After Care Recovery

INFORMATION THAT MAY HELP WITH YOUR RECOVERY

Neck Conditions

After adjustment, your neck may need some gentle care. Heat can be quite soothing, a hot shower or moist heat-pack, muscle balm or "Relaxing" cream.

If your neck already feels hot, or you have tried heat without relief, there may be some inflammation, try an ice pack for 5-10 minutes. Natural anti-inflammatories such as vitamin C powder (ascorbic acid, calcium ascorbate, or mixed ascorbates), quercetin, ginger, turmeric, bioflavinoids (and many other herbal compounds readily available from chemist or healthfood)

Use a rolled towel whilst lying on your back to help support your neck muscles. Neck exercises may also be advisable to help restore and strengthen your neck muscles, we can help you in this regard and with advice on posture and work station set-up. Massage will also aid in recovery, but make sure it is gentle and soothing massage. Avoid deep massage that hurts, massage should never hurt!

Shoulder

If you have been advised to rest your shoulder, keeping your arm in a sling, please do so. Applications of either heat or cold, (see guidelines above), gentle massage, stretching exercises (see chart).

Natural anti-inflammatories prove effective for shoulder problems. We stock several and can send to you if you can't get to us. Appropriate strengthening exercises should only be undertaken after complete evaluation and in no circumstance should any exercise increase pain.

Please check with one of our practitioners before starting exercises

Middle Back, Ribs, Chest

Generally, an ice pack over the tender area. Stretches over a pillow or rolled towel. Avoid slouching posture, keep your back straight. This is a difficult area to rest, every breath in will expand your rib-cage and a cough or sneeze is murder. (But if you are reading this, you probably already know that!)

Lower Back, Pelvis, Sacro-Iliac

Ice pack for 30 minutes, avoid sitting, standing knee raises are beneficial. Use stretches only as advised and take (natural) anti-inflammatory if pain is severe. Do not use heat, hot packs or hot baths. Heat increases inflammation. Arnica can be useful. Just floating or relaxing in water can sometimes give relief, many people report that walking in waist deep water give relief.

Avoid diving, exertion or strenuous swimming whilst pain is severe, (otherwise swimming is a great strengthening exercise for back problems). Flexibility training, stretching exercises and a strengthening program can be used for rehabilitation and prevention.
We will advise when and how to start.

Knee

Be careful with ice packs, they have been known to increase pain in some knee conditions. Use natural anti-inflammatories (EPA/DHA is often recommended for knees) and strapping. Avoid twisting and turning movements.

For fluid on the knee use a soda pack which helps remove excess fluid.

(Place washing soda, available at your supermarket, in a sock, place over swollen area and cover with plastic wrap or a towel, leave covered overnight) This is not a joke! It really works, thanks to Exercise Physiologist Jacqui Mortimer for the information.