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In this post I am going to go over the products I use most frequently in the clinic, recommend patients for home use between sessions, and to keep in the home emergency kit for pain relief and faster recovery. These formulas have been around for centuries, used by generations of martial arts practitioners, Chinese medicine practitioners, sports medicine doctors, and bone setters. They are all safe, tried and tested, natural herbal products to aid healing and recovery. There are three stages of injury healing: acute or stage one, subacute or stage two, and chronic or stage three. Acute/ Stage One: This stage starts from the moment the injury happens and usually lasts 1-7 days. If the trauma is minor, this stage may only last 2-3 days. If it is more severe, it may be a full week before swelling, bruising and pain begin to subside. Stage One injuries are characterized by swelling, pain, bruising, and possibly a local sensation of heat (inflammation in western medicine). Treatment goals for Stage One is to restore normal circulation at the injury site: reduce swelling, pain, inflammation and stopping infection. At this stage, external herbal formulas tend to be relatively cooling or neutral in temperature, while internal formulas generally focus on restoring circulation, removing stagnation and stopping pain and infection. Chinese medicine is about balance - warming and cooling. In Stage One we avoid heat, hot compresses, warm soaks, heating pads, and hot tubs. Adding heat to an already inflamed tissue is like throwing gasoline on the fire. Heat results in more swelling and pain, thereby delaying the healing. Warming therapies are useful in the Stage Two (Subacute) and Stage Three (Chronic) phases when the initial inflammation and swelling is greatly reduced or absent. External use:
The second product worth keeping at home for emergencies is Herbal Ice, or San Huang San, for pain, swelling and inflammation:
An other poultice worth keeping at home for emergencies is Stage One Trauma Ointment: this one is for bruises.
Subacute / Stage Two: This stage usually begins within a week after the initial injury and can last up to three weeks, depending on the severity of the injury and the patient's condition (a younger, healthier person usually recovers faster). By Subacute / Stage Two the swelling, heat, and pain is reduced, but the tissue is often stiff and needs to be broken up and mobilized. In Stage One we don’t recommend using heat or warming herbs, but in the Subacute / Stage Two we switch to more warming herbs, topicals, poultices and liniments. Treatment goals for Stage Two is to resolve the residual swelling, improve circulation for healing and reduce stiffness. Stiffness usually develops from the lack of movement, so we use herbs (and acupuncture and manual therapy and exercise) to relieve stiffness in the joints and tissue.
Chronic / Stage Three: This stage begins 3-4 weeks after the injury. Swelling is usually gone, but stiffness, pain and restricted motion, adhesions may still be present. Minor injuries should be healed by this point, especially if they were treated properly at the beginning. However, injuries to tendons and ligaments can take up to 6-8 weeks to heal completely and in severe cases, or in depleted individuals can take even longer. Stage Three herbs are quite warming and tonifying, in this stage we don’t use cold or cooling, because we believe cold constricts and slows the healing progress. Externally continue use the Tendon Lotion and U-I oil to aid healing, if the tissue hasn't healed yet.
Also worth getting acupuncture in all three stages.
In Stage One various acupuncture points are used to decrease pain, swelling, aid healing and calm the nervous system (so the body can focus on healing). In Stage Two the acupuncture needle is invaluable to break up the tight, stiff tissue and to promote healing. In Stage Three acupuncture is used mostly to tonify the body and calm the nervous system. For questions email us for acupuncture make an appointment.
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