Orthopeadics

When we sustain an injury, the body starts its recovery process immediately. Healing can be divided into 3 phases. The initial inflammatory phase, which should last about 3 days, is vital to start the healing process. It can be a big contributor to the experience of pain. The inflammatory response could be related to the severity of the injury, however this is not always so clear cut. In this phase, we want to manage the inflammation, respect the tissue healing and have guided movement with relative rest. Physiotherapists often calls this balance between movement and rest; pacing. In a blink of an eye, healing progresses to the proliferation phase, in which the tissue starts to heal and the inflammation settles. This allows increase in function and activity. It usually ends around 6 weeks, where we then progress into a normal remodelling phase. The tissue is now getting a once-over to get it back on track. Depending on the injury this can take up to 2 years to complete fully. However, at this stage, we move our attention away from the potential threat of pain and subsequent pain, and instead focus on improving strength, function and return to daily activities while respecting healing. Ideally, and usually function is back to normal in 6-8 weeks. This emphasises the important fact that tissue damage is not directly associated with pain. Sometimes there are sometimes hiccups in the road and symptoms might appear as we do new things/push the boundaries. Generally this is minimal when guided by a physiotherapist. After approximately 12 weeks most soft tissue and bone will be healed and ready to return to activity. Physiotherapist are trained specifically in walking this journey with you, giving the correct advice and training programs at each phase.