The Do's and Don'ts After an Injury or Accident

It is advantageous when someone who is a professional can relate to situations from personal experience. 

That definitely suits me in this instance. Thankfully I haven't had any major injuries or accidents but from what I have been through, my cervical spine is very sensitive, so the least little jolt can cause pain and tightness. 

Recently I had a fall and I went flying forward from my longboard. Yes, I skate. I hadn't for a couple of years, though, but I had built up strength and balance in my legs from working out/jogging/yoga so I wanted to get back on it again. I found a great trail with a wide, level trail...for the most part. I was doing great and then I quickly gained the courage to go down a minimal slope. I told myself that I would just hop off if I felt like I was going to fast. Well, it was too late. I put my hands out in front of me to avoid a facial impact. I did bounce on the pavement a little bit, catching my left knee, left elbow and both hands. The scrapes didn't bother me but I knew what the true aftermath was going to be and luckily I knew what to do. 

The rest of the day I applied heat and stretched. I was fortunate to get into the chiropractor the next day and even have a colleague give me a quick massage for my neck and shoulders beforehand. By the evening I felt ten times better. 

This experience has apparently sparked inspiration in writing this post. So, without further ado, here are the steps in taking care of yourself after an injury or accident as well as what to avoid. Each person and situation is different, so these are just general guidelines to keep in mind. If there are obvious or possible broken bones, concussions or major wounds, seek medical attention immediately. If you can't move, DON'T MOVE. Especially in the spinal region. You could cause further injury or even paralysis.Also know that you should never self-diagnose but you can tune into and listen to your body. It always tells you what you need to know. So, with that, heeding the following information is very important.

1. Don't assume that you will be okay. Especially if you've been in a motor vehicle collision. Usually you won't feel anything until the next day or 2. You are going to be sore and tight, even at a very minimal impact. Depending on the speed and angle of the impact, it will cause certain muscles and structures to be put under some sort of force or restraint. Even if it's minor, the pain and tension can build over time and can turn chronic if not immediately addressed. Chronic pain and tension is much more difficult to work with and relieve. The sooner you take care of the injury, the sooner you will allow your body to respond and heal.

2. Don't protect the injury area. If you feel tight and sore or possibly have a strained muscle, do not isolate the injury. Keeping it mobile will help the healing process and range of motion. Neck, shoulders, back...your mind wants to guard the area and protect from further injury, but you need to basically convince your mind that it's ok. 

3. Don't ice! Doctors and professionals for years would say to ice a fresh injury but inflammation is a natural healing response of the body, bringing white blood cells to the area. If there is extreme inflammation, it is good to have it checked out just in case there might be a fracture or muscle tear. It is best to keep pressure off the injured area and raised (above the heart, if possible). If there is no inflammation (which illicits pain, redness and swelling), and you are just experiencing soreness and tightness, use heat. You can never use too much of it either. Heat keeps the muscles, tissues and ligaments loose. You will thank me if you heed this one piece of advice alone.

4. Learn some gentle stretches for the injured area. Gentle is key- you don't want to exacerbate anything. It is best to seek instruction from a Physical Therapist or Massage Therapist. Using your hands or the wall to stretch and then using your hand or wall to push back out of the stretch will help the muscles relax instead of work after stretching.

5. While pain killers may help getting through the more severe pain, they can mask the underlying condition and dampen your sense of feeling, which can lead to overexertion and possible further injury. Cortisone shots simply numb the area, causing the same repercussions, as well as possible nerve damage. 

6. Seek therapies to help the healing process. Massage Therapy and Chiropractor go hand-in-hand with fresh injuries, especially when the body has been thrown or jolted. There are tight muscles and misaligned bony structures. If you have a chiropractic adjustment yet you have tight muscles, they will pull the bones back out of alignment and vise versa. Massage Therapy and Chiropractic techniques are important- be sure that the therapist or Chiropractor can provide gentle, less invasive techniques such as Myofascial Release, Trigger Point, Myotherapy, Muscle Energy Techniques, Manual Ligament Therapy and Manual Lymphatic Work (Massage) and the Activator Technique (Chiropractor). Your body is traumatized and needs a more soothing treatment to begin with. Digging into the muscles and manually adjusting the bones will most likely cause more pain and injury.

7. Other treatments that can help speed up the healing process are Acupuncture (great for pain, nerve issues such as numbness/tingling, pain, and loss of mobility), Physical Therapy (great for loss of mobility, weakened muscles, and tears to muscles/ligaments), Floating (sensory depravation- the pool of water is pumped with hundred of pounds of epsom salts which are full of Magnesium, a natural mineral that acts as a muscle relaxer), CranioSacral Therapy (very non-invasive, great for tension release, pain, loss of mobility), Reiki Therapy (non-invasive, great for fresh injuries that cannot be manually worked on or for severe pain and sensitivity). 

8. If one method of therapy is not working, don't give up. Try a combination of other therapies. Again, every body and every circumstance is different, so different therapies will have different effects. 

These tips are very important to your healing process. Leaving one out may cause the healing process to be prolonged or worsened. And, again, let me re-iterate the discloser:

If there are obvious or possible broken bones, concussions or major wounds, seek medical attention immediately. If you can't move, DON'T MOVE. Especially in the spinal region. You could cause further injury or even paralysis.Also know that you should never self-diagnose but you can tune into and listen to your body.

                                  

What You Need To Know About Injury Inflammation & Chronic Inflammation

inflammation

 [in″flah-ma´shun] 

a localized protective response elicited by injury or destruction of tissues, which serves to destroy, dilute, or wall off boththe injurious agent and the injured tissue. adj., adj inflam´matory. (Source)

When an injury occurs, the inflammation process immediately kicks in which allows white blood cells to rush to the site of injury in order to begin the repair process and protect from infection. This is a naturally occurring process that is needed after an injury. 

Now let's discuss why many doctors and medical professionals have recommended using ice and heat when it comes to injuries and why that neither is a good idea for a fresh injury. 

Ice: Dr. Gabe Mirkin was the creator of the acronym we all know as R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) in 1978. Dr. Mirkin himself has recently backed out of this and recognizes that ice can do more harm than good. 
Here is his article: RICE: End Of An Ice Age
Ice is simply a numbing agent. It has been said that it helps bring down inflammation. This is true, but in bringing down the inflammation, it slows down the healing process. White blood cells begin to struggle to get to the injury site but get blocked. It also slows the blood flow which is need to heal. If used excessively, ice can actually cause nerve damage. Can you imagine all of these athletes who take ice baths? Yikes! It is such a shock to the system and interruption of nerve communication. 

My back has seized up on me before. The first time it ever happened, I grabbed an ice pack and laid on it for 20-30 minutes. I went to bed and the next morning I could not move. I quit using ice and within the next few days of moving into an apartment complex that had a hot tub, I tried that out. Within a few days I was almost back to normal. I just learned to keep moving and use the hot tub and my recovery sped up rapidly. I was still really tight for about a week, so I kept using heat. The 2nd time my back seized up, I went straight to heat. I recovered in half the time. 

Heat: Heat will obviously speed up the inflammation process, which is not needed. In an acute situation (fresh injury), the site of injury is already hot from the dilated blood vessels working overtime. Heat is best when things have settled down and the area just feels tight and range of motion is still a struggle. 

If you have a more chronic inflammation condition, such as Arthritis, Plantarfasciitis, Tendonitis, an anti-inflammatory diet is the best and most natural treatment. Again, ice slows inflammation and numbs. Heat will only exacerbate it. Also, cortisone shots can do the same damage to nerves over time as ice. Painkillers can be a resort for pain management but be careful with dosage and how often you take it. Any medication, if taken on a regular basis, can cause digestive issues. Instead, up the ante with vegetables while lessening the intake of sugars and caffeine. Turmeric is an amazing anti-inflammatory spice that you can add to just about anything. Of course, water intake is vital as well as exercise and movement. Liquid movement such as swimming or hot tub use is very effective as well. My father goes to the gym and above all else he loves using the hot tub and steam room for his arthritis. He also takes turmeric & ginger right before bed and it helps him get a restful sleep with minimal tossing and turning. 

In conclusion, do not use ice or heat on a fresh injury. Instead it is best to keep a gentle mobility in the area- do not stop moving it or the restrictions of range of motion will worsen and become more of a chronic issue. Heat is great for tight, sore muscles only. 

Words I Won't Use As A Holistic Practitioner And Why It's So Important




             Words go a long way, especially when you have a professional role. If you want to be reputable and effective, you've got to find the best way to communicate with customers or clients. In my line of work there will be skeptics, sensitive people, people who want answers, people who mistake me for a doctor, or those who have a misconception of the services I provide.

           

             My official titles are 'Licensed Massage Practitioner, Certified Reiki Master & Certified Nutritional Coach'. I have scopes of practice to follow, but I also have different languages to speak with each specialty and with each person I meet. Let me explain what each is in detail so that you can understand what words I use and avoid for different purposes.

         





          Massage Therapy definition: Manual manipulation of soft body tissues (muscle, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments) to enhance a person's health and well-being. There are dozens of types of massage therapy methods (also called modalities).

        

             There are different massage techniques as well, including the most common- Swedish (Relaxation) and Rehabilitative (Deep Tissue/Treatment/Orthopedic/Injury). Many other branches of Massage include Thai, Reflexology, Ayurvedic, Lomi Lomi/Mana Lomi, Intraoral, Manual Lymph Drainage, Prenatal, Tui Na and so much more. Many can simply be learned and adapted without specific credentialing requirements, others are requried or suggested to have special certification in to demonstrate that one has taken the necessary steps to show they are fluent in that modality or technique and to have added liability protection.

        

          In some states, massage therapists are titled as Licensed Massage Practitioners, others are known as Licensed Massage Therapists. Either way, we all are licensed to practice a therapy. I am not a masseuse. I am formerly trained to know the body and muscular structures, and to help alleviate aches and pains and promote relaxation. I cannot diagnose or prescribe but I can educate my clients in how to maintain good posture and movement while avoiding further pain or injury.

        

             On a side note, I've also learned to not use the word "relax" with my clients. Psychologically and physiologically, the client tends to do just the opposite. They like to see the word as it is enticing, but to hear it lets them know they aren't relaxed and so their brain sends that message to that tense area of the body and the muscles do not know how to react. People with a naturally tense neck or shoulders are used to being in that static tense mode. Words that tend to be more affective and that are more inviting would be "sink in" or "let go" or even "let me do the work for you". Yes, massage therapy uses psychology.

        

         Northwestern Health Sciences University


         

          Reiki definition: A healing technique based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy into the patient by means of touch, to activate the natural healing processes of the patient's body and restore physical and emotional well-being.

        

            It consists of 2 japanese words- Rei and Ki. Combined it loosely translates to

         Universal Life Force.

           

             In my experience over the years, I've learned do not prefer to call it a healing technique. Heal is a powerful and misleading word. It can denote a religious tone or even sense of witchcraft or voodoo. My role as the practitioner is to solely facilitate the flow of energy. I do not provide the energy, therefore I provide no healing. As a holistic practitioner, my job is to provide my clients with an open door. They are in charge of their own healing process. I simply give them momentum. I do not heal.

        

             The moment I realized I did not want to call it a healing technique is when I had a massage client interested in my health coaching services. When they found out I practiced Reiki, they questioned it, stating that it was 'not of God'. Even though Reiki was not in any way in conjuction with my other services, the client never returned. It is upsetting to know that something like Reiki can be viewed as evil or sacrilige. It is not of a religion at all. In fact, it was discovered by a man during a solo Christian meditation retreat on top of a mountain. Definitions of Reiki can also state that it is a 'laying of hands' modality. I do not use that term either, for the same purposes as stated in the beginning of this paragraph.

        

             The link below is from the foundation Reiki.org in which I am a part of, but that does not mean I agree with its definition.

         



 

          Reiki Energy-What Is It?-How Does It Heal?


         

          Nutritional Coaching definition: There is no clear definition for a Nutritional Coach but coaching is an emerging practice in many areas, such as with finance, health, spirituality, and life. Although the title of a Nutritional Coach is not prohibited in any state, but as a coach you must demonstrate the skills and compenency in that area and stay within the appropriate scope of practice. As a Nutritional Coach, I cannot diagnose or prescribe. I can only suggest, just like with my other specialties. I am certified to show that I have thoroughly studied the subject and I have the skill set to provide nutritional guidance for my clients. Although my credentialed title is Certified Nutritional Coach, I title myself a Health Coach due to the fact that I am also a massage therapist and can provide tips and guidance in other areas of health. With any certification or licensure in the healthcare field, continuing education is required- so I am always learning and gaining new information.

        

             I always tell my clients that I can only suggest changes they can make and that it is always best to bring these suggestions to their primary physician so they are aware. The client also needs to pay attention to their body and tune in more in order to better understand what the body is communicating and if things are working or not. As any practitioner, even doctors, cannot wave a wand and make things better. Giving suggestions for the client to make healthy changes is proven to be the most effective form of healing. Medications are temporary bandaids, so I encourage my clients to find ways to create and maintain long-term relief.

         

          Health Coach | Center for Nutrition Advocacy


             

             We have amazing life costumes called bodies. They communicate with us and they can heal on their own if we learn to listen and put in effort to take care of them. Medical attention can be beneficial, but starting with our own healing capabilities can deter, soothe, and even prevent many illnesses, ailments and injuries. I take my job seriously and I love what I do, but it takes the strength and determination of the client to ultimatley bring the best results.