Hi, today I was in a car accident in which I was fortunately only mildly injured, though the car sustained irreparable damage. I followed my training after first calling the doctors, (surprise, it’s Friday, they’ve gone home), I called my chiropractor,Dr. Carol Hamby, who said come on in. It was only 2 hours after I was hit, but once the shock wore off, the lactic acid started building up all over, creating soreness in my legs, abs, hips, and across my upper back. Fortunately, the range of motion tests all came out with minimal restriction, today, mind you, and after the adjustment and 10 minutes of ice, I felt significantly better. I followed up with a massage appointment this coming week and will continue to apply ice until Monday, in which the doctor asked me to call and check in.

Did I mention I was very fortunate? What it brought to mind is that although at first the pain may present minimally, soft tissue trauma can appear anytime in the next 6 weeks. Starting a body care program immediately will minimize stiffness and pain. Ice is used in the first day or two, and after that, heat will be more effective. The interesting thing about hot/cold therapy is that in essence, they both do the same thing. That is, ice after the ‘ow’ part into the ‘don’t really feel it part’ circulates new cleansing blood to the area and reduces inflammation. Heat, brings blood to the area, cleaning out any damaged cells and repairs tissue. Together, there’s less pain and better range of motion,which is what the body likes in order to heal.

So, never hesitate on receiving immediate body care to facilitate your healing! Even if you start your own with hot/cold therapy.