How Fast Do You Heal?

It takes a personal commitment to fully recover from an injury. Though the doctor and other therapists can help the body speed tissue healing time, total healing requires a level of commitment from the patients themselves. It requires your promise to yourself that you will do the things required to allow your body to fully recover from an injury.

Part of the patient education process in this clinic is that we will recommend protocols to our patients to increase the effectiveness of our treatments, and speed healing time.

Ultimately, you are in charge of your own healing!

As the treating chiropractor in the clinic, I will always recruit the patients help in their healing process. Initially, it may not be much: I  may ask a patient to modify their work or sport that could be hindering tissue healing. I may recommend ice, or rest.  As tissue healing progresses and the body begins to function more normally, I will start to add exercises.

This is where a patients commitment levels are put to the test - many people are not very good at taking an active role in their own healing.

Ultimately, the healing procedure will require both active and passive care.

Passive care

Is the treatment that the doctor or therapist  performs on you when you come for a visit at our office. Among passive care options at Core Chiropractic and Wellness Clinic are:

  • Chiropractic
  • Active Release Technique
  • Kinesiotaping
  • Ultrasound
  • Massage therapy
  • Acupuncture
  • Ice/ heat
  • Stretching

Active care

Is the recommendations made by the doctor or therapist; for optimal healing time. Examples of these are as follows:

  • Ice/ heat (applied at home as recommended)
  • Stability exercises
  • Home stretches
  • Home strengthening/ mobility exercises
  • Avoiding certain activities

Most of these therapies are taught to you while you are in for a visit in the clinic.

Increased commitment does not have to mean increased expense!

If anything, the reverse is more likely true. When I initially examine patients, I estimate healing time based on a full commitment of the patient to help me with that healing process. If the patient follows instructions and helps me to help them, the recovery time for an injury is significantly decreased- meaning that they get better faster, and the number of visits required to heal an injury is less, not more.

Often, it is the patients that don’t follow my recommendations who begin to get frustrated with treatment, because they aren’t getting better at the speed that they wish to.

They also aren’t doing anything to help themselves, but merely relying on someone else to reduce their pain. This usually results in partial resolution of the injury, and frequent return visits to the chiropractor. (And though I enjoy seeing and visiting with my patients, I enjoy results and a satisfied patient even more!)

If you know that you are not good at sticking to a personal workout regime, but you still want to keep your recovery time to a minimum, then try these recommendations:

  • Talk to the doctor about your limitations and try to work out a schedule that you know you will be able to stick to.
  • Write up a list of home care exercises that you have been given and post them in an obvious place. Deny yourself something until you do them (ie: Post them on your fridge and deny yourself dinner until after you have performed your exercises!!)
  • Recruit help!!!

Core Chiropractic and Wellness offers avenues to help you on your way to your functional goals:

  • If you are still recovering from an injury and can not yet handle normal activity levels, you can book half an hour fitness sessions or I will integrate it into your treatment visits if you request it.
  • If you have improved enough to tackle more challenging stuff, but still require core strengthening, then the next best option could be to visit Patricia Maybury at The Fitness Table . See www.fitnesstable.com for more details.
  • If more intense cardio and strengthening is desired, then make appointments with our athletic therapist, Amanda Taffs of Athletic Vision Personal Fitness Training for your fitness recovery goals.
  • Finally, if you are up for a real challenge, you can go see Calvin Zaryski - who takes normal people like you and me, and trains them to become triathletes and ironman triatheletes! Check out his website at www.criticalspeed.com

Our office is glad to start you on the road to recovery, but ultimately, It is up to you:

Your level of health,
Your level of fitness.
The sky is the limit.

So. What are you waiting for??!

Dr. Tara Guthrie,
Practice of Chirorpactic