Think positive, heal faster: How your mind helps your body recover

Most people are surprised to learn the vital role their mind can play in their physical recovery. But it’s true. Stress, anxiety, and depression can tense up muscles and increase inflammation (swelling) inside the body. These things can make it harder for your body to heal.

On the other hand, when patients have a positive outlook, their recovery often comes a lot quicker.

We call it “holistic care” when the mind and body work together to help you recover from an illness or injury. At HMG, we believe this whole-person approach to care yields the best results.

Many studies show how mental health and stress impact healing. That is one reason the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recommends whole-person care for the kinds of things we treat at HMG Rehabilitation. We follow APTA’s guidance because we’ve seen how it can improve patients’ outcomes.

As physical therapists, we are specialists in movement. We help people reclaim their movement and feel better. People often come to see us because they are:

• injured on the job
• injured playing sports
• recovering from surgery
• trying to manage long-term pain or a chronic disease

But we are also trained to understand the connection between the mind and the healing process. A big part of my job is to empower my patients to stay committed to their recovery journey. I educate my patients on how their mental state affects their wellbeing and design personal treatment plans to promote a positive, holistic path to healing.

Your mind plays an important role in keeping your body healthy. When you take care of your mental health, your body can feel better too.

I like to remind my patients to take deep breaths to calm both the body and the mind. A clean, deep breath brings oxygen to your blood cells and loosens your muscles which can help reduce your stress.

Stretching exercises can also strengthen the link between your mind and body. Activities like these can help:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Guided imagery

When we take a moment to tune into our bodies, we open the door to greater awareness and understanding of our health.

It’s vital to listen to what our bodies tell us — like when we’re tired, tense, or uncomfortable — and take care of the little concerns before they become big problems.

The road to recovery can be a long one. Sometimes, a patient sees quick progress at first. But then, they feel like they’ve hit a wall because the next stage of healing is slower. That’s when it’s important to keep a positive outlook.

It’s all part of the healing journey. While an injury can take just seconds to happen, the recovery is never that quick. It takes time to get our bodies back; we can’t rush the process. But we can set realistic goals and use positive thoughts and energy to help meet those goals.

The physical therapists at HMG Rehabilitation are here for you! If you have chronic pain or are recovering from an injury or surgery, go online to schedule an appointment with your primary care provider and find out if physical therapy is right for you.