Acute injuries don’t have to cause long-lasting discomfort, but for many, they do. The reasons for this vary, but a stalled healing process, misdiagnosis, or lack of proper treatment is probably to blame. Injuries to spinal structures are often slow to heal, and if the underlying cause of back pain isn’t found or treated, it can linger and cause chronic pain.
There are non-invasive, safe, and effective treatments that can speed healing, relieve pain and even prevent surgery. Here are four treatments to consider.
1. K- Laser Therapy
Sometimes acute injuries like sprained ankles, large bruises or strained muscles, or joint injuries don’t heal in the expected time frame. When these injuries cause lingering pain, a stalled healing process or excess scar tissue may be the cause. K-Laser therapy uses red and near-infrared light to stimulate cellular healing, similar to plants’ photosynthesis. The cold laser doesn’t cut, but the light can penetrate deep into injured tissues. It brings blood flow to the area, and blood flow provides healing cells, nutrients, and oxygen. This is much needed in tough tissues like tendons, ligaments, and joints, as none of these areas receives robust blood flow.
K-laser therapy also stimulates cells to release collagen to create new tissues. Scarring is an unavoidable part of the healing process, but sometimes wounds heal with too much scar tissue or dense, stiff scar tissue. This can cause long-term stiffness and pain. When cells create collagen and build new tissues after an injury, they don’t align the collagen as neatly as it’s aligned in other tissues. This is why scar tissue is visibly noticeable and sometimes reacts differently to sunlight and topical products. Laser therapy promotes the creation of a better-aligned scar tissue that will be more flexible and effective.
Laser therapy is most effective when used early on after an acute injury, but it can also help heal older injuries. When an acute soft tissue or joint injury is still sore after twelve weeks, it’s a sign that the healing process may have stalled. When this happens, low-level inflammation persists, and tissues may remain tender and easy to reinjure. Laser therapy can jumpstart the healing process by bringing blood flow and healing cells to the area. The result is complete healing and pain relief.
2. Spinal Decompression Therapy
The pain can be debilitating and healing slow when you injure a spinal disc or facet joint. Most treatments cannot target the injury and change the physiology of the disc space. It’s common for patients with these injuries to be prescribed oral medications, bed rest, or a few physical therapy sessions. They often end up dealing with long-term pain.
Spinal decompression therapy is motorized traction that gently stretches the spine to create negative pressures between the vertebrae. It’s the only type of traction proven to do this. Negative pressures allow blood flow into areas that typically receive little circulation. Spinal decompression therapy also rehydrates discs, takes the pressure off nerves, and reduces inflammation. When used on a curable injury like a bulging or herniated disc, it can result in complete healing and pain relief. It’s even useful for chronic conditions like facet syndrome and degenerating discs. In these cases, it relieves pain by desensitizing nerves and reducing inflammation.
Spinal decompression moves bulging discs back into place and assists the body with cleaning up leaking disc fluid that irritates tissues and nerves. When bulging discs are not moved back into place, they continue to put pressure on nerves and cause pain. Many patients experience back pain for years until they try spinal decompression therapy. Unlike oral medications, spinal decompression therapy targets the underlying cause of pain and helps your body heal.
3. Massage
The causes of pain are multifaceted. Sometimes they are structural, as with a bulging disc. Other times they are a secondary result of the injury. “Knots,” also called trigger points, can result from scar tissue adhesions or muscles that have tightened in response to an injury or psychological stress. Nerves and hormones also affect our sensations of pain. Overstimulated nerves can send pain signals even after tissue damage has healed. Sometimes the body doesn’t do a good job of producing endorphins to fight pain.
Massage can help with injury healing and chronic pain that remains after healing. A skilled massage therapist can work out trigger points and break up adhesions. These are often the cause of lingering pain after an injury. Massage also increases circulation, causes the body to produce endorphins, and can desensitize nerves.
Patient’s with an injury to the spine can benefit from massage as a co-treatment with spinal adjustment or spinal decompression therapy. Tight muscles can pull spine structures out of alignment, and lingering trigger points can cause pain after disc injuries have healed. Patients with chronic pain from an unknown cause or an incurable condition can also benefit from massage. It reduces pain by encouraging the release of endorphins, and it even assists with anxiety and depression symptoms.
4. Custom Orthotics
From our feet to our skulls, our muscles and bones work together to stay in balance and help us move. When one part is out of alignment, it can cause problems all the way up the chain. As the base of our body, our feet play an especially important role. Problems with foot arches or gait put a strain on the knees, hips, and lower back. These problems are often difficult to spot and don’t come to mind for many patients when they are looking for causes of their joint pain. Your chiropractor can diagnose foot and gait problems that contribute to chronic joint and back pain. They can then prescribe custom shoe inserts to support your unique feet. Custom orthotics come in a range of styles to fit your lifestyle, and they last for years, making them an easy and economical treatment for chronic pain.
Chronic Pain Treatment in Tennessee
At Stanlick Chiropractic, we use safe, non-invasive treatments to effectively relieve chronic pain caused by injuries and degenerative conditions. Schedule a consultation today to find out how we can help you live pain-free.