Waiting too long can be dangerous. We often wait a bit after an injury to see if it “just goes away on its own”, but without professional examination and treatment some conditions can become worse with time.
BODY’S FIRST DEFENSE
When we get hurt, the body has its way of immediately addressing the problem – by causing swelling or inflammation to the area. It basically sends a bunch of fluid and fibers to the trauma site and they are piled on in a lot of different directions. It stabilizes the area and protects it from further insult, and then once we have the chance to rest, it can start healing up better.
LONG-LASTING EFFECTS
Unfortunately, the more swelling and the longer it lasts, the more likely we will have scar tissue left over. Scar tissue may also take the place of healthy tissue and lead to dysfunction. This type of chronic inflammation will reduce future movement and possibly affect other things like muscle and nerve function.
Dr. James Tidball of the University of California explained that the overall effect of inflammation on muscle function may be beneficial or detrimental based on “the magnitude of the response, the previous history of muscle use, and possibly injury-specific interactions between muscle and the invading inflammatory cells.” (see “Inflammatory processes in muscle injury and repair.” American Journal of Physiology 2005; 288: R345–53).
The immediate response of the body is super helpful if we’re out in the wilderness far from ice, bandages, or medical care. At home with resources for treatment, we seek to reduce this swelling and begin the process of healing right away.
LESS OBVIOUS INJURIES (AND THE ROLE OF PAIN)
Traumatic injury is sometimes very obvious and we quickly observe bruising, swelling, and pain. Injuries can also be more subtle and instead present as mild stiffness or decreased movement. Such symptoms might not grab our attention, and can slowly increase severity without our noticing. Yet if you have smaller, repetitive trauma over a long period of time, it can add up to where it is even worse than one big trauma.
These are often more difficult to treat and take more time to heal. So if a chiropractor can catch the problem before it reaches that stage, your prognosis is better (the likelihood of responding well to treatment). We should look at pain as the last step in a long chain of events. No matter what the source of injury, if you have PAIN then it has reached that threshold and needs medical attention as soon as possible.
→ The best thing to do following an injury is to find a good doctor to perform a detailed physical examination where they assess the extent of injury and determine the best course of treatment to restore your health. Call Favero Chiropractic at 801.784.6306 or request an appointment here.