Spine injury protocol
A traumatic spine injury can develop into a chronic disease state. The body responds to such an injury as if it is a catastrophic event with potential risk to survival. We must accept this reality when considering the consequences required to comprehensively assess the chronic disease state. The spine performs two very distinct roles, each are critical to survival. The spine provides structural support and also encloses and protects the spinal cord.
If the injury is severe and requires an extended time to heal, remodeling of tissues occurs. Remodeling is the body’s response to injury that has not healed and is continuing to communicate inflammatory, wound-response signaling. When the injury is severe, the signaling is more complex and is amplified. Remodeling of tissue responds accordingly. Over time, all tissues in the injury region can be affected. This includes bone, ligaments, disks, soft tissue, muscle, the nervous system and blood vessels (vasculature). Over time, remodeling can become permanent or very difficult to reverse.
Once an injury has been established as a chronic disease state. Remodeling will tissue will inevitably perpetuate injury and amplify inflammatory response. Minor movements, for example, can generate intense pain and resulting amplification of injury response inflammatory signaling.
In order to properly assess a long-term chronic disease state, whether on not the original injury exists, remodeling of tissue must be addressed. Assessment the injured and remodeled tissue is required to provide the basis to design a treatment plan. It begins with a conventional diagnosis and combines characteristics of the chronic disease process which includes tissue remodeling. An example of such a plan is provided below.