Acute vs Chronic - Whats the difference?
Last week, I experienced a serious low back injury. Admittedly, I was dead lifting weight beyond my maximum and didn't succeed. I felt a pop, my back tightened and I couldn't move well for almost 3 days; it took nearly a week to get back to normal thanks to wonderful chiropractic care by my two associates, Dr. Mason and Dr. Show. This weekend was much different, I was able to move, bend and performed a rigorous dead lift routine, a run and 2 additional training sessions. How was I able to go from nearly incapacitated to a full workout in less than a week? Thankfully this was a first time acute injury.
All the potential patients that I interview for care fit into one of three categories, acute, chronic or an acute exacerbation of a chronic injury or disease process. Its either an injury/condition that is due to an abrupt recent onset (acute) or longer term issue (chronic). Most people present with an acute exacerbation of a chronic condition; think "I must have slept wrong".
ACUTE
True acute injuries tend to resolve quickly if treatment begins very early after the injury. In my case, I was adjusted and had FSM therapy within 2 hours. I've had patients that showed up for treatment with 40 minutes of being in a car wreck; those cases respond so amazingly that I am routinely amazed. Getting treatment before prostaglandins (pain secreting substances) are produced, we can usually speed the recovery time significantly.
Chronic
Chronic conditions are the major source of most health issues. Modern day stress assaults our bodies and minds with artificial chemicals, poor quality foods, blue light from digital screens, long work hours and abnormal postures. We can adapt and adapt again, but each modification from baseline leaves micro-traumas. The accumulation of toxins affects your liver or thyroid. Prolonged sitting targets the low back discs. Frequent computer use disrupts your brain cycles. I can go on and on, but all of these non-natural lifestyle choices ends up causing to low levels of constant chronic stress that leads to chronic health concerns.
The time it takes to address chronic conditions is related to the time it has been present and how significant the damage has become. First, together we need to stop the offending cause and second stimulate your natural healing ability. Generally, a month or two for every year it has been going on is our rule of thumb.