Does this Sound Like Your Back Injury? 

My client calls me about his back going out over the weekend. He said he was putting on his socks while leaning against the wall yesterday and felt his back go out. He said I think my back went out because on Saturday evening he and a group of guys were lifting weights in the gym. When it became a competition to see who could bench press the most weight. “Of course,” he said, “I was the oldest guy there and very fit for my age and did not want to be shown up. He said for the most part he was able to hold his own.”

My client said he is in so much pain when he moves. He said, “All I can do is lie down on the bed and do not move.” He said the worst part is when he has to go to the bathroom and has to literally slither out of bed onto the floor to his knees and from there slowly stand up. He stated that he gets very intense pain when he moves. He said on a scale from 1-10 his pain is a 10. I had my client take the Homeopathic Remedies Arnica Montana 1m and Bryonia Alba 1m in a Homeopathic Remedy Solution Bottle (RSB) every hour until the intense pain started to decrease from a number 10. Once the pain was less than a 10, I instructed him to back off from taking the Arnica and Bryonia every hour to every two to three hours when the pain became more intense again. I also had him take the Homeopathic Remedy Magnesia Phosphorica 30c as dry pellets three to four times a day when his spasms became more intense.

Three days later, my client reported that his pain is now down to a seven and he’s taking Arnica and Bryonia every three to four hours. He stated he doesn’t have to slither out of bed in the morning anymore. He’s now able to sit in the recliner chair during the day. He said he is having stiffness when he gets up in the morning or when he sits (reclines) too long; which takes him a few minutes to loosen up. I explained him to that starting to have stiffness is a good sign. It means his back symptoms are moving back to the original symptoms from overuse or overextending his back from the bench-pressing competition. I had my client start taking the Homeopathic Remedies Arnica Montana 1m and Rhus Toxicodendron 1m in a Homeopathic Remedy Solution Bottle with 10 succussions three times a day (morning, afternoon, and at bedtime). He will also continue taking Arnica and Bryonia when his pain from movement becomes more intense during the day. I explained to him that he would start to notice his overall back pain which was worse from movement would continue to decrease each day and the back stiffness would continue to be there. 

My client called back four days later, stating he only needed to take Arnica and Bryonia two to three times a day. However, yesterday, the back pain, worse from movement is returning before he is scheduled to take his next dose of Arnica and Bryonia with 10 succussions. I had him start succussing the Arnica and Bryonia Remedy Solution Bottle 12 times before taking each dose. In doing so, he will notice the overall intensity of the pain worse from movement will greatly decrease. I instructed him to stop taking Arnica and Bryonia when he no longer has pain that is worse from movement.

Three days later, he reported back that he no longer has pain that is worse when he moves, therefore he stopped taking Arnica and Bryonia. He told me, he is only taking Arnica and Rhus Toxicodendron 1m’s with 10 succussions three times a day. I said when he needs more time to move around in the morning before his stiffness starts to improve, he will increase the succussions on Arnica and Rhus Toxicodendron from 10 to 12 succussions and he will continue taking the Remedies three times a day until he no longer has back stiffness. I also told him he could stop the Magnesia Phosphorica 30c when he no longer is experiencing spasms. 

He called me a few days later, telling me he increased the succussions to 14 on the Arnica and Rhus Toxicodendron and his back stiffness is not improving anymore. I asked him if the back symptoms were in the muscular part of his back or closer to his spine. He stated his back stiffness is close to the spine now. I had him stop taking Arnica and Rhus Toxicodendron and start taking the Homeopathic Remedy Ruta Graveolens 200c in a Remedy Solution Bottle with 10 succussions three times a day as he was with Arnica and Rhus Toxicodendron. I went on to explain to him, that Ruta has the same symptoms as Rhus Toxicodendron, stiffness or tightness that is better when you start to move around. The only difference is Rhus Toxicodendron is for the muscular part of the back and Ruta is for where the muscles are attached to the bone; closer to the spine.

Are You Prone to Injuries?

Injuries can occur any time of the year, however, they are apt to happen during the Spring and Summer time when we are more active in the nice warm weather and longer days of daylight. Sometimes injuries can be an emergency, where you are taking a Homeopathic Remedy and need to be on your way to an Urgent Care facility (Emergency Room). In a case like this, you may need to quickly select a Homeopathic Remedy such as Arnica Montana 200c or you may need a 1m potency and get to Urgent Care. You can never go wrong just taking Arnica Montana, when you don’t know what else to take for any injury.

Selecting an Acute Homeopathic Remedy for Your Injury

When selecting an Acute Homeopathic Remedy for an injury you want to match the key symptoms of a remedy with the symptoms you are experiencing from that injury (trauma), what’s called Keynote Prescribing. This is not the time to see if the Homeopathic Remedy also fits your general everyday symptoms you have regularly (i.e., heartburn, PMS, craving comfort food, etc.) looking for what’s called a Homeopathic “Constitutional” Remedy. My point here is, that you are selecting an Acute Homeopathic Remedy for the symptoms that just occurred in the injury, this is called “Clinical Homeopathy”. Your attitude in life does not matter at a time like this or if you are thirsty or not.

Criteria to Use When Selecting a Homeopathic Remedy for an Injury

There is a specific criteria that I and other Homeopaths follow to help select an Acute Homeopathic Remedy.

• Where Did You Injure Yourself (Location of the injury)
  • Did you hurt your back, tailbone, neck, knee or ankle, etc.?

• What Kind of Pain (Sensation) Are You Feeling?
  • Do you have a sharp, shooting, or dull pain? Or tightness, stiffness, etc.

• What Makes Your Symptom(s) Feel Better or Worse (Modalities)?
  • You want to look at what makes your pain feel better or worse. Do you feel better when you move your ankle? Or does your ankle feel worse every time you move your ankle? Does your knee feel better or worse when you apply a hot or cold compress on the area? Just knowing what makes your pain feel better or worse will cut your Homeopathic Remedy selection in half. For example, if your pain feels better with a hot application, you will only look at Homeopathic Remedies that are better when applying heat and you will exclude the Remedies that are better with a cold compress. There are approximately 6,000 Homeopathic Remedies and we need a way to cut the Remedy list down to two or three Homeopathic Remedies that fit your symptoms.

• Etiology (Never Well Since) – What Happened Prior to the Injury – Fell Off Ladder, Lifting Furniture
  • Knowing what happened can help you select a Homeopathic Remedy. For example, if you injured your back while lifting furniture, you need a Homeopathic Remedy for “over lifting.”

Selecting the Correct Potency of the Homeopathic Remedy

After you have selected your Homeopathic Remedy for your symptoms, you want to next select the correct potency of that Remedy that will address your injury quickly and help with the healing process. In most cases, you will be selecting a Homeopathic Remedy in a 30c or 200c potency. When Arnica Montana, Bryonia, and Rhus Toxicodendron are needed, I like to use 1m potency when the pain level is intense. To determine the intensity of the pain, I like to use a “Pain Scale” when using Arnica Montana, Bryonia Alba, and Rhus Toxicodendron for an injury.

My “Pain Scale is 1 is good, and 10 the pain is worse. When using a “Pain Scale” it helps in choosing whether to select a 200c or 1m potency for Arnica Montana, Bryonia Alba, and Rhus Toxicodendron. When the pain intensity number is less than five, select a 200c potency Arnica Montana, Bryonia Alba, and Rhus Toxicodendron. A 1m potency of Arnica Montana, Bryonia Alba, and Rhus Toxicodendron will be selected when the pain intensity number is a five or ten. 

Using the correct potency of Arnica Montana, Bryonia Alba, and Rhus Toxicodendron will indicate when the symptoms are getting better or worse. It will also help in letting you know if your symptoms are improving and when you need to repeat a Homeopathic Remedy. 

How to Administer a Homeopathic Remedy for Your Injury

Now that you have selected your Homeopathic Remedy, how are you going to take it? I recommend taking your Homeopathic Remedies in a Homeopathic Remedy Solution Bottle (RSB) in a 1-ounce dropper bottle or 4-ounce bottle with 10 succussions (taps). When you have an injury, you will be taking your selected Homeopathic Remedy(s) several times a day when your symptoms become more intense for the next couple of days or in some cases longer. When you take a Homeopathic Remedy in pellet form (dry dose), you are taking the same potency or strength each time you take a dose, no matter how many pellets you put in your mouth. When you take a Homeopathic Remedy in a Remedy Solution Bottle and succuss (tap) the bottle 10 times each time prior to you taking the Remedy, you are taking a stronger dose each time. For example, each time you succuss the Remedy Solution Bottle 10 times your dose is 10 times stronger than the prior dose. As your symptoms are improving, your Homeopathic Remedy is right behind the healing process moving your case along. When the healing has made great improvement, your selected Homeopathic Remedy can not continue improving your symptoms, your symptoms will start to backslide. This is when you want to increase the succussions from 10 to 12 succussions. Just increasing the succussions by two increments, will improve the symptoms backslide and take your symptoms to the next level for improvement overall.

Homeopathic Remedies for Sprains

Taking a Homeopathic Remedy for a sprain whether it is from twisting your ankle, or back injury from overlifting you will select your Homeopathic Remedy according to the criteria I listed above (location, sensation, modalities, and etiology). In most cases, you will need to take the Homeopathic Remedy Arnica Montana in the beginning, because Arnica addresses all kinds of injuries and trauma. Along with Arnica, I find a lot of injuries can be completely addressed with the Homeopathic Remedies Bryonia Alba and Rhus Toxicodendron unless you are experiencing a stabbing, shooting, or throbbing pain.

Arnica Montana – Is the #1 Homeopathic Remedy for pain, swelling, and inflammation from a trauma or injury. I always say Arnica works like an anti-inflammatory drug does, without the side effects, by taking the inflammation down.

Bryonia – This is selected when the injury is worse from the slightest movement.

Rhus Toxicodendron – This is selected when you have overextended your knee, ankle, or back and the area feels tight or stiff. The tightness or stiffness feels better when you start to move (i.e., walking), apply heat to the area, or with stretching and massage. In other words, the injury is worse from not moving for some time such as when you sit too long or after sleeping.

Ruta Graveolens – This is selected for when the injury is a knee or back injury that involves where the muscle, ligaments, or tendons attach to the bone (more localized such as along the spine). Ruta has the same symptoms as Rhus Toxicodendron, better with movement and worse from being still too long. 

Magnesia Phosphorica – This is selected for when you have aches and pains, especially from an injury. When you have aches and pains daily or from an injury it means your magnesium levels are low or the aches and pains are decreasing your magnesium levels. Magnesia Phosphorica can be taken as a Hyland’s Cell Salt (often called a Tissue Salt) as a 6x tablet or as a 30c Homeopathic Remedy to help increase your magnesia levels and decrease the aches and pains. 

Homeopathic Remedies for Soft Tissue injuries

Bellis Perennis – This Remedy is very similar to the Arnica symptom picture, only it is used for deeper tissue/muscle injuries (buttocks) or very little muscle tissue. Such as soft tissue around your eyes, breast(s), testicles, or glands. 

Homeopathic Remedies for Swelling from an Injury

In most cases, Arnica Montana will address the swelling from an injury. However, sometimes, there is too much swelling to help protect the injured area, which is trapped and cannot be alleviated with Arnica. That is when you want to bring in the Homeopathic Remedy Apis Melifica to help remove the swelling from the injured area. 

Apis Mellifica – This is selected when the injury is swollen, the skin may have a red rosy color. You may also be experiencing a burning, stinging sensation. Apis symptoms also feel better when applying a cold compress to the area.

Addressing Shock from a Trauma or an Injury with Homeopathic Remedies

In most cases, you will want to take a Homeopathic Remedy for the shock of having the injury (trauma) for a couple of reasons: Not addressing the shock of how the injury can affect you (i.e., scared you or was a total shock that it happened to you) can affect how well your Homeopathic Remedy will work in addressing the injury. In some cases, the Homeopathic Remedy will stop working, until you address the emotional symptoms you felt and may still feel from the initial incident. 

Another reason you want to address the emotional feeling you have or had initially, is because you may have a cold, flu, or sinus infection out of nowhere several weeks later from your injury. You have tried several well-chosen Homeopathic Remedies for your cold symptoms, which either stopped addressing your symptoms at some point or did not help your symptoms at all. Now you need to select a Homeopathic Remedy for how you felt or still feel when you were first injured (Etiology – Never Well Since). You may have felt or still feel anxious or fearful throughout the day. This is when I suggest taking one dose of a Homeopathic Remedy in a pellet (dry) form since you will only need one dose of the Remedy to address your emotional state.

Aconite Napellus – This is selected when you have become frightened from what just happened to you.

Gelsemium – Thisis selected when the incident, in this case, an injury has taken you by surprise and may cause you to feel anxious. In other words, the fall scared you and now you may still feel anxious. I recommend taking a dose of Aconite 30c along with Gelsemium 200c for the anxiety and frightening effects of the injury. 

Ignatia Amara – You are crying hysterically from the injury because it took you by surprise. You may have started sighing throughout the day or be shocked it happened because you can’t believe you have injured yourself.  

In conclusion, selecting an acute Homeopathic Remedy for your injury involves considering the specific symptoms and matching them to the appropriate remedy in order to promote healing and recovery. It is important to consult with a qualified Homeopathic Consultant for personalized guidance in choosing the most effective remedy for your injury.