Injury: Respect It!

Written By: Dr. Sue Aery - Aery Chiropractic & Acupuncture | Issue: 2018/12 - December

Injury has a life of its own and needs to be respected!

The human body has an amazing process by which it identifies, prioritizes and fixes something that is foreign and invasive, including injuries. An injury can range from a cut on the finger, a bruise of an organ, pressure on a nerve or a bump on the head and there are, of course, far more serious occurrences as well.

The body has the tools, for the most part, to “send in the troops” to best heal the problem. In my years of practice, I have found that most people ignore the signs that something is wrong or injured, hoping that it will just go away on its own. We call this “wait and suffer,” meaning that we do nothing to help the body through the process.

For every injury, there is a mechanism or cause, sometimes identifiable and sometimes not.

If we know how it happened, it is best to avoid that same action while the body is healing. For example, if an injury comes on due to excess lifting, leaning forward, bending to pick up or pull, etc, the body must be kept away from those actions while it is healing!!! This seems simple, but we are a stubborn culture and tend to do things that hinder the body’s natural healing process. When you understand that the injury is there, knowing what most likely caused the insult, you can properly assist the body as it does its healing job.

For most basic injuries, the healing time is usually four to six weeks to show 75 to 90 percent improvement.

If things don’t start to improve very quickly, you may need some professional assistance. Usually, the body should show some improvement within the first two or three days if it is capable of healing itself. If no progress is being experienced, then it’s time to seek help, sooner rather than later! The body is telling you, “I need help!” Don’t ignore these signs and messages, get to someone who can do a thorough evaluation and give you some guidance, direction and help with healing.

In my office, we’ll do an exam, ask questions and provide a personalized healing plan for you, including the natural course we follow and if needed, an additional recommendation to see a specialist, including x-rays and lab tests.

 Whatever you’re feeling, please respect it and get help before further, lasting injury takes place. The body works so much better if you listen to what it is saying! Healing is real but it can take time.  Give it that time and the assistance it needs and the healing can be completely finished within months instead of years of chronic pain and suffering.