Preventing Chronic Inflammation

Preventing Chronic Inflammation

Many times throughout the day as we work with our patients we discuss the word inflammation. We consistently use phrases such as “that area is extremely inflamed” “your body is producing an inflammatory response”,” we need to do everything that we can to reduce the inflammation in your body”. So what exactly is inflammation? It is an immune response to infection, irritation or injury. Immune cells are called to the site through the blood stream and the site becomes warm and red due to increased blood flow. Acute inflammation is part of the body’s natural defense system against injury and disease. If the injury is addressed properly and quickly you can often resolve an acute inflammatory state in a matter of a few weeks. Chronic Inflammation, on the other hand, is a disease. Instead of working to protect the organism the body starts to slowly kill the organism.

Modern medical studies are beginning to show that chronic inflammation is the main contributing factor to all chronic degenerative diseases. For the purposes of this blog we are focusing on osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease.

A normal cell is in a state of balance or homeostasis working in coordination with other cells for the benefit of the whole organism. The normal state of the cell can change if it becomes injured. This can occur via stress (for our purposes mechanical) or an injury stimulus. The cell will either adapt to the stress or the injury and if caught and treated early enough will move back toward a state of normal or back to homeostasis. If the cell is significantly damaged and not addressed quickly enough then the injury itself becomes irreversible and cell death occurs. This will eventually lead to arthritis, degeneration, decay, bone density decreasing and disc thinning. It is extremely important to understand that when you become injured (examples: sports injury, motor vehicle accident, work injury, repetitive stress job/ or lifestyle related injuries) the faster that you seek treatment the higher probability you have of restoring your body back toward its normal biomechanical state without permanent or irreversible injury.

Our main goal at Huntington Beach Chiropractic is to restore proper structural integrity to your spine allowing you to function better. We work with your body to reduce inflammation and prevent chronic inflammation from settling in. The purpose of the adjustment is to make specific impulse to the spine to restore proper biomechanical structure, to increase intersegmental motion, prevent scar tissue build up and allow for cell repair. We don’t ever want to see your body move into a chronic inflammatory state and begin to degenerate. At Huntington Beach Chiropractic, we utilize x-rays and by obtaining both pre and post treatment x-rays we are able to see the progressive healing in respects to your spine. Once healing and stabilization has occurred then we maintain the body in a healthy and balance state.

In addition to adjustments we also communicate with our patients the importance of proper nutrition, and make recommendations regarding stretching, exercise, supplements and icing protocols.

Take care of your spine and it will take care of you!