Last night I attended a lecture by Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Chadwick Prodromos. This is the third lecture of his that I have attended with the room filled with other Chiropractors. He lectures regularly as one of Dr. Prodromos goals is to help bridge the gap between the two professions.
What has impressed me each time is his respect for the healing capabilities of the human body. Hence one of his quotes last night was “Let pain be your best friend”. He does not prescribe NSAIDS (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) due to the many negative side effects. He instead focuses on supplementing with glucosamine / chondroitin sulfate, stopping activities that cause pain, offering physical therapy in his office and he is a big advocate of chiropractic care as well. He does perform surgery and is world renowned yet he tries to avoid it if possible.
The quote “Let pain be your best friend” was in reference to the fact that we should embrace the millions of years of cellular and innate healing capabilities we have inside ourselves. Dr. Prodromos gave an example of when he sprained his ankle and it began to swell. There are chemicals in the fluid of the swollen ankle that are designed to help our tissues heal much more quickly. He did not use pain meds, he did not use ice to reduce the swelling, he did not walk on it or anything else that would have inhibited the body’s healing response. After the weekend he was back in his office hobbling a little bit yet by the end of the week his ankle was feeling great.
I think there are many ways we can look at letting pain be our best friend. The body is always talking to us and we can choose to honor the signs it gives us. We can choose not to mask the pain but let it be our guide. There are many ways we can live with less pain and also take the time that is necessary to let the body heal itself.
Dr. Liselotte Schuster
(847) 509-9067
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