What to do after an accident
So, you just got into an accident. You might feel pain immediately and will need to see your doctor/urgent care/or ER. Often, the pain comes on gradually and pretty soon you feel as though you’ve been run over by a semi-truck. It is really common to allow the pain to overwhelm us to the point where helplessness sets in. Feeling out of control can add to the already very stressful situation you are in. While I always encourage folks to see their doctor as soon as possible, there are a few things you can do immediately to help yourself and to be involved in your healing journey.
1) Start hydrating. Unless there is concern that you have a head injury or internal organ injury, hydration is key. It’s easy to believe that drinking more water doesn’t change much, and at first, it might not feel as though it does. But in order to clean up the damaged cells that you have from your injury, water is key. It helps your body remove those old damaged cells so that you can start creating new cells and fibrins to repair your tissue.
2) Reduce inflammation naturally. Sugar is one of the biggest inflammatories that we can control. I know. It’s not easy. You’re hurt and of course you want to carbo load to cope, and I totally relate to this. And if you need to, go ahead and do that! Just keep in mind that sugar increases your inflammation and you may even start to become aware of how your body feels when you eat sugar. You can also consider inflammatory reduction foods and spices such as turmeric, olive oil, and tuna fish (see link below for more information.)
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation
3) Light movement. Light movement is key. Putting too much strain increases muscle tension, but too little movement allows swelling to pool which increases nerve pressure and ultimately our pain levels. Light movement has the added benefit of aligning up our new muscle fibers (created during part of the repair process), which reduces scar tissue.
4) Schedule a massage. Massage in this stage often involves lymphatic drainage. Related to light movement, lymphatic drainage massage helps clear out those damaged cells immediately. Our lymphatic system has no internal pump, so it relies on some form of pressure either from movement or from being manually drained. This can reduce pain quite quickly and speed up the healing process. Another method that may be used is Jin Shin Jyutsu, an ancient hands-on healing technique, similar to acupuncture, but without the needles.