With intense automobile, work, and sporting/fitness accidents, and natural disasters, individuals can experience multiple traumas also known as polytrauma. Recovery and rehabilitation can be a difficult and challenging journey. Multiple traumas are serious medical emergencies only given to individuals going through a severe situation. Polytrauma references multiple severe traumas that occurred at the same time. An individual can experience a:
- Broken hip/s
- Skull fracture
- Broken arm/s, leg/s
- Nerve damage
- Concussion
- Variety of superficial wounds
Physical therapy and chiropractic rehabilitation could be part of a treatment program. This is to restore the body's mobility, function, and promote the body's natural healing abilities. The importance of creating the proper rehabilitation program can make all the difference and restoring the integrity of the spine is critical.
Spinal Stabilization
Any type of trauma despite its severity can have the potential to interfere/disrupt spinal functions.
- Suffering a concussive hit to the head could cause damage to the cervical spine.
- Falling off a ladder could shift the vertebral discs.
- Hitting the knee on an object can cause a spinal misalignment from shifting the weight to the other leg for a day or two.
Spinal misalignments and/or dysfunction are common in multiple trauma cases. Dealing with broken bones and substantial wounds often means the spine could need to be realigned. Even if there are no localized injuries to the back or neck. Spinal misalignment, translation/rotation, herniated discs, or other conditions can hinder the overall recovery process and present new health issues.
Nerve Damage
Often, a lasting issue from multiple traumas is nerve damage. The severity can completely destroy nerve endings making it impossible to regain feeling or movement in certain areas of the body. The nerve damage can be regenerated if the impediment is rooted in the spine and is addressed in time.
Correcting spinal discs that have shifted along with subluxations that can compress the nerves and interfere with signal communication can help restore the areas directly affected. Example: Broken arms or legs can lose sensations that can be regained by spinal realignment. There are arteries that follow the spinal pathway. When the spinal integrity is restored proper circulation/blood flow is achieved, which is essential in natural recovery.
Trauma Beyond the Injury
Developing the correct rehabilitation treatment plan could mean the difference in a speedy and healthy recovery. Chiropractic can be an integral part of the recovery process, especially for a body that has sustained severe musculoskeletal injuries. The spine is an extension of the central nervous system. This means that bringing relief to the spine can affect positive healing in the injured areas. The critical role of the spine in an individual's rehabilitation and whole well-being is why no matter the extent of the trauma, we deliver relief.
Car Accident Injury Chiropractor
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References
Kroupa, J. “K definici polytraumatu a polytraumatismu” [Definition of "polytrauma" and "polytraumatism"]. Acta chirurgiae orthopaedicae et traumatologiae Cechoslovaca vol. 57,4 (1990): 347-60.
