As part of our continuing series on sports injuries and the methods by which they heal, Dr. Dillon Huffer, in Dublin, Ohio, reminds that your nervous system is the great conduit towards the body healing itself.
By Dr. Dillon Huffer, Huffer Chiropractic, Dublin, Ohio
For years now any reference to one’s nervous system has engendered questions about anxiety, or depression. Or simply, just the blues.
The term ‘nervous breakdown’ was once thought upon as being one’s inability to handle an overload of stress and concerns over relationships, finances, and even the loss of a loved one.
Today we know more, much more…about the nervous system and it’s being an integral part of the structural health of the body. No longer is it just about ‘nervousness’ over something bad that’s about to happen – or depression over something that has happened. Now, through research and contemporary understanding about what makes the body work, we know that you cannot enjoy optimal health without first enjoying a healthy nervous system.
Simply, the nervous system is the master control system of the 70 TRILLION cells in the body. Functionally, it carries or transmits the energy impulses that keep those cells alive and functioning – what is today known as ‘innate intelligence’.
Chiropractic in large part is the practice of proper alignment and optimal function of the body’s nervous system…what carries information to and from the brain.
And this is how it works. There are nerve fibers that carry messages from the cells, organs, glands, muscles, and tissues back into the spinal cord and up to the brain…to let the brain know what’s going on in the bodily environment.
The human spine is the conduit where these nerves enter into the central nervous system, spinal cord and brain. It makes perfect sense, then, that when the spine in improperly aligned, or balanced, it disrupts the flow of this intelligence to and from the brain-body connection. Left alone, it ultimately leads to a loss of optimal function in health. Many of the old doctors would refer to this phenomenon as being…a ‘pinched’ nerve.
How is this important to sports and sports injuries?
Your brain is aware of any injury to the body. If it weren’t you wouldn’t feel pain. And because of that awareness, again brought about by information transmitted by the nervous system, the brain is capable of enacting the natural chemical and electrical stimuli necessary for the body to channel healing.
Now, it’s important that this process be combined with other factors such as ice, heat, or devices such as tissue stimulators (a TENS unit, or ultra-sound) to create maximum stimulation of blood flow. But again, remember that it’s the information carried by the nervous system to the brain that helps the internal recognition of therapy and the body’s reaction to it.
In conclusion, nearly the entire practice of chiropractic is centered around maintenance of the nervous system. Proper alignment of the neck and spine creates maximum access to the brain, and the brain’s recognition of where and how to address issues with the body. Think of it as the computer software that tells a mechanic what’s wrong with your car, recognizing instantly that something is wrong and that function is hampered.
We all come with that same kind of software as standard equipment. And just like the periodic maintenance necessary to keep your computer clean and running efficiently…that’s what chiropractic does for your spine and your nervous system. It’s also how chiropractic is so effective in the short-term improvement of sports injuries.
From a tooth ache to arthritis, nothing can escape detection for long. It’s how you know something is wrong, and it’s how you get better quicker.
It’s as easy as paying attention, and taking care of your nervous system.
Your athlete runs better on chiropractic. See Drs. Dillon or Kreg Huffer in Osgood, Jackson Center or Dublin, Ohio.