Lets face it – injuries, especially sports-related injuries, are inevitable. Whether it’s a torn rotator cuff muscle suffered while pitching or a sprained knee from ballet dancing, injuries are a part of being active. Rehabilitation, therefore, should also be active.  I missed my entire junior year of football due to a sprained ankle that occurred during pre-season training.  I was told to R.I.C.E and…well, that’s about it. Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate, repeat. Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate, repeat. I was following the athletic trainer’s orders and sat passively on the sideline with a bum ankle that never seemed to strengthen. I then spent the next season taping my ankles before every practice and game and wearing ankle braces over the tape. 

It wasn’t until I read about Indianapolis Colts star Dwight Freeney rehabbing his sprained ankle 2 weeks before the 2010 Super Bowl with a chiropractor that I realized there was another way. As a chiropractor, I have been educated on the latest therapies and most effective protocols for treating all kinds of injuries. So when a patient came into our clinic on crutches with a sprained ankle, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our approach to injury rehabilitation. 

Patient is a 40-year-old male with an inversion sprain that occurred while landing from a flying round house kick at taekwondo.

Treatment consisted of medical dry needling of the surrounding tissue with a TENs unit to decrease tension, soft tissue mobilization to remove muscular adhesions, joint centration for proper alignment and kinesiotaping to reduce swelling. This protocol was implemented twice a week for the first 2 weeks.  After just one week, swelling was down, bruising had dissipated and mobility was returning.

After 4 visits the therapy shifted to exercises and treatments that promote joint motion and weight-bearing.  A study by Linde et al. supports this approach – the study consisted of 150 patients with inversion sprains being treated with early motion and weight bearing exercises. After one month, 90% of patients demonstrated pain-free gait and 97% had increased work ability.

Within 8 visits, the patient’s issues had resolved and so the emphasis turned to preventative care and improving resilience through balance training. 

At Integrated Health Solutions, we take an active approach to our patient’s injuries and pain with a primary focus on functionality.  Our goal isn’t just to get you back on the field, its to make you the best version of you possible so that you can enjoy physical activity without fear of re-injury. 

Content provided by Dr. Drew Hunt

Sources: 

1. https://www.lanjochiro.com/2010/02/dwight-freeney-superbowl-hopeful-using-chiropractic-to-heal-ankle/
2.  Linde F, Hvass I, Juergensen U, Madsen F. Early mobilizing treatment of ankle sprains: A clinical trial comparing three types of treatment. Scan J Sports Sci.1971;8:71-7

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Back pain is more common than you may think. In fact, it is the second most common reason people visit their doctor and one of the most common reasons for missing work.

What Causes Back Pain?

Sports injuries and accidents can cause back pain, but sometimes even the simplest movement, such as tying your shoes, can result in pain. Back pain can be complicated with factors such as arthritis, poor posture, obesity, and even psychological stress.

Minor injuries typically heal within a few days. However, in some cases the pain persists. Often times, the fear of further injury prevents the injured person from being active, which in turn, can result in the pain lasting longer.

Will the Pain Go Away on Its Own?

In the past, researchers believed that over time back pain would “heal” itself. However, a recent study showed that when back pain is not treated, it may go away on its own initially, but it is likely to return. In fact, the study showed that more than 33% of people who experienced low-back pain, had the pain for more than 30 days. Five years later, only 9% of those people remained pain free. *

How Can I Prevent Long-Term Back Pain?

· Don’t bend over to lift objects. Instead, squat, by bending your hips and knees and keeping your back straight, to pick up the object. [youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiQJVD5lcds”]

· Avoid twisting your body while lifting.

· When moving heavy objects, push them, rather than pulling them.

· Exercise on a regular basis. An inactive lifestyle contributes to lower-back pain.

If your back pain lasts for more than a few days, you should see your chiropractor. Dr. Charbel is an affordable chiropractor in Indianapolis, who can tell you if your pain is the result of poor biomechanics and/or an injury. Many of the patients at our affordable chiropractic clinic feel improvement after only a few treatment sessions.

If you’ve been dealing with back pain for too long, in the hopes it would heal on its own, call our chiropractic health center today.

 * Hestbaek L, Leboeuf-Yde C, Engberg M, Lauritzen T, Bruun NH, Manniche C. The course of low-back pain in a general population. Results from a 5-year prospective study. J Manipulative Physiol There 2003 May;26(4):213-9.

About Integrated Health Solutions

Dr. Charbel Harb is a licensed chiropractic physician and the Medical Director of Integrated Health Solutions. Our core belief is that each patient who walks through the doors is a person, not just a medical record or chart. Our greatest pleasure is bringing joy to our patients and helping them to fully embrace life, allowing them to enjoy each day: active, healthy and pain free.

The post Will Back Pain Heal Itself? appeared first on Integrated Health Solutions.

Working with an active population and athletes on a daily basis, I am constantly searching for cutting edge techniques that reduce recovery time by relaxing the body and healing it. For that, I am an advocate of utilizing dry needling.

Dry needling is a form of acupuncture, otherwise known as medical acupuncture, for treating patients with soft tissue pain and sports injuries.

Using dry needling and acupuncture at our affordable chiropractic office has never ceased to amaze me with the quality of the outcome and speed of the recovery from a variety dysfunctions, contusions, strains, among other sports and soft tissue injuries

What is Dry Needling?

“Dry,” as opposed to “wet”, needling is the gentle application and insertion of very thin filaments in the soft tissue, without injection of any liquid substance or medicine, to treat human tissue dysfunction and pain.

In lieu of just covering up symptoms, dry needling acupuncture focuses more on healing the tissue and addressing the cause of the symptoms. It’s more of a holistic approach instead of just focusing on symptoms alone.

Dry needling is a non-pharmaceutical or chemical therapy that promotes healing by decreasing mechanical stress of the body.

Why Sports Injuries?

Most sports injuries are related to soft tissue dysfunction, or tissue extensibility dysfunction, also referred to as TED.  Even when surgery is unavoidable, recovery from both the injury and the surgery always depends on restoring the physiologic function of soft tissue.

Increased workout frequency and repetitive workout sessions leads to different TED disorders, such as tension, adhesion, trigger points, decreased tissue mobility, scar formation, among others. All of which, will impact performance and training frequency. Its reach goes beyond just the physical stress, and begins affecting athletes on a psychological level, because they are unable to perform without a dysfunctional pattern or without pain. The psychological stress, that is caused by TED begins to affect the athletes emotional level, which in turn results in affecting other systems in the body, such as the immune, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, the performance continues to decrease from that point. As you can see, TED reaches far beyond just a tissue disorder, especially when it results in increased pain and injuries that are beyond just the tissue itself. However, TED is easily fixed with proper therapy.

Dry needling is one of my favorite therapies in resolving TED and reducing trigger points with a technique known as trigger point dry needling. This method of dry needling aids in treating movement dysfunctions and enhancing athletic performance.

Dry needling is a great therapy for maintenance that helps improve recovery and rejuvenation from the micro-trauma caused by training and competing, allowing for faster recovery and continuous training with better performance.

Don’t hesitate in contacting Dr. Charbel, a licensed Chiropractor in Indianapolis, who is also licensed in acupuncture and dry needing, to start your recovery.

About Integrated Health Solutions

Dr. Charbel Harb is a licensed chiropractic physician and the Medical Director of Integrated Health Solutions. Our core belief is that each patient who walks through the doors is a person, not just a medical record or chart. Our greatest pleasure is bringing joy to our patients and helping them to fully embrace life, allowing them to enjoy each day: active, healthy and pain free.

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