Whether you are injured in a motor vehicle accident, work related accident or other type of injury, it is important to understand what you as the patient can do to decrease your risk of long term residuals.

Injury recovery should be taken seriously.  Injury is a common initiator of chronic pain and when a patient suffers an injury and it is important to take all the necessary steps to help decrease the chances of developing chronic pain.  Below is a list of some basic strategies to help with recovery from an injury.

  1. Active participation in the care plan by the patient is a must. Complying with your in office treatment plan and your prescribed home care is integral in your road to recovery.
  2. Communication with your doctors is important. The recovery of your injury is a team approach and discussing what works and what doesn’t work for you is important.  Treatment plans are individualized and not every treatment or exercise works for every patient.  Developing a plan specific for you requires open communication with your doctor.
  3. Body hydration is a key component in the healing process. Water is the mechanism through which our body receives oxygen and nutrients and is essential in the healing process.  A good recommendation of water consumption is half your body weight in ounces per day.
  4. Proper sleep is essential to the healing process. When we get proper sleep it allows our immune system and our overall healing process to work at optimal function.  In general adults should try to get seven to nine hours of sleep per day, especially while recovering from an injury.

If you have been injured at work, in an automobile accident or anywhere in your life it is important to be examined by a physician.  Your doctor should take a thorough history, perform a detailed examination and come up with an accurate diagnosis that will allow for construction of an individualized treatment plan.  Depending on the injury advanced imaging or specialist consultation could be necessary.  All these steps and attention to detail throughout your care plan will help to limit your exposure to an injury becoming chronic.

Contact us today for more information.

Resource:  Smart Injury Recommendations. Smart Injury Forms. AmericanSIIC.com. Copyright 2017.