02/15/2016
Help yourself: Traction
Part of my treatment protocol is instructing my patients what they can, and should be doing for themselves, during and after treatment.
Everyone knows to rest when you are injured. And most know to ice when you are recovering from injury. Sometimes, even light exercise is beneficial during treatment and recovery. But, most don't know the benefits of simple traction to speed and aid in recovery, and proper healing.
Picture the benefits of traction like having a big rock on your foot, and all you need to do is lift it off your foot, so you can clean it and put a bandage on it, so it can start your healing process. Now, keep in mind that the rock is still there because we haven't pushed it out of the way yet, but at least you were able to give your body some time to start the healing process. So even if that rock lands back on your foot, there is a bandage on the healing wound.
We do things all the time that injure ourselves, some small, some big. When I get the opportunity to help you recover from your injury, one of the more important things I recommend for you to do is "hang" (self traction). It's easy, quick, and very effective at taking pressure off those injured places in your back and neck that need time to heal, without that "rock" putting pressure on it all day. A chiropractic adjustment can take the "rock" off for a while, and with a few treatments push the "rock" away, but I need your help to keep the pressure off the wound so it can heal quickly.
The hanging technique is relatively easy to do, and it can be done without special equipment. It can be done at home, work, or play, and only takes 5 to 10 SECONDS to do.
Some patients have tried an inversion table to hang upside down, some like it, some don't. Also it takes usually 10 MINUTES or longer to accomplish close to the same benefits as the hanging I train you to do. And remember, you have to move the inversion table around, set it up, climb onto it, lock yourself into it, and when you are finished, you still have to climb off of it and put it away !
Some patients like using a chin-up bar that is installed in any doorway in your home. A chin-up bar is relatively easy to install, and inexpensive (about $25 on Amazon). A chin-up bar does work well, but the limitation is convenience. Since the bar is only at your home, you can't use it while you are at work or away. The hanging technique I show you can be done virtually anywhere, since no special equipment is needed!
Something funny I have notice over the years is that my patients stop hanging once most of their pain has been relieved. But I remind them that hanging is like washing your hands. You don't wait to wash your hands until after you put food in your mouth. You wash first, then eat, because it is very likely your hands are dirty, and you might get sick if you don't wash your hands. Hanging is like washing your spine. You can't see all the irritation in your spine, but since you use/abuse your spine all day, you are constantly compressing and grinding all those weak areas. But by hanging every day, just for a few seconds at a time, you can easily de-compress that dirty irritation out of your spine before it becomes a bigger problem.
If you get to the point where simple hanging just isn't getting the job done, that's when I need to get in there, and push that "rock" off again.
