Part III: Exercise and Pain Relief

Exercise, exercise, exercise. There is no more important word when it comes to health. This is especially true when you have an injury. Obviously, you need to be careful and modify certain activities, but you need to exercise and move the injured area unless the injury is a fracture or a near full tear. Your chiropractor, doctor or physical therapist will let you know if you are not allowed to move the area. For nearly all injuries, if you want to get from injured to normal, you are going to have to do a bit of exercising! The bonus- you will feel better faster!



One of my favorites sayings when talking to patients is this: "Bodies are meant to move." This applies to injured bodies as well as healthy bodies. An injury will heal faster and BETTER with movement. Swelling will decrease faster and there will be less scar tissue. Muscles and joints get better circulation when they are moved. This allows for the removal of waste products and an influx of nutrients to supply the cells with the necessary materials to repair. When there is an injury to a muscle, tendon or ligament, there are micro-tears in the fibers of the tissue. If there is no movement during the repair process, the fibers do not have proper guidance when aligning to optimize stress on the injured part. This can create a weakened state post-injury, making it likely that the area will be injured again in the future. So, if you want to really heal and get back to 100%, you need to exercise. Immobilizing the injured area may make it feel better for the moment, but you are only hurting yourself in the end. You need to move as near to normal as you can during healing and follow your chiropractor, physical therapist or doctor's instructions regarding exercise and stretching. Don't make up your own program and don't make excuses! You will thank yourself when you are back to normal and pain-free.