Chiropractic treatment focuses on the relationship between the structure of the body and its functioning, to restore and maintain health. The following are Elijah’s top 5 hints and tips for maintaining treatment outcomes during rehab and to ultimately help our body to function at its amazing best.
Recovery v Follow up
Soreness after treatment is to be expected (especially after the first two days post treatment) but how do you know when it’s time for a follow up? Often the best course of action is to allow for some time for your body to settle down. This recovery time means prioritising taking a walk, drinking more water, attempting some of the exercises and stretches as prescribed. If you then happen to find little to no improvement, or if you have reached a new level of discomfort, feel free to get in contact with us and if needed we can book you in (ideally after 3-5 days).
To manage post treatment soreness, follow your practitioner’s advice for using ice or heat, having a hot shower can help muscle recovery, and so does drinking plenty of water, especially after massage.
Mindset is key!
Managing expectations during your journey to recovery is vital. Fostering a healthy mindset sets you up emotionally to identify goals and intentions and to physically carry out the tasks at hand. Lean on the people who can support you and remember you’ve got a team behind you at Feel Amazing.
Trust the process.
Cliche I know – but recovery does take time and everyone really is different. You and your body are unique, so treatment and recovery is individual. Having said that, it is important to know that Rehab is NOT a workout. Any exercise prescribed during your consultation is given to allow for you to do movements that don’t elicit discomfort. Rehab exercises aim to improve movement by incrementally strengthening injured musculoskeletal and neurological tissues. Rushing the process will usually result in re-injury of the tissue or promote aberrant movement patterns. A little definitely goes a long way.
Healing is not a linear progression.
There will be days where you feel like you’re making leaps and bounds, others you might feel like you’re at a standstill, and sometimes you may feel like you’ve gone backwards. This is normal. Looking at the bigger picture of treatment outcomes and gaining improved function can help you keep sight of the goal of your recovery.
Pain is not a measurement of progress, functionality is. This can mean focusing on things like range of movement, being able to do tasks a little easier, doing more of the day to day things you’ve been restricted in. We will talk about pain in a later blog post as it’s such a big topic to get into here.
Be Kind to yourself.
Hold space to celebrate progress – no matter how big or small. Recognise your achievements and remember that you know your body better than anyone. Each step you take towards improving your health and wellbeing contributes to better days ahead.