“The person who takes medicine must recover twice,

once from the disease and once from the medicine.” -William Osler, MD


 Written by: Dr. Matthew J. Alvord DC, DChCS


            When people have surgery or any major procedure, they also need to recover from the treatment itself. People often assume that once they are discharged from the hospital, they have no other choice than to accept a usual recovery based on the average recommendation for the average person.

            The problem with that is the average person is based on someone who does not receive regular chiropractic care. Additionally, the average recommendation is based on the fact that medical doctors and therapists know very little about Chiropractic. 

            It may be difficult to understand that spinal adjustments will help you heal better from an incision somewhere else in your body. Because Chiropractic allows the entire nervous system to function better, not just the spine, it also means everything else in your body has a chance to function better as well. 

            There are a number of things that must be in place in order for you to heal fully. First, proper alignment is essential because as tissues begin to knit back together after surgery, they will “remember” any distortions of abnormal body structures. Connective tissue will simply form to any deviations present at the moment it is created, adding to the dysfunction.

            This is one reason for the phrase, “healing wrong” or “healing poorly”. Technically there is no such thing, but these are descriptions for when the body is attempting to heal but can’t because of limitations. Once the initial window of healing is gone, it is a harder road back to normal function. There is also an increased chance of unnecessary scar tissue, adding insult to injury.

            Second, an intact immune system is crucial during this time period. Without it, increased swelling, pain and vascular problems are likely. People can even die from something like knee surgery because of complications from otherwise simple infections if the immune system isn’t functioning at its best.

            Third, energy for healing is vitally important. That is why people are so tired when they are sick, much less mending from an injury. The body only has so much energy to produce, so the basic needs of living and stamina are siphoned towards the additional needs of repair and renewal. If your body is working inefficiently, you will have extra weakness that will be blamed on healing instead.

            Chiropractic adjustments remove interference from your nervous system, which is the master controller and coordinator of your whole body. That allows your body to function at its best, increasing function back to normal again. Alignment, efficiency and immunity all improve, letting you heal as fast and as normal as possible. 

            For any concerns you may have about getting adjusted, if you have a difficult time moving, we have numerous ways for you to be in a comfortable position during your care. Even better, we have very gentle techniques available for those in considerable pain and we usually don’t even have to contact any painful areas. As it turns out, the true problem is often not where we hurt.

            As soon as you are able to get in for care, we can help you. It’s time to stop blaming the recovery process and start addressing interference to the recovery. Whether it’s a recent issue or a chronic complication from years ago, we can help you get back on track so you can truly recover from your recovery.