Monday, December 16, 2013

ARE YOU REALLY "TRUE" TO YOURSELF?

ARE YOU REALLY "TRUE" TO YOURSELF?

"The shortest distance between two points is a straight line", and whilst it is understandable we are looking for a short cut to achieve our health goals and seek instant gratification......we often find we fail in the longer term.

On a daily basis we see many clients attend our practice with an acute episode of low back pain, headaches or a knee injury that we later find has been a chronic issue for many years.


Expectations!

They will tell us how they have seen numerous other practitioners who just couldn't seem to help them. That's right...not one or two...often a hand full of practitioners. After discussion we find their practitioner diagnosis was correct, but later learn there was a disconnect between the patient and practitioner expectation. The patient thought the back pain was going to settle in week, but the practitioner sees major spinal musculature de-conditioning that will take many months to resolve.

A "Plastic" Nervous System

The human body has amazing potential to heal itself, but if a problem is ignored the nervous system and body begins to adapt "rewiring" the the nervous system in such a way the problem becomes deeply entrenched. The nervous system is a pliable plastic system (in medical terms we call this "neuronal plasticity") and the good news is that with appropriate care we can help the body return closer to a normal state if you haven't let if fester for so long that the biomechanical stress on your body is now causing degenerative arthritis changes and progressive neurological and muscular type pain patterns.

Stages of Healing We Cannot Ignore

We also need to appreciate that the body heals in three phases.....

  1. Inflammatory Phase
  2. Repair Phase
  3. Remodelling Phase
The Three Phases of Healing
Phases 1 and 2 takes many months for muscle and ligament injuries. The good news is that the pain will subside relatively early; the bad news is without pain as your "warning light" to prevent you causing damage...your ambitious nature will have you exceeding soft tissue thresholds that once again potentiate damage. Hence the 'recurrent' type nature of your musculoskeletal complaint. The true healing continues up to 1-2 years in most cases before you have reached your maximum healing potential.

Disney Magic

So...in terms of expectations it is essential to appreciate there is no "QUICK FIX" and such false thinking is a recipe for disaster and disappointment. Of course we would like to see "Disney Magic" with every patient we see...perhaps sprinkle some "Pixie Dust" to see an instant result.

At Chirosports - SportSpineSolutions, we will help you set realistic goals and expectations to achieve the best results possible to maximise your health and healing potential. Our "Health for Life" program is a journey that you can take as far as your choose. Most of our clients obviously start at a "white belt" level......however our structured approach can take you to a "black belt" level if you desire. This will take discipline, focus, guidance and a clear vision to the abundance of health possibilities for you and your family, but the rewards you will enjoy are priceless. 

Warmest Regards

Dr. Alfie Arcidiacono







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