Healing takes TIME! Yes, yes, we have all heard this before. But where does this come from, and what does it take to heal in Coeur d'Alene ID? Chiropractic textbooks in 1910 have written on this subject: “There is no process that does not require time.” (Chiropractic Textbook, Stevensons).

What Happens When a Subluxation Occurs?

Nowadays, there is proof that the body at the physiological level must go through different stages of healing to mend the injury/subluxation. You must remember, the subluxation is an injury to soft tissue (disc, nerve, supporting ligaments, and muscles) The vertebrae mis-align-- however the effects-- are seen in the soft tissue, especially the disc and the impact the disc has on the nerve tissue.

The Three Phases of Healing

The following is from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons text written in 1998 which allows us to understand the process of healing that the body must go through. This is the actual textbook that many Personal Injury claim attorneys use when deciding on how to handle cases of whiplash. The first phase is the ACUTE PHASE: inflammation in the first 72 hours. The second phase is the SUB-ACUTE PHASE: this is where repair happens. After the first 72 hours to 6 weeks, the inflammation begins to subside, and healing or repair begins. The third phase is the REMODELING PHASE: this can take up to 12 months for tissue to fully repair. Maximum scar maturation is not achieved until at least 12 months. Even then, the maturation of the tissue will be less than the tensile strength it was before. Why is this important?

Why Chiropractic Care in Coeur d'Alene ID Matters

When we set a vertebra back onto the disc with an adjustment, we are most often helping the body heal in the remodeling stage. If someone comes in right away after an injury (car crash, sports injury, etc), we could be seeing them in the acute stage, which is even more helpful. The more the soft tissue can be worked in an appropriate direction for UP TO 12 MONTHS, the better. Healing is not just based on how we are “feeling” at that moment.

When a subluxation is present, the soft tissue suffers and can repair itself in an unorganized fashion. When we correct the subluxation and maintain its neutral position with the vertebrae above and below, we can assure that the soft tissues are repairing as they should. Tissues that are more organized will always have better tensile strength and will be less susceptible to further injury. When tissues heal well, problematic areas will be fixed for good. Get checked often!