Today we're talking about post surgical healing. You’ve made the decision to have surgery, but now what? Did you know that the body goes through more than one phase of healing in it's journey to get back to normal? We’ll be talking about the three phases of healing and how your body navigates through those phases.
The first phase we'll be discussing is the Inflammatory phase. This is your body's natural response to "trauma". This phase can last for several days and is best managed with a lot of ice, elevation, and even medication. When managing surgical related inflammation the more you follow this advice the better you'll do with later phases of healing.
The next phase in the healing process is called the Proliferative phase. This is the 'rebuilding' phase in which your body stitches it's self back together internally. This phase can last between 4 and 21 days post procedure. During this phase you may experience many different types of sensations from shooting zings or zaps to swelling, crawling, hot or cold ones. The good news is that many of these sensations come and go and typically don't last long. If you feel an unrelenting burning pain and pressure that makes you feel like you have a fever, this could be a sign of infection and your doctor should be consulted.
The last phase in the process is the Maturation phase. This is an important and often over looked phase of healing because although you may appear to be healed on the outside, you're still healing on the inside. This phase can range from post surgery day 22 all the way up to a year! The exact time frame of this phase often depends on the type of procedure performed. Some patients will even continue to experience some swelling, stiffness, numbness, and previously mentioned sensations which should reduce in frequency and severity. So don't dispair, there is light at the end of the healing tunnel.
Despite odd sensations and some pain associated with post surgical healing, navigating the process doesn’t have to be an ordeal. Most patients opt for surgical procedures to help alleviate pain, or manage an injury. Which ever the case maybe, laser therapy can help you speed your way through the healing process in a more efficient and pain free way. Patient’s who opt to do laser therapy typically move through the healing phases 30 to 40 percent faster and with considerablly less pain than patients who do not opt for laser therapy treatment.
Why live with pain if you don’t have too?
As always we hope this post has helped to answer some questions about the healing process. If you have additional questions, comments, or are curious how laser therapy can help you… leave a comment below.