This should be the final blog in this series which we will be breaking up into two parts.
As I said, there is so much to be said, and only so much space to write.
Basically, when you injure yourself, there are specific tissues that were damaged- ligaments, muscles, tendons, cartilage, bone…. Each one requires a specific type of therapy to remedy the injury.
Regardless of the tissue, or even the severity, each injury must transition through the three (3) phases of healing described in earlier blogs. And with this, there are a number of strategies to ensure that this happens.
One thing to keep in mind is that these various phases all take time, or shall I say each step must occur and each step involves time if only in terms of passing from one step to the next. The actual time, in terms of days or weeks or months really depends upon your body’s ability to heal and repair itself, your activity level and attitude toward life and living.
A kid cut’s himself in the garage and a few days later he’s fine. A diabetic cuts himself, the wound takes forever to heal, and if it doesn’t the injured body part, might have to be amputated- which then also requires the healing process that couldn’t heal the initial cut! Different people, different situations even though the injuries seem to be the same.
Take home message? A person really needs to take care of himself and have a dynamic attitude about life and living.
So, for those who have been waiting for the theme of almost all of my blogs- it really is a lifestyle and your ability to create and imbue the world around you with livingness. To do this, one must be in communication with those living terminals that he surrounds himself with- these are your family, friends, co-workers, even the guy who just cut you off in traffic. There is no other way.
The healing process itself is a communication process. This is why drugs don’t work. They do not allow you to be in communication with the injured area and the environment in which you find yourself. The only thing that can heal you, that life energy, or soul, or spirit is drugged and zombie-like.
Hey, I don’t feel any pain! Yeah, but you also don’t feel any life! You wouldn’t even be able to feel yourself transitioning through the healing phases.
As I’ve been saying, here is one of the major problems that occur as you try to heal- you never fully transition through the phases. One might think that because the pain is gone he is healed and ready to go. If he successfully went through each of the three (3) phases, then yes, he’s probably ready to go. BUT, if he didn’t and the joint or injured tissue is still somewhat inflamed, or being made inflamed through diet, and not enough rest or the proper treatment, a low grade, sub-acute inflammatory process will continue. Remember from the earlier blogs, this inflammation is DESTRUCTIVE- it’s like fire and it will continue to burn until there is nothing left to burn. This eventually leads to limited motion and chronic joint pain and conditions like arthritis. This is the problem with injuries from a car accident that come back to haunt years later- the inflammation NEVER fully resolved and it continued to destroy the tissues, cartilage, and bone relatively painlessly until it is like an immobile rock. Now it hurts like heck!
The inflammation continues, the body lays down scar tissue, this gets destroyed by inflammation, and heavier scar tissue ensues and in time this scar tissue calcifies- the joint turns to stone. And don’t worry, this is probably happening somewhere in your body right now!
This is why I encourage getting proper treatment that helps you transition through the three (3) phases of healing described earlier.
Stay tuned for the final blog post next week on how Paragon Chiropractic can help your would healing process.