Ice, Heat & Contrast Therapy
MANY of our patients come in to see us due to either new injuries causing them distress, or nagging old injuries that still manage to cause pain. This is where we recommend a regular regimen of, icing, heating or contrast therapy.
We recommend icing new injuries and heating old injuries. That’s right, ice the new, heat the old. If you roll your ankle, put ice on it. If you have that chronic lower back pain that has been around for years, heat it. We generally recommend 20 minutes of either, every 2-3 hours.
Movement
and no, this isn’t just your generic “you should exercise to be healthy” recommendation. There is no shortage of research that shows that regular movement can help with pain management.
Stretching
While this one is similar to the above, stretching does have some unique benefits such as improving joint function (like those bad knees), improving coordination, and lowering risk of injury. All things we want in the chiropractic world, AND all things we aim to help you do both in – and out – of our offices. We like a mix of static and dynamic stretching.
Water
I’m not telling you to drink 2 gallons of water like the #fitspos (did I get that right? Am I getting old?), the standard recommendation is half your body weight in ounces of water daily, or more (especially if you’re out in the Miami heat). So for a 150lb woman this would mean 75oz of water. For reference, this is roughly 2.2 liters, 9.3 cups, or half a gallon. See? That’s not so bad.
P.S. A handy trick is to stack drinking a cup of water with little habits you perform every day. For instance, one cup after you brush your teeth (that’s 2), one cup with each meal (that’s 2-3), one cup every time you take a break from work to go to the bathroom…you get the drift. It’s not as hard as you would think.
Rest
I know, I’m probably giving you flashbacks to your mom telling you to quit messing around and go to bed. However, you have to admit she had a point. As adults most of us are in this constant paradox of being painfully tired and craving sleep, while staying up way too late every night and losing sleep. Listen to your mom, and fix that sleep schedule of yours. As it turns out, pain and the amount of sleep you get is directly correlated.
Check out our other article on The Best and Worst Sleeping Positions.
Mental Reprieve
As cheesy as it sounds, laughter really is the best medicine. Okay, not THE BEST, but certainly a great one. Your mindset and your mental health matter, not only for the sake of your happiness, but for the sake of your body as well. Pain and mental health are interrelated. Many chronic conditions can bring on things such as depression and anxiety, so it stands to reason that there is a negative relationship between the two that can be alleviated by increasing your mental health. In other words, surround yourself with positive people, activities, and mindsets, and shut down the negative.
Promise you’ll give these a try? Next time you come visit make sure to discuss your home techniques with us, as we’ll be happy to help you customize them to fit your exact needs 🙂
Subscribe to Our Newsletter !
Stay Up-to-Date on Wellness and Our Specials! We Promise Not to Spam You!
