If you’ve broken a bone, you know the severe pain of the incident itself, and the ongoing discomfort of the healing process. Though some complex or dislocated bone fractures require surgery, in most cases, these injuries heal well once the broken bone is cast or otherwise immobilized. Nonetheless, since bones take much longer to knit than other tissues, you want to speed up the process as much as possible. This is when the situation calls for a physiatrist.
At Long Island Spine Rehabilitation Medicine, our doctors are all physiatrists, i.e. medical professionals who specialize in pain management and restoration of function. Not only do we have experience in precise diagnosis; we have a broad knowledge of both traditional and complementary methods of treatment to accelerate healing.
Temporarily losing the use of a fractured arm, leg, or other body part interferes with work and normal everyday activities, even personal hygiene. We are glad to be able to assist you by providing several treatments to relieve your pain and speed up your recovery.
Do-It-Yourself Healing of Bone Fractures
There are several things you can do after suffering a bone fracture to make yourself more comfortable and help your body heal, including:
- Resting and elevating the injury
- Keeping weight off a fractured bone in the lower body
- Taking painkillers, preferably acetaminophen (after the first few days, you want to avoid opioids because of the risk of addiction and NSAIDs because they may slow down the healing process)
- Eating a healthy diet rich in calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin D and/or taking supplements as directed by your doctor
- Participating in medically guided physical therapy as it becomes possible
Medical Treatments to Accelerate Healing of Bone Fractures
The following treatments are noninvasive, entirely safe, and have been proven to speed the healing of bone fractures. Long Island Spine Rehabilitation Medicine offers all three:
Acupuncture is a technique that employs very fine needles to stimulate specific body points and is an excellent treatment for bone fractures. It is based on the premise that the body is regulated by an energy known as “qi.” The interruption of that energy flow interferes with the body’s ability to repair itself. Acupuncture has been used medically in Asia for thousands of years. In the 1970s it began to be used more and more widely in the U.S.
Approved for use by licensed practitioners since 1996 and now recognized as a productive form of therapy by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), acupuncture improves circulation and promotes healing. A highly skilled acupuncturist can precisely target the site of the fracture by where she or he places the needles.
PEMF (Pulsed electromagnetic field) therapy received FDA approval for several medical problems in 2007. It is used throughout Europe and the U.S. to promote bone repair. Multiple clinical studies have shown that PEMF promotes bone growth, and in patients with nonunions (in which the bone does not knit properly during an expected period of time), PEMF stimulation has increased healing between 73 percent and 85 percent.
PEMF uses safe, natural electromagnetic fields that are compatible with normal bodily functions to generate a broad range of therapeutic effects. It works by recharging the energy source in our cells, known as mitochondria.
Speed the Healing of Your Bone Fracture — Contact Us Today
Why not let our highly trained medical professionals relieve your suffering and help you recover more quickly from your injury. Give us a call so we can evaluate your case and take steps to put you back in charge of your life.