How Do You Recover From A Compression Injury?

A compression injury is also known as a crush injury. This is quite simply when a part of your body is crushed or compressed severely. This can lead to small and large ruptures of tissues, fractures bones, and even burst blood vessels. The body immediately reacts to such an injury by going in hypovolemic shock. This limits the amount of blood flow to the injury for a number of reasons. It can be because you are losing blood and therefore no more fresh blood will be sent to that area. It can also be because the bones and muscle tissue are blocking the blood vessels thus to not create a blood clot, the brain signals to the body to no longer send blood to the injured zones. There can also be different kinds of compression injuries, such as to the back and neck vertebrae. There are some rules to follow regardless of what kind you suffer.

Stop moving around
Much like a broken bone, compression injuries will send numbing but also painful sensations up and down the injured area. This is just the normal relay of information the nerves are giving to the rest of the body and brain. The key to limit sudden pain upon a crush injury is to stop moving that part of your body. Moving it around could make the situation worse. The body is already in shock and will begin to figure out whether or not to send more blood to the area. The more you move the more the body will send blood to that area, which can cause a shortness of breath and feeling lightheaded. Stay still and try not to move your limbs so no long lasting damage is done.

Take the pressure off
For back injuries you need to stabilize your body and take the pressure off your spine. This is also true for the neck and on occasion even the pelvic region. A vertebrae disk pushing up against a nerve is one of the most painful feelings the human body can suffer. So resting in a position where the focal point of the tension is not being pressured, is key to your physical recovery. For however long you are recovering, pay special mind to the weight and tension you are putting on the healing zone. The less pressure the faster and better the damage repairing will be.

Going through therapy
Physical therapy has really made leaps and bounds in the past two decades. The importance of medical help in improving and or regaining your normal movement after a compression injury is vital to your quality of life. Pursue PT is an excellent option for individuals looking for physical therapy services following a compression injury. 

Torsion and flex

A crushing injury is very simple yet it's also very complex. For example if your hand is crushed, it's not like the bones have snapped in the conventional sense. They have been flattened so the fractures are spread outward. The recovery from such an injury is complex because normally a crush injury involved multiple if not many fractures. How each tiny piece of bones heals and remakes the bone structure is unique. However you can practice strengthening the normal role of your hand by torsioning and flexing. Torsioning can be done by gripping something tightly and then releasing. Do this over and over to twist your injured area. Flexing can be done by stretching and bending your hand or curling it into a ball. Practicing the full range of movement will allow your hand to slowly regain it's normal functions. This torsion and flex method can be applied to any part of the body.

A compression/crush injury is one of the more rarer kinds of fractures and muscle tears. Make sure you’re not putting pressure on the area in a resting position. Don’t move it around a lot so you can allow bones to reset. Physical therapy really helps to regain what you lost so try to attain this kind of professional help for your own recovery. Practice some torsion and flexing exercises on your own at home to educate your limbs on what their normal functions are again.