Understanding the Emotional Side of a Physical Injury

 

While we understand how a physical injury impacts our body's way to move, function, and regulate itself, we often are focused on the short-term physical destruction and how to heal those issues.  We often overlook the long-term and emotional toll that an injury can leave behind.  Especially traumatic injuries can take a heavy toll on our emotional health without even realizing it.  Our body adapts to this stress acutely, and it often goes unnoticed that there are emotional issues that go unaddressed.  An interesting study conducted last year looked at traumatic injury patients at a level 1 trauma center that were assessed for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Of the 200 patients assessed, 1 month after their injury 26 were diagnosed with PTSD.  The most common injury of these patients were road traffic injuries, and their mood and cognitions were negatively effected.  Bad memories and constant guarding along with tense posture were some of the symptoms reported.  However all 200 of the patients studied were found to have the same symptoms as those diagnosed with PTSD, just not as severe.  This highlights the body's way to adapt to acute stress, whether it be physical or emotional.  While the remaining 174 patients were not diagnosed with an emotional disorder, they still had significant issues that needed to be addressed.  While they may not be considered severe, over time a small amount of emotional stress will build and eventually have physical breakdown in the body.  We have three types of stress that we deal with:physical stress, emotional stress, and chemical stress.  In my office, I regularly have patients report feeling calmer, less anxious, and more energetic after chiropractic adjustments.  This is due to removing interference to the nervous system and allowing the body to better adapt to emotional stress.  While they may be seen initially for pain, it is common for them to feel better emotionally as well.  Sleep disturbances decrease, moods stabilize or increases, anxiety decreases, or even better is that for some they are actually able to relax after chiropractic adjustments.  Children especially see quick emotional responses to chiropractic care.  More often than not, we overlook or just don't realize that a physical injury has effected us on an emotional level.  We don't know why we feel a certain way.  This is because your body has "gotten used to" the physical injury and so we aren't connecting the physical with the emotional issues.  When we understand the relationship between physical trauma and emotional response to that physical injury we can better heal ourselves.  

 

Yours in health,

Dr. Nicholas J. Knutson, DC

Owner/Doctor

MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHIROPRACTIC

10917 Black Dog Ln., Suite 101 

Charlotte, NC 28214

Tel (704) 394-8556

Fax (704) 395-8556

mtnislandchiro.com

 

Agarwal, T. M., Muneer, M., Asim, M., Awad, M., Afzal, Y., Al-Thani, H., ...El-Menyar, A. (2020). Psychological trauma in different mechanisms of traumatic injury: A hospital-based cross-sectional study. Plos One, 15(11). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0242849