Ice or heat?

Typically, after an adjustment we advise that you should use ice. Place it over the area that was adjusted for 20 minutes at a time. This should be repeated as many times as you can in the 24-48 hours following your adjustment. It is normal for the adjustment to cause an inflammatory response; this can cause the area to become red slightly swollen and a bit tender. The ice when used repeatedly will reduce the inflammation in the area and help it feel and heal better.

Movement

Adjustments are designed to stimulate and increase movement within the body. Most people will feel a difference straight after their adjustment. Over time the tightness will return without the correct management. We encourage our patients to try to retain as much of the increased movement as possible. Simple range of motion exercises will do. Nothing should be painful or sore. You are not trying to stretch simply to move.

Healing Takes Time

“The Road to Recovery is not linear. It’s not straight. It’s a bumpy path with lots of twists and turns.”

During the first few weeks of care there can be lots of fluctuations of your symptoms. This is a normal part of recovery. It is important to not get carried away if you are feeling a little better. If you do too much, too soon you will likely relapse. If things are feeling sore or a little worse remember Rome was not built in a day. We know that tissues have healing times and until you have given those tissues adequate time to heal it is normal to not feel at your best.

Healing times

We know from the research that different tissues of the body have different healing times depending on the severity of the injury. It is important to recognise that whilst you may FEEL better unless the adequate time has elapsed the tissues will not necessarily be FUNCTIONING better. The bullet points below show healing times from moderate to severe injury.