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Following broken bone Massage around the area is useful from early on. It is best to avoid the area of breakage until the bone has stabilized, that is, knitted together. This can happen remarkably quickly and I would venture to suggest that within days your body may feel that it would like to be stroked over the area. You may not be able to get at it directly if you have a plaster cast, if this is the case massage above and below it to help the body removing broken cells from the area and bringing fresh blood. Later, massage comes into its own, returning the body to its pre-breakage state in a way that nothing else can. Friction massage removes the soft tissue debris from the site of the breakage returning freedom of movement to the affected joints and muscles. The body mends fractures pretty well if the patient doesn’t smoke or take copious painkillers. I know this because I once asked a surgeon what in his opinion prevented bone healing! However he did not mention the numerous things that you can do to promote bone healing. Diet is the most obvious, then breathing to provide oxygen and remove breakdown products, also movement of the affected limb, and sunshine! Diet, includes important vitamins and minerals, these are all supplied in abundance in fresh fruit and vegetables, many eaten raw. Rather than run through how important vitamin C is for creating connective tissue (no, vitamin pills are not the same as fruit for intake of vitamins) or vitamin D in utilizing calcium replacing bone, from the sun or from some foods, I would suggest that each of the things that we need is present in food that we know is good for us, as unprocessed as possible. Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, cold-pressed oils. The other imperative item, so obvious that it gets overlooked, is drinking water. No other fluid assists the body in transporting nutrients around the body. So whatever you like to drink, make sure that you also drink about 3 pints/2 litres of water a day. You may have noticed that during your body’s period of recuperation your urine output increases significantly. This is for removal of breakdown products, broken cells, damaged tissue. The fluid expelled during this process has to come from somewhere. You will probably be thirsty, water is the only liquid that has the capacity to carry a load dissolved in it. All other drinks already have something dissolved in them so are not free for the body to use. They also increase the body’s workload having to process the non-useful fluids. This does not matter when you are well, but makes a difference when you are healing. | ||
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CATHERINE HOLLAND Tel: 0701 7415310 Email: catherine@catherineholland.co.uk | |
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