Injury And Dysfunction In Bethesda MD

Injuries can come from any number of sources: A sports injury, overuse, poor posture, car accident, work injury, etc. Sometimes we just wake up one day in pain and have no idea what happened!

When you injure an area, your body typically reacts in 4 different ways:

1. The Muscles Spasm, causing “knots” or trigger points
2. Over time, muscle spasms shorten muscle length
3. Tight muscles put pressure on joints causing joint restriction and reduced mobility
4. Muscle/Joint tightness puts pressure on the nerves causing weakness

These 4 elements of dysfunction ultimately lead to pain. The reason why the medical model has been so ineffective at treating musculoskeletal injuries is because they are simply treating the pain, which does nothing for the underlying dysfunction that is causing the pain. By treating the functional Impairments we can effectively eliminate pain at the source of the problem.

4 Steps to Correction

1. Muscle Spasm: To treat the spasm in the muscles, we utilize manual therapy techniques. Most notably massage to the injured area. Massage not only reduces spasm in the muscles, but it also improves circulation, bringing healing elements in and pushing inflammation out. Low level laser therapy may be used to aid in improving circulation and to stimulate the healing process. Kinesio Taping is an effective method of supporting and taking pressure off of the muscles during the treatment process
2. Shortened Muscles: Shortened muscles must be manually lengthened through stretching. The stretching should include assisted stretching (performed by the doctor) as well as self-stretching at home. Repetition is the key to returning a muscle to its proper length.
3. Joint Restriction: Joint restriction is corrected either through Chiropractic Adjustments or joint mobilization techniques. Specific stretches and exercises aid in restoring proper motion to the joints.
4. Weakness: A Therapeutic Exercise program will be designed specifically for you and your injury. This will include in-office doctor supervised exercises, as well as exercises you can do at home between treatments. Making sure you are doing the proper exercises will help prevent flare ups in pain or re-injury.

*As a general rule of thumb, the longer you wait to get treatment and the more chronic your condition becomes, the longer it takes to effectively treat.

Don’t hesitate, call to Call Montgomery County Chiropractic and Rehabilitation to schedule an evaluation today (301) 907-6533!