLETE recovery you will have. At the start of an injury the pain is new and often unbearable and this is when I suggest having the area examined so that you can understand exactly what the problem is and what the best treatment options are.
As an injury begins it’s healing process (which is within days of onset) the body may incur scar tissue, swelling, muscle spasms and other protective responses. In many cases this acute (new) pain will diminish to some degree without treatment, but it is the underlying scar tissue, muscle/ ligament damage that will change the normal function of the surrounding joints and thus lay the foundation for a potential chronic issue.
I have seen several patients who for example injured their neck in their 20’s and had not sought treatment as the pain gradually went away on its own and then later needed to seek chiropractic care because of constant reaggravation. Chronic pain often in addition to being long lasting and frequent also may include changes in flexibility, strength, comfort level with day to day activities and long lasting disability that can impact family and work.
If you have questions about an injury that you are experiencing please consider having it evaluated by your chiropractor. We may not be able to help all injuries, but as a chiropractor I have been well trained to evaluate, diagnose and recommend care for most muscle, joint, ligament and nerve related issues. We offer many therapies to help including chiropractic, physical therapy techniques, pilates, massage and acupuncture. As usual if we cannot help we will be glad to refer you to a specialist who can.
Please post your questions that you have and I will discuss it in the next blog post. Please send questions to (info@livewell-la.com)