Chiropractic Care And Injury Rehab: A Healthy Combination

Getting over a painful or debilitating injury requires not only persistence and determination but also a plan of action that takes your whole body's health into account. An injury rehab clinic can provide a variety of techniques to help your tissues heal, rebuild your strength, increase your flexibility and reduce your pain. But don't react with too much surprise if your therapist also recommends a visit to your local chiropractor. Musculoskeletal adjustments can go hand in hand with other healing modalities to help restore your body to good working order and to help you keep it in that condition.

An Introduction to Injury Rehabilitation

The term "physical medicine and rehabilitation" applies loosely to any combination of techniques that help individuals recuperate from the effects of illnesses, injuries, major surgeries, or chronic health challenges. For instance, if a lengthy course of treatment or a serious accident has left you bedridden for months, your entire body may have become weakened. That same accident may also have torn muscles, pinched nerves, or fractured bones, all of which could use some help on their road to recovery. Repetitive motion and overuse affecting a specific part of the body may lead to chronic pain and inflammation that requires treatment. Physical rehabilitation can address these and other others through the following:

1. Physical therapy exercises - A personalized exercise plan can target specific areas of the body that need to regain strength, balance or flexibility. Many of these exercises can be performed at home, while others benefit from the equipment and guidance available at your injury rehab clinic.
2. Massage therapy - Massage therapy can increase blood flow to damaged tissues, release tissues trapped by internal scar tissue, and reduce inflammation related to chronic joint problems.
3. Physiotherapy techniques - Advanced techniques such as electroacupuncture, ultrasound, and interferential muscle stimulation can help you master your pain without drugs.

How Chiropractic Adjustment Aids Your Rehab Goals

Chiropractic care can greatly enhance your comfort and function as a complement to your physical rehabilitation plan. Many accident injuries can push your joints or vertebrae out of their optimal alignment and this misalignment can prevent your musculoskeletal system from working properly. An unbalanced body may even make it impossible for you to put your rehab to the best possible use. Uneven weight distribution places abnormal stress on muscles and connective tissues, as well as compressing nerves and causing neurological problems.

Chiropractic adjustments can get these obstacles out of your way as you work to repair your body. By correcting joint and vertebral positions, your chiropractor can help restore your musculoskeletal symmetry and nerve function while giving your tissues every chance to heal. These corrections allow you to perform your exercises and other injury rehab tasks without the added limitations of tight tissues, physical imbalances, or reduced muscle response (a common effect of pinched nerves).

Optimizing Your Body for Injury Prevention

The combination of chiropractic care and injury rehab doesn't just you regain control of your body; it can also set the stage for a lifetime of fewer injuries going forward. The exercises and other healing modalities you've become familiar with can continue to play roles in maintaining your health. For example, the corrective exercises you've used to rehabilitate a back injury can continue to help you keep your back strong and limber, making you less vulnerable to injury in that area. At the same time, periodic chiropractic checkups and incremental adjustments can help you keep your body properly balanced, your joints moving smoothly, and your nerves relaying signals as they should.

Ask either your chiropractor or your therapist at your injury rehab clinic about the benefits of combining these two modes of treatment. You may discover that you can improve your physical function more quickly and completely than you could have imagined — and without drugs or surgery!

For more information, contact an injury rehab clinic.