Healing from an injury or surgery can be a frustrating experience. Your doctor might give you a timeline for recovery, but it's important to understand that healing is not simply a matter of time. There are physiological and neurological processes that need to take place in order for your body to heal properly. In this article, we'll explore some of the myths about healing timelines and how you can speed up your recovery.
Dispelling Healing Myths
You might have heard your doctor say, "You'll be back to normal in six to eight weeks," or "Expect a three-month recovery." While these timelines are helpful for planning, they're not always accurate. Healing is not just a matter of time; it's a complex process that involves physiological and neurological changes.
Physiological Processes
When you're injured, your body goes into overdrive to heal itself. Proteins are produced to repair damaged tissue, scar tissue forms to protect the injury, and your body re-knits itself back together. These processes take time, but they can only happen so fast. Inflammation can slow down healing, causing chaotic formation of scar tissue. The formation of scar tissue is a natural part of the healing process, but too much scar tissue can cause problems later on.
Neurological Processes
Your nervous system plays a critical role in the healing process. The tension in your muscles doesn't come from the muscle itself; it comes from your nervous system signaling the muscle to be tense. Protective spasm in your muscles can restrict blood flow and slow down healing. Some of these protective responses are necessary, but they can also be an overreaction to the trauma of the injury.
How to Speed Up Healing
If you want to speed up your healing, you need to address both the physiological and neurological processes involved. Neurological soft tissue therapy is a great way to affect both of these processes. By working with a therapist, you can help reduce protective spasm in your muscles, increase blood flow, and prevent scar tissue from forming in a disorganized way.
Realistic Healing Timelines
With the help of neurological soft tissue therapy, you can often speed up your healing timeline. A six to eight week recovery might only take two and a half to three weeks, and a six-month recovery might only take two to two and a half months. These are not over inflated numbers – they're practical examples from cases that I've worked with personally.
In conclusion, healing is a complex process that involves both physiological and neurological changes. Time alone is not enough to ensure a full recovery. By addressing both of these processes through neurological soft tissue therapy, you can speed up your healing timeline and get back to your normal activities faster. Don't be afraid to challenge your doctor's timeline for recovery – with the right treatment, you might be surprised at how quickly you can heal.
Book an appointment with us to outpace your doctor's timeline for recovery.
