Many people observe that the early period of recovery from injuries or infections or medical procedures leads to increased pain and swelling and discomfort. The body creates this paradoxical feeling through its required and natural process of creating inflammation to handle injuries.
The body uses inflammation to begin its healing process because it boosts blood circulation and brings immune cells to the site and enables the release of chemical mediators that remove destroyed tissues and create protection from diseases.
The same processes that remove destroyed tissues from the body also activate pain receptors and produce the symptoms of redness and warmth and swelling that create an unpleasant feeling until the body starts to heal. The short term discomfort which people experience during healing indicates that their immune system function operates normally to restore body function
Inflammation causes problems only when it becomes excessive or lasts too long because this condition interferes with recovery and leads to chronic health problems. Inflammation operates as a healing process which the body needs to restore its health when it occurs at moderate levels.
This is such an important point! It’s fascinating how the body’s natural healing process can feel uncomfortable at first. Pain, swelling, and redness aren’t signs that things are going wrong they’re actually signals that your immune system is doing its job. Understanding this makes the recovery process feel less frustrating.
Yes. Wounds commonly seem or feel more severe before they start improving, which is a standard part of the healing process. This indicates active tissue repair rather than a problem, except when symptoms last over 1-2 weeks or intensify sharply.
