Inflammation occurs when the body releases chemicals that trigger an immune response to fight off infection or heal damaged tissue.
Inflammation can often be unnoticed and mistaken for something that will fade away in time. A build up of inflammation can lead to stiffness and limitation in mobility as the inflamed areas become compressed; if recovery strategy is not implemented appropriately, pain and discomfort continues to restrict movement.
The four main signs of inflammation are redness, heat, swelling, and pain. These are the common signs that have been recognised for centuries as part of the body’s response to injury or infection. A fifth sign, loss of function, often accompanies these four and can be caused by the pain and swelling.
Redness: This occurs because blood vessels widen and blood flow increases to the affected area.
Heat: The increased blood flow also makes the inflamed area feel warm to the touch.
Swelling: Fluid buildup in the tissue, a condition called edema, causes the area to swell.
Pain: This is a protective response that signals that something is wrong and can be felt when the area is touched.
Loss of Function: This can manifest as difficulty moving a joint, speaking, or breathing, depending on the location of the inflammation.
In the clinic we see a lot of cases where swelling and compressed inflammation is easily cleared through remedial massage or lymphatic drainage massage which restores the body’s health and improves mobility.
In acute cases some isolated pain can be reduced through modalities such as: dry needling (trigger points), cupping, body healing (energy) therapy, Basti (application of heated herbal oils) and Japanese Needle Therapy.
In these above examples, the remedy fastens the removal of inflammation build up, brings new blood flow and oxygen to swollen area and resets the body to bring optimum health and alignment.