CONTROLLING INFLAMMATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR HEALING

Inflammation is part of your body’s normal and necessary response to trauma. Your body increases blood flow to the injured region, rushes in garbage collectors to remove debris and contractors to rebuild damaged muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue. We experience this repair process as swelling and inflammation.

But when the injury overwhelms the body’s ability to manage these processes, inflammation takes off like a runaway train. Inflammation can cause an injured joint to lose mobility, further increasing inflammation and placing strain on other parts of the body. The result of runaway inflammation is constant pain, chronic muscle spasm, increasing inflammation and worsening injury to the nervous system. In order to heal, you must turn off runaway inflammation.

Osteopathic manipulative medicine, by increasing the efficiency of nerve impulses, improving circulation to the injured area and stimulating the immune system, is highly effective in helping control inflammation.

What You Can Do To Control Runaway Inflammation

Simple things like ice and heat can bring relief. Drinking lots of water, taking vitamins C and E, and taking care not to stress the injured area can also help. Occasionally, standard anti-inflammatories can be very useful if used judiciously - talk to your physician about using them.