How to Learn about Cycles of Healing, Part 2
When the subluxation is corrected and proper function is restored to the nervous system, the nerves and the target tissue begin to heal because you are bringing those cells and tissue back to their normal function. However, it might take a while for full function to be restored. Indeed, even in some cases where full nerve communication eventually returns, the damage caused in the interim may be too severe to be healed fully. That's one of the reasons why regular chiropractic care is so important: They want to catch and treat subluxations as early as possible to prevent the likelihood of permanent tissue damage.
The good news is, chiropractic adjustments allow the body to do what it does naturally: heal itself from the inside out. By correcting subluxations, chiropractic adjustments start the process of healing by restoring the spine to its normal position, thus allowing all the associated soft tissue, nerves, and target organs to begin healing as well. Adjustments launch the body's healing cycle, and continuing adjustments support the body in its journey back to health.
Healing a skinned knee happens pretty quickly and easily, but as you can imagine, healing deep-seated tissue damage caused either by severe trauma or by many years of abnormal physical motion takes longer. Recovering from any severe injury or damage is like climbing a very tall mountain. As most experienced climbers will tell you, you don't climb a mountain all in one spurt. You climb for a while, then you rest. Sometimes You have camps set up at various points along the way so you can take a break and get acclimated to the altitude and weather conditions. If you're smart, you allocate plenty of time and carry plenty of supplies to support you in your journey to the summit.
The process of long-term healing is very similar. Let's say patients go to the office in acute pain. The chiropractor is not going to recommend they take up an exercise regimen right away, because even if exercise would benefit them, they're in too much pain to take that on. So he'll work with them to stabilize the subluxation first and begin to restore normal movement and functioning. It may take a few weeks for that to happen, depending on how much damage has been caused by the subluxation and how long it's been in place. After all, the tissues of the body have been conditioned to produce pain; now they're going to condition them to return to normal function, but it will take time. Once the body begins to remember how to function correctly, the pain will decrease or disappear, and then they can add things like exercises or an increase in daily activity; perhaps they can even address some other issues that have been raised by the initial subluxation. The journey from acute pain to health is accomplished over time, and is almost never straight line. Instead, it occurs in cycles and includes rest stops along the way, where the body can get used to a new way of moving or functioning before the next stage of healing begins.