Hey Sports Fans! How to recover from old sports injuries....
by Eric Robert Santiago on 06/27/12
Growing up in Lake Ronkonkoma, NY in the 1960's, our winter passion was ice hockey. We just couldn't get enough of the sport. Unfortunately, back then there was no place to skate other then the lake and the local ponds which meant that our playing time was determined by the temperature outside. However, as soon as the ice froze, we were skating, from dusk til dawn.
During one particularly grueling battle, my blade got caught in a crack in the ice and I tore my meniscus.... 40 years later, when it rains, I swear I can still feel the tear.
If you’re a weekend warrior, enjoy gardening, or engage in any other occasional physical exertion, then you may know what it’s like to experience a soft tissue injury, such as a sprain, strain, muscle pull, or tear. But if those old aches and pains keep coming back, or if you have a tendency to reinjure the same spot, then the chances are you never fully recovered in the first place.
Why You Shouldn’t Stop Treatment Too Early
Most people mistakenly believe that once the pain subsides, they’re fully healed. But by stopping the recovery process too early, they may be setting themselves up for future health issues, like those recurring aches and pains, reinjury, side effects from painkillers, or even worse, the need for surgery.
In reality, the body goes through 3 phases on the road to soft tissue injury recovery. To completely recover, it’s necessary to address all 3. Fortunately, they can be addressed naturally through the right chiropractic care and targeted nutrients.
The Three Phases of Injury Recovery
- Phase 1 – Acute Care (1-3 days). In the first few days after injury, inflammation, the body’s natural defense mechanism is activated. Inflammation causes the discomfort and swelling with which most people are familiar with. The therapeutic goal during this phase is to reduce discomfort, spasm, and swelling with chiropractic care and nutrients such as turmeric, boswellia, ginger, proteolytic enzymes, magnesium, calcium, passionflower, and valerian.
- Phase 2 – Sub-acute care (day 4 through a minimum of 6 weeks). During the sub-acute phase, tissue repair begins. The therapeutic goal becomes improving range of motion through chiropractic care plus nutrients such as iso-alpha-acids from hops, zinc, and berberine.
- Phase 3 – Wellness care (6 weeks and beyond). By this phase, you should be in good health and at lower risk for reinjury. And if you do reinjure yourself, you’ll recover much easier and faster. The therapeutic goal at this phase is to promote long-term health through moderate exercise, a healthy diet, and supplementation with high potency multivitamins, essential fatty acids (fish oil), and phytonutrients.
It’s Time for Complete Recovery
In summary, if you’ve been sidelined with recurring aches and pains from old injuries or continue reinjuring the same area, it’s time to get back on the road to full recovery.
