Ghost Pains: Expelling Those Haunting Injuries
By Chris Brown
I have always been a bit reckless. In my early teens, I badly twisted my left ankle playing football. While I should have been resting, I twisted the ankle a second time fooling around with friends-and then again, a third. For years after, my ankle would sporadically collapse or seize up on me. Eventually, the collapses subsided and I thought I was in the clear. However, 20 years after my initial injury, the random shooting pain has suddenly reappeared, haunting every potential step. Something as innocuous as rising from a chair or a change in the weather can set it off. The pain lasts from seconds to minutes, only to slowly fade as I move around. Ghastly reappearances of injuries long forgotten can be frustrating and downright scary. You might even ask yourself, will this pain be with me forever? Luckily, the answer for ridding yourself of pain spirits may simply lie in a chiropractic doctor's joint manipulation.
From Where Do Ghost Injuries Arise?
Injuries sustained years prior, whether through sports, accidents, or fooling around with friends, can persist and reappear throughout someone's life for several reasons. Perhaps the injury never healed properly, leaving the joint exposed to dysfunctional movement. Or perhaps, left-over scar tissue is causing joint friction. When the weather cools, atmospheric changes swell nerve endings which become more easily irritated by friction points causing pain. Additionally, joint disfunctions can eventually result in arthritis, as incorrect movement wears cartilage down. Flare-ups, especially past the age of 30, become increasingly common. So, ignoring the ghosts of your injured past will not make them go away. To exorcise injured joints, you may need treatment by a trained joint trauma hunter, a chiropractor.
Chiropractors: The Ghostbusters of Old Trauma
According to an article by Harvard Medical School, continued movement is the key to reducing pain and preventing arthritis in injured joints. The problem is that old injuries, if not properly treated, can cause restricted or dysfunctional movement. Even subtle joint restriction allows old scar tissue to stiffen joints over time. Chiropractors are experts at reintroducing joint flexion through a variety of techniques which facilitate blood flow to areas of injury and break up scar tissue. These two components help reduce the pain-causing inflammation and provide a wider range of motion.
Doctors at The Joint Chiropractic can evaluate and reinvigorate traumatized joints in the knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows, and spine. Initial consultations and continued treatment are affordable, without using medical insurance. Even injuries that aren't yet acting up should be evaluated for future problems. Think of it as a regular physical or dental checkup, but for all the moving parts of your body.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Ventura, Calif.