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Do you have an injury that just won’t get better?

Weekend warriors, weight lifters, professional athletes, repetitive motions, and those who are just trying to get into “shape”, all have one thing in common: Injuries & Pain

You work out to get into shape and get healthy. However, you also place a tremendous amount of strain on joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. When the force applied to the tissues exceeds their resistance, they will tear.

We call tissue tears “strains” or “strains”. Depending on the tear severity and the age of the patient, soft-tissue injuries generally heal in six to eight weeks. However, when soft tissue heals, it becomes weaker than before the injury occurred. The injury site will mend with scars you cannot see (adhesions). Scar tissue (fibrocytes) will infiltrate and replace the original tissue in and around the injury site.

Fibrocytes are weaker, less elastic and more pain-sensitive than original soft tissue

When challenged by body movement, fibrocytes will not lengthen and give way; instead, they get angry; become irritated and inflamed; and restrict normal joint motion. Tension on the tendons will lead to inflammation (Tendonitis). The adhesions can also bind the nerves and become trapped. If a nerve is trapped, you may feel tingling, numbness, coldness, or weakness.

In order to restore normal motion and relieve pain, the adhesions need to be removed. One of the most effective ways to restore normal function is a soft tissue therapy called Active Release Techniques (ART). Every ART session is a combination of examination and treatment. Over 500 specific protocols are unique to ART. They allow specific correction of soft tissue problems that cause chronic pain.

While taking my car into the mechanic for some maintenance, it made me wonder how some people do the same when it comes to their bodies. I have to ask, can we “fix” the body the way we fix a car by replacing the flat tire or doing a brake job? The mechanic hears a rattle, finds the defective part, unscrews a few bolts, attaches the replacement, and we drive off.

The process seems so simple and straightforward that modern physicians have adopted the same methodology. The shoulder hurts: Remove the appropriate joint and bolt on another. Breakthrough technological advances have allowed us to treat the body like a Toyota. I am not stating that these incredible procedures are not beneficial and necessary when indicated. But too many people let their body wear out knowing that surgery or a drug can help them when symptoms manifest. Like a car, our body breaks down because it cannot adapt to the stress demands placed on it. If the alignment on a car is not functioning properly, our tires will wear out. The same goes for our bodies. If the shoulder blade is not functioning properly, our shoulder will wear out and we will suffer from rotator cuff problems. Even if we take the drug or get the surgery, symptoms may decrease but drugs and surgery will never make us function better and be healthy. In fact, the underlying problem may even manifest somewhere else!

Until we address what is truly causing our symptoms, our body will continue to break down. We must address the cause! Proper nutrition, exercise, good sleep, and ‘tune ups’ will make you feel better and prevent early aging!

What is an Adjustment? Who needs an Adjustment?

Before I answer these questions, let me give you some background.

The body is an incredible and amazing machine! It is designed to adapt to any environment. But what happens if the stressors are greater than the body’s ability to adapt? For example: sitting at a computer station day after day will eventually cause neck pain, headaches, and/or hand numbness. Why? The nervous system sends messages to the muscles of the neck and upper back to fire in order to help support the head. This is normal. But when it occurs day after day the muscles get tired and spasm (quit working and become a ‘dumb’ muscle). Now the bones and joints of the neck have to rely on ligaments instead of muscles for support. The constant stress on the ligaments will cause inflammation, pain, and joint immobility. Eventually, the shoulders will become rounded and the head will move forward. Take a look around the office, do you see anyone with this posture? If this condition persists, the strain will cause the nerves that travel through the affected joints to be compromised and not function properly. This is called a Subluxation. The pain is what generally motivates you to seek care. However, the Subluxation is what is the most concerning. When the nervous system is in a state of compromise or ‘interference’, the body cannot function properly. Messages sent to the muscles to relax, the gall bladder to secrete digestive enzymes, or blood pressure to regulate properly cannot be received.

An Adjustment can restore joint mobility, calm and reactivate muscles, take the stress off of ligaments, improve posture, and make you feel better. But, more importantly, an Adjustment is to correct Subluxation patterns and improve the way messages are sent and received. This will make you function better!

So, who needs an Adjustment? Wouldn’t you say, “Everyone”?