Stages of Healing & General Expectations for Injury Recovery

When you exercise, your muscles & tendons are stressed beyond their usual limits and microscopic tears occur. This is normal -as the tears heal the muscles actually become bigger, firmer and stronger! However, not listening to your body nor allowing it enough rest to recover from strenuous activities can lead to a “nagging injury”. Lingering pain is the body’s alarm system telling you to “be nice to me!”

Ask yourself these questions to help determine need for special care:

Stage 1 – Do I have pain during an activity that stops after a few minutes or when I finish the task? (My knee hurts at the beginning of my run and then goes away.)

Stage 2 – Do I have pain during and after an activity? (My foot keeps hurting after my run.)

Stage 3 – Do I have pain that persists with normal daily activities – stairs, walking, sitting? (My back hurts for 2-3 days after running.)

Stage 4 – Do I have pain that stops me from training or adversely affects my daily activities? (I hurt every time I run and avoid stairs at all costs because of my hip pain.)

WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?

Stages 1 & 2: These early stages indicate a need to further assess your training. How are you preparing before performing? Are you using good technique? Do you have enough recovery time between workouts? Do you have the right footwear for your training style and body type? If self-management does not improve your symptoms quickly then you need additional help to better assess your movement strategies.

Stages 3 & 4: These stages indicate it is definitely time to seek professional management of your aches and pains. It is in your best interest to find an expert that specializes in biomechanics and exercise prescription (physical therapist 🙋🏽, sports chiropractor, etc) to help you make specific modifications to your training routine.

GOOD NEWS: there’s always something you CAN do, despite your temporary ailment. When you have a nagging pain, it’s important to keep active while protecting your area of injury from further harm. First, we must understand that there are different phases of healing after every insult.

STAGES OF HEALING:

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS WHEN RECOVERING FROM AN INJURY*

(*Disclaimer: Every body is unique and many factors will affect the natural healing process. For individual expectations, consult your medical professional.)

Your body wants to heal. It is designed with a particular process to repair itself!

This course of healing occurs whether you’ve experience a major trauma (car accident, fall, or sports injury) or a minor insult (such as a cut on the knuckle, or general soreness from “overdoing it” at the gym or in the garden).

The following 3 phases of healing must occur after any kind of soft tissue injury.

Note: "Pain free" does not necessarily mean "all is well". The pain will usually begin to subside in the second phase of healing. Make sure you do not short change your recovery. Take the time now to invest in getting strong and stable so that you reduce the risk of re-injury.

**The following factors can prolong the healing process:

MODIFIABLE Risk Factors: (these deterrents to healing are within your control to change!)

-Delay in appropriate care. (The sooner you pay attention to an injury, the more control you have over reducing the duration of painful symptoms & avoiding repeated aggravations.)

-Poor Nutrition. (Stay hydrated. Fuel your body with lean protein & Vitamin C for tissue repair.)

-Smoking. (Reduce the frequency & quantity of tobacco exposure per day.)

-High stress levels! (Find appropriate tension outlets and focus on what you CAN still do.)

Other NON-Modifiable Risk Factors include a history of ongoing illness, heart disease, circulation problems, or diabetes. The severity and complexity of an injury can also prolong your recovery, but remember that there are always activities you can control to facilitate general health.

A thorough Rehabilitative & Recovery Plan may include:

• Activity Modification –what we do on a consistent basis will either help or harm the healing process. Sometimes we need ergonomic support or technique tips for daily tasks.

• Modalities –ice, heat, ultrasound, cold laser, dry needling, &/or TENS can be used for pain, swelling, stiffness, or spasms.

• Manual Therapy –massage & joint mobilizations can facilitate remodeling along lines of proper mechanical stress.

• Medicine –pills, creams, or injections are used to address severe pain, swelling, & inflammation.

• Stability - Strength - Power training –this is a necessary exercise progression. A body needs a solid core foundation to better tolerate heavy loads and dynamic functional activities.

Remember to give yourself enough grace and time to heal. Patients need patience!

Treat your body good in order to keep on track towards your ultimate goal- LONGEVITY!

XO