As a patient and a provider, I am continuously surprised when I see injured individuals pushed out the door by healthcare practices with little follow-up and no treatment plan in place.

In the case of most acute injuries, such as motor vehicle accidents, patients leave the emergency room with a prescription for muscle relaxers and a cervical collar.  Diagnostically, they may receive a high level of care from the emergency room staff, but the system is blind as to how to take their treatment to the next level. Patients are told to follow up with their primary healthcare provider, who often recommends rest, more prescriptions and a short course of physical therapy.

What’s wrong with this picture? For one, valuable time is lost in the rehabilitation process. What starts out as a temporary problem can quickly become permanent if the right protocols aren’t followed.

 What to do if you suffer a serious injury and require surgery

1. Work out other areas of your body — Hard workouts should start the next day after the incident, like cycling or utilizing other areas of your body not affected by the injury. By getting your body engaged in physical activity you can increase blood flow to the area and work on your cardiovascular activity. It will also help to maintain posture and good bio-mechanics.
2. Massage therapy — Find yourself a good massage therapist or trigger point person who can help reduce adhesion and scaring. Usually, this involves working the origins and insertions of the muscles involved or working the areas around the surgical scar to prevent nodules from developing.
3. Get a strength or fitness coach — A strength and fitness coach will improve your range of motion in the damaged area. This will help limit swelling in the area and keep the joint from becoming frozen or fixated.
4. Ice and Elevate — Ice and elevate the affected area. For optimal cold conduction, ensure the ice is on a wet towel and don’t ice for longer than 25 minutes.
5. Talk to your doctor — Depending on where you are and your availability, there are a great number of alternative healthcare therapies that can speed recovery along, such as cold laser, acupuncture and chiropractic services.

Although the goal or end result following an injury is the same for all of us, the road to get there is different for each person. Healing is as much an art as it is a science and depends on our experience and the effort we are willing to give.

 

If you are in the Rochester, NY area, contact us today for a free consultation with one of our doctors. Call us at 585.586.7630 or complete our New Patient Survey to put yourself back on the road to health.

 

Dr. Sadlon has over 30 years of experience as a chiropractor and provides treatment to patients in Brighton, Fairport, Greece, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Perinton, Pittsford, Rochester, Victor, Walworth, and Webster, NY.