Following your doctors orders and avoiding these bad habits will aid your recovery after a work injury.
One of the biggest misconceptions about health is that individual issues are on an island. The truth is that everything that happens in your body is connected and each action you take can have unexpected consequences. This assertion is especially true for those with disabilities from work injuries. Though they are not medical experts, most St. Louis workers compensation attorneys will agree with this claim. Here are some bad habits that can make your disability worse.
Smoking
Numerous studies have been done on the effects of smoking on chronic pain. The clear conclusion of them is that smoking makes pain worse. If you do not smoke, you should continue on that path and not succumb to it. If you are a smoker already, your best bet is trying to quit. Doing so will make your life much more comfortable.
Inactivity
Being sedentary leads to a breakdown in muscle function. What happens as a result is needing more effort to complete ordinary tasks. Additionally, weak muscles lead to further injuries, often in the form of falls. When you trip, your leg muscles help you catch yourself. Unfortunately, when they are weak, you are more likely to hit the ground.
Too Much Activity
On the other hand, you can’t push yourself too far. This mistake is one that injury victims often make. They wake up one day feeling healthy and decide to push themselves beyond their limits. Doing so leads to re-injury. The better bet is to keep your activity levels steady every day.
Poor Stress Management
Many people incorrectly think that mind and body are separate. The truth is that they are entirely connected. One example of this effect is stress causing worsened chronic pain. The reason is that stress leads to inflammation and the release of harmful hormones, both of which contribute to discomfort.
Not Adhering to Your Treatment Plan
People often harm themselves by not following their treatment plan. Doing so leads to setbacks and more pain.
Poor Diet
While nutrition is a complicated subject, it is quite clear that eating inflammatory foods leads to worsened chronic pain. The one type that consistently results in inflammation is sugar, but there could be many more for you depending on your physiology.
Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol can set you back in two ways. First, it can compromise your nerve function and make you feel your pain more. Second, it can interact with your medication and lead to dangerous outcomes. Either way, you should stay away from drinking as much as you can if you have been injured.
Your work injury management does not start and end in the doctor’s office. Instead, you should adjust your lifestyle habits if you want to achieve complete recovery. Of course, doing so is easier said than done. Following your doctors orders and avoiding bad habits will help you recover much quicker.